Smoking a pork shoulder as we speak...need help....

[tlcpokertables]

Hi there,
I'm smoking a 8.5 pork shoulder right now, an I just wanted to know if I should I be doing anything during the smoking process (ex: turn it? slather it with sauce? etc...)
Any input would be greatly appreciated..

FYI - I did the mustard and dry rub and they just put it in...that's it. It's been in the smoker for about 3 hrs.

Thanks!!!!

 

[rbranstner]

You can spray it (spritz) it with apple juice and booze mix or some do Dr. Pepper. Its all up to you. It may be a good idea to turn your butt incase you have a hot spot that way it would get done evenly. Are you going to foil it at 160ish or not? Some do some don't. There are no right or wrong ways just as long as you like it that is all that matters.

 

[flash]

I use a mixture of apple cider vinegar and makers mark for pork to spritz and drink beer while I'm smoking.

 

[ellymae]

Good advice. I've got a shoulder in the Egg since 6:00 this morning. I don't plan on looking at it for another few hours - as long as the temps are holding I am happy.
I usually just let it ride to 200 degrees. Don't rush it, don't get impatient when it hits it's plateau.

 

[tlcpokertables]

Thanks for the replys!! I am spritzing it with apple cider and Captain Morgan's spiced rum.

One other thing......It's about 5-1/2 hrs into it, and the meat temp is only at 100 deg.....does this sound right???

 

[denver dave]

What temp are you cooking at? Sounds like you may need to kick it up a bit. I would expect something closer to 140-150 by now.

 

[ronp]

You better check your thermometer. If it is only 100 you have big trouble. Let us know.

 

[rbranstner]

Yea 100 degrees sounds very low for that many hours. Like Ron said check your thermometers you may be smoking at a lot lower temp or your meat is actually a lot higher than you think. Either way you are going to be breaking the 4 hour rule by a lot (40-140 in 4 hours) and you may have a big problem.

 

[tlcpokertables]

The gauge on the outside of my vertical smoker has been reading a consistant 225 (give or take). I just checked the meat again, and it's at about 120.

 

[ellymae]

Are you sure your smoker guage is accurate? That is concerning.

 

[rbranstner]

Yea you might want to take your meat probe and put it in the smoker for a bit to make sure that the thermometer on your smoker door is accurate. They are known to be off and you may be smoking at a lower temp than you think. Also maybe try putting your meat probe in a different part of the butt to make sure you are getting the same temp.

 

[tlcpokertables]

Whats' the 4 hr rule? And what happens if I break it?

 

[rbranstner]

The Four Hour rule is you want the internal temp of your meat to go from 40 degrees to 140 degrees in four hours in order to kill off any bacteria that may be in the meat. You can get really sick if you break this rule. If you miss it by a little but I wouldn't worry but by an hour and you could be in trouble. Hopefully someone will be along soon that can explain it it more detail. If you are curing your meat first then that is a different story.

 

[tlcpokertables]

Sorry I didn't follow up with an update sooner!....

Everything worked out great!..Soon after my last post, I ran out to get a digital meat thermometer, and it was definitely at a more reasonable temp level than the probe I was using. The pork reached 200 after 12 hrs and pulled apart very well. Probably would have been a little better if I had kept it in another hour, but still great!!!!

...and OMFG!!...ABT's absolutely rule!!!! I made 50 of them, and they all went in a matter of minutes! I'll be making them all summer..no doubt!!

Thanks for all your replies!!

 

[culturedhick]

Glad the pulled pork turned out well!!

I know what you mean about ABT's. I almost need another smoker just to keep up with the deamnd for ABT's.