First Post, First Smoked Shoulder

[randyhall]

Of course, I didn't bring the Q-View. I am retarded.

So, one is parked at 155, the other well north of 160, so I wrapped the one that's over the hill. In transferring it to the foil, a tiny bit came off and I popped it in my mouth...

Eleventy million delicious angels sang their hickory-smoked harmonies in my nose and taste buds as my eyes rolled up into my skull and I thought I saw God.

Once I recovered from my waking dream, I quickly finished wrapping the sucker in foil and stowed it back in the locker. Does it surprise anyone that the shoulder on the top shelf got wrapped first, even though they started at the same time and at the same weight?

--R

 

[pineywoods]

No Randy they will never cook at the same rate but it does sound like its moving right along I seem to always hit a plateau in the 140's

 

[bbq bubba]

Top shelf is higher heat, thus quicker cooking!

 

[erain]

keep her smokin til that 190 and u wont be disapointed, all u need yet is finishing sauce,buns,sauce,and slaw. and then u got the real deal. waitin on those pix whenever the meat is ready and not before. sounds like your mes is doin you well!!!

 

[randyhall]

This was my thought, Bubba. Almost made me wish I had put both butts on the top shelf. Next time, smokehouse. Next time.

So, 2nd shoulder is now wrapped at 160 (though it seemed to be almost grudging in its admission of "yeah, okay, I'm hot enough now"). I'll wait another couple hours to do first check for finishing temp. This stuff smells so good, it makes me want to cry.

I'm also doing the vinegar finishing sauce, which has filled the house with it's apple cidery sour vinegar smell. It's hard to concentrate on typing when the drool keeps running down my chin.

--R

 

[randyhall]

11 hour checkpoint:

Shoulder on the top rack is at 185! I feel pulled pork beckon to me, irresistible siren song drawing me to sit by the smoker with a beer in hand, pondering... I grudgingly put the bad boy back in the locker, I'm figuring for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Didn't bother checking the bottom shoulder. It will be promoted to the top rack once my dinner has graduated to the cooler.

It might be 8PM before I'm eating Q, but damnit, I'm getting pulled pork tonight!

--R

 

[pineywoods]

hey you cheat its after 9 here

 

[randyhall]

The sun never sets on good barbeque... nuff said.

--R

 

[pineywoods]

yea but sure makes for a better dinner time there

here i been thinkin all day it'd be midnight before you got to eat duh forget about that west coast thing

 

[flatbroke]

Good job randy, I awoke this morning with the same intentions however, baseball had other plans for me. anyway I did get to try some ribs, and beans, guess I will give the shoulders to my mother to make Chili Verde, its the best this side of the Atlantic

 

[richtee]

Hang in there and go mop it! :{)

 

[randyhall]

12 hour checkpoint.

Success! Top shelf butt settled at 190, finally. First measure of the bottom shelf butt toddling along at 175, so it stays in the locker while it's better half is now resting in the cooler, wrapped in towel.

Should I mention that the thermometer slid in to that top shelf butt like buttah? Oh, you know that's what I just said...

I snapped a little peek-a-boo shot, still uploading (damn my back country broadband).

Yum!

 

[bbq bubba]

Then you KNOW its done!!
Not always a temp thing, every piece finishes at different temps!
If your not eating or pulling tonight, go ahead and let it cool off and put in the fridge, no need for the cooler.

 

[randyhall]

Without further ado, the overdue Q-View:

And Now, The Smoked Butt Wrap-Up:

The Q shown above was magical. Unctuous, lip-smacking, as close to a religious experience as this poor soul is likely to ever see. $25 of meat, a few bucks worth of wood chips, a few feet of aluminum foil and my blessed MES made this possible.

The pulling at first was glorious. Then, it was tedious. Then it had the flavor of death march written all over it. "When will I be DONE with this??!?"

The Boss and the kids laugh as they pound down platefuls of my creation. I feel I've somehow been press-ganged onto a ship headed across the open ocean, and the only way to get there is to use two forks in a never-ending cross-tearing action. So, I now eyeball the kids, mentally counting the years before they'll be big enough to set in front of one of these butts and be made to toil at pulling it with forks...

At long last, the pulling was done, and the vinegar finishing sauce (linked earlier in this post) turned out to be the clincher. Made the pulled pork sing, and seemed to make it disappear into my mouth even that much faster. Delicious and easy!

The second butt was also a success, albeit two hours later. I went ahead and stuck that butt in the cooler, wrapped in towel, for two hours (I needed the rest, dammit). After the timer roused me from my reverie, I retrieved the clearly larger hunk of meat and unwrapped it.

Still piping hot, this second butt pulled even more dreamily than the first. The Boss and the kids were already in bed, but and iPod with loud music is enough to keep anybody working, apparently. After what seemed to be an eternity (I remarked to The Boss that pulling pork is probably what I'll have to do in Purgatory. I won't be able to eat it, just smell it while I'm snikt-snikt with the damn forks), I finally filled two very large stock pots with shredded pork goodness.

I clearly will be eating this pulled pork for the next week, at least.

Pulled pork hash for breakfast, anyone?

Thanks to everyone on SMF who lent their advice and an encouraging attaboy now and then! Off to bed, perchance to dream, hopefully not about pulling pork.

--R

 

[erain]

looks great!!! actually it looks better than great, i can taste the cyber food from here. great job on ur first smoke here at smf. another testament of smoke til temp not time. great job and great post with great qview!!!!!!!

 

[meowey]

Well done!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[djacob]

I agree, thats all i use on my pork butts is straight apple joice from a dollar store sprayer ( im cheap, what can i say

)

Dave

 

[bbqgoddess]

Wow!
with so much going on at my casa I missed this great post yesterday!
Well done! and welcome to heaven!

 

[crispyb]

Amazing thing that patience is...Now if if I could only transfer it from the smoker to the rest of my life...

 

[jtribout]

Hey.... You can send some of that to OHIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks great.