# My first pork shoulder! (Picnic cut)



## smokinmegg (Oct 9, 2013)

Hey everyone, finally smoked my first pork shoulder. My boyfriends mom had a great looking picnic cut in the fridge so I decided (at around 10am) to get it set up and throw it in my MES. This was a very rushed process but I'm still proud of the outcome. I grabbed the meat and plugged in my smoker to get heated up.













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__ smokinmegg
__ Oct 9, 2013






I threw a rub together really quick. I do have the recipe for "Jeff's rub" but didn't make it to the store to get all the ingredients. I used kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder and pepper. 













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__ smokinmegg
__ Oct 9, 2013






I set the meat in the fridge for about a half hr while I soaked the chips and heated up the smoker. I placed it in the smoker at 11am.













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__ smokinmegg
__ Oct 9, 2013






I set the heat at 230 and it stayed very consistent. I changed the chips about 8 times. 3 times I used wet chips and the rest I used dry. I used hickory chips. I put a thermometer in the meat and waited for it to get to an internal temp of 160. 













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__ smokinmegg
__ Oct 9, 2013






I finally reached 160 at around 4:00pm so I covered it with foil to cook it until it reached 200 internally.













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__ smokinmegg
__ Oct 9, 2013






It cooked another two hrs and then it was ready to come out and cool. It smelled so amazing! 













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__ smokinmegg
__ Oct 9, 2013






I drained the juices to pour on later and started to pull apart the meat. It was so tender and just fell apart. I knew it was going to taste as good as it smelled. 

After I pulled it apart it was ready for dinner. I couldn't be more happy with the way it turned out. I'm so glad I used the smokers e-course to help me. This was very tasty and I can't wait to smoke brisket and a boston butt this weekend. :yahoo:













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__ smokinmegg
__ Oct 9, 2013


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## pc farmer (Oct 9, 2013)

Very nice.


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## themule69 (Oct 9, 2013)

Looks GREAT!

Happy smoken.

David


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## s2k9k (Oct 9, 2013)

Congratulations on your first shoulder, it looks really Good!!!!


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## kathrynn (Oct 9, 2013)

Congrats!  You rocked it!

Kat


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## bad santa (Oct 9, 2013)

Great job on the first of many more to come, I'm sure!


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## smokinhusker (Oct 9, 2013)

Very nice job!!! You are well on your way now!


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## turnandburn (Oct 9, 2013)

congrats! looks great...first one down, what next..brisket? lol.


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## kathrynn (Oct 9, 2013)

Now you need to save up for a good digital thermometer for the inside the smoker temps and the food temps.

Get the gadgets as you go along.  Will make things so much easier.

Kat


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## frosty (Oct 9, 2013)

Mighty nice!  Looks like a victoryt to me!


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## disco (Oct 9, 2013)

Your first effort is way better than mine was. Nice job!

The bad news, your addicted now.

Disco


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## yotzee (Oct 9, 2013)

Excellent Job!

And like Disco pointed out, you are now addicted!


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## roharris33 (Oct 9, 2013)

Looks great. Looks like some good bark on there also. Good job, keep somkin'.


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## sskyking (Oct 9, 2013)

Looks great!  Only gets better from here!  In BBQ, time is everything, when you have more time, try giving the rub 24hrs before smoking... it will be worth the wait!

For the rub, which Paprika did you use?  Many people think there is only one, but there are really many... some sweet and some hot.  Personally, I use the hot ones... I like it when my lips tingle for an hour after eating!  Generally speaking, if it's just labeled as "Paprika" it's one of the sweet ones.  I was just in a Spice and Tea Exchange and they had about 10 different Paprikas.


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## smokinmegg (Oct 9, 2013)

Thanx everyone! My next smoke will be Saturday and I'll be smoking a few brisket and a boston butt. I plan to put the rub on the night before (this time with Jeff's rub) so it should be even better. 

@Disco yes! I am addicted now haha! 

@sskyking I used just plain old paprika. I read there are different types but completely forgot why grocery shopping. Thanx for the reminder because I would like the spicy paprika! And yes I will definitely be putting the rub on overnight.


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## pigbark (Oct 9, 2013)

YUMMY - my name is Jim, and yes im addicted- seeing this post isn't helping me, I am going through withdraws as my mouth is now watering up...  I went to turn on the smoker and am setting in my seat again , my watering mouth has went to a constant drool that cannot be stopped for at least 3 hrs..

 I just want you to know what you started from all those beautiful pix of that chunk o Pig you smoked...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Fantastic !!!


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## rabbithutch (Oct 9, 2013)

You nailed it!

:yahoo:


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## sskyking (Oct 9, 2013)

It's funny because I've seen many cooks who claim Paprika is primarly used to add color and with most Paprika that is anything but the truth!

Check out: http://main.kitchendaily.com/2011/08/17/kitchen-decoder-the-many-types-of-paprika/

http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-hot-sweet-68134

or

http://spanishfood.about.com/od/essentialingredients/a/paprika.htm

The supermarket is too often the WORST place to buy spices!


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## pigbark (Oct 9, 2013)

Penzeys if you have one near by-it looks as they carry the in-store version of the online spicehouse selection,very very close on price as well... good place to get your spices and they have Locality spices which is awesome...


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## bbq pit vulture (Oct 10, 2013)

Nice results for a first attempt.

Purchase the big jars of spices at COSTCO or a Restaurant supply store.  They have a better price brake.


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## gary s (Oct 10, 2013)

Your first Pork Butt     WOW really turned out nice  I love pulled pork. Good luck on the Briskets, I am doing 2 today along with a rack of ribs and some sausage.  Looks like your getting the hang of it pretty quick.

Gary


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## bugz13 (Oct 10, 2013)

Great job on the Butt... and good luck on your Brisket this weekend. I tried Jeff's Smoked Brisket & Burnt Ends recipe last weekend, for a change, and found that it turned out marvelously... my friends loved it. http://goo.gl/3nkvjP


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## grimm5577 (Oct 10, 2013)

Looks great!!! congrats!


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## markbeer (Oct 10, 2013)

a fantastic job well done!


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## daves1811 (Oct 11, 2013)

Your picnic cut looks awesome man!!!!!  I'm going to be trying my first one this weekend, hope it comes out just as good as yours did!


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## shelterit (Oct 11, 2013)

Great Looking shoulder!  Good Job


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## woozle (Oct 11, 2013)

>>160 at around 4:00pm so I covered it with foil to cook it until it reached 200 internally.

The last time I cooked a shoulder in my Masterbuilt it took two hours to go from 150 internally to 160, and after three HOURS in the oven at 225 it was only up to 180.  I ran out of time to heat it up and needless to say, it wasn't very "pull-ey".  All I can figure is, next time I will start it cooking in the evening, let it cook all night, and then it will have all day if need to be to get to 200 internally.  There doesn't seem to be an issue with my smoker, since it maintains 225 easily, but boy, does the meat heat up slowly.


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## sskyking (Oct 11, 2013)

Pork shoulders tend to "stall".  If I have to move to oven (after at least 7 hrs of smoke), I usually bump the temp to about 325.  Some people wrap with foil but that tends to soften the bark.  When doing pulled pork, don't confine yourself to a schedule, do it a day before and let it take what it takes!  Once pulled, tray it and reheat when ready to serve.  One (of the many) nice things about the Southern method is the cider vinegar based sauce can be poured into the tray before reheating to deliver wonderfully moist que!


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## woozle (Oct 11, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I guess this is another way a certain nameless TV chef misled me, I thought 8-10 hours would be enough to fully cook a shoulder.  Turns out it can take quite a bit longer, depending on the circumstances.


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## foamheart (Oct 11, 2013)

Woozle said:


> Thanks for the info. I guess this is another way a certain nameless TV chef misled me, I thought 8-10 hours would be enough to fully cook a shoulder.  Turns out it can take quite a bit longer, depending on the circumstances.


You can cook a picnic pretty fast, but not if you want to pull 'em. You don't have to low and slow, I know folks here are now looking at higher cooking temps and I smoked a picnic today, could easily have gotten to 145 IT which is slice temp., easily get there in less than 10 hours.

Pulled pork is 200+ that adds usually two more stalls also. That is why folks suggest guesstimation of 2 hours per pound.


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## sskyking (Oct 11, 2013)

Woozle said:


> Thanks for the info. I guess this is another way a certain nameless TV chef misled me, I thought 8-10 hours would be enough to fully cook a shoulder.  Turns out it can take quite a bit longer, depending on the circumstances.


It depends on the size of the shoulder.  Time is not as important as temperature, get a good digital thermometer and a steady supply of fuel.  Many experienced smokers will tell you that meat ceases to pick up smoke flavor after about 7-8 hours... that is when we move it to the oven to finish (usually at a higher temp) for quick cook; when we have time and usually using gas, we just wait it out..  The key is that you need to reach 190-200 degrees and then let it rest a bit before pulling, but pull it while it is still hot as letting it cool too much will toughen it quickly.  In a recent bulk BBQ, we cooked to 190 and then wrapped in foil and placed in a cooler for several hours and it was still over 160 when we pulled.

From my experience, small quantities smoke 7-8 hours and finish in the oven, large cooks use gas and go as long as it takes.  You get better flavor from the former but larger production from the latter.  The choice is all about what you are looking for.  For me, it's all about the patience!


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## pgde (Oct 12, 2013)

Just an FYI, a Picnic cut is not necessarily the same as a Pork Butt. See http://localfoods.about.com/od/porkrecipes/qt/Picnic-Shoulder.htm

Congrats on this one however.

P.


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## gary s (Oct 13, 2013)

I cook at 225, Pork butts take a long time I usually figure anywhere from 10 to 12 hours. We always do pulled so that bone has to slide right out Usually about 205 - 210 after I pull it I wrap and let it sit for a hour or so, depending on hoe hungry everyone is getting. I really don't think there is a magic time only time guidelines. There are a lot of condition that affect every cook. You meat quality, outside weather conditions (hot or cold high or low humidity Raney or dry wind or no wind cook temp, fluctuations in the cooking temp, all these affect time. I always use a digital meat thermometer on pork shoulders as well as poultry

Gary


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## bobbyk (Oct 13, 2013)

The picnic looks outstanding. How is the inside of your MES so clean though? Was that your first smoke altogether?


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## laxj (Oct 14, 2013)

Also smoked a small shoulder today and it turned out pretty good, not as good as yours I'm sure but good none the less.  Picked up a small shoulder and a generic rub this morning just as a test but it worked out well.  I started it with charcoal and hickory chunks for about 3 hours and then moved over to the gas side of the grill for an additional hour to finish off.  This was just a test, the real smoke will be early next week with some babyback ribs.













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__ laxj
__ Oct 14, 2013


















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__ laxj
__ Oct 14, 2013


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## mainemade82 (Jun 11, 2017)

looks great. great job. making me hungry and its only 9am lol.


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## gtme2 (Jun 11, 2017)

How sweet it is.


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## sharryn (Jun 11, 2017)

Sure has my mouth watering.  Nice job!


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## oldironhead (Jun 12, 2017)

Nice looking pork!!


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## buttmes40 (Jun 12, 2017)

Awesome job....making me hungry !!!


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## old bones (Jun 12, 2017)

Looks good...


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## micrometereye (Jun 13, 2017)

Nice job


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## garyls (Jun 13, 2017)

Looks great brother just learning have a Brinkman verticle cheapy with some mods seen on youtube. Getting ready to do a chicken.


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## ljumstot9718 (Jun 13, 2017)

If I cater and need pork, I always smoke up to a week ahead, this gives me times for tough butts, screw ups and emergencies, freeze in serving pan with extra "fluid" added if going to hold over more than a few days. Pork will actually take on a more deep smoke flavor if frozen. Just allow time to thaw and reheat. Your butt looks great, good luck and Happy Smoking.


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## scarps23 (Jun 13, 2017)

Nice work on first butt and pulling together last minute. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bobbyq (Jun 14, 2017)

Thank you for that description of your pork shoulder smoke.

The pictures speak for themselves.

It looks delicious!

I'm still new at smoking. I use a weber kettle and have had very good results.

Thank you again!  BOBBYQ


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## skootchnc (Jun 15, 2017)

nice job....and as good as it was... they just keep getting better


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## econbassman (Jun 16, 2017)

Do yourself a favor and get a digital thermometer, I had that analog MB and the thermometer on the front to super inaccurate.  Great post however!  Looks amazing


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## bulletbob (Jun 16, 2017)

Have you recently checked the accuracy of your temp guage ?


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## smoker21 (Jun 17, 2017)

Very nice.

 [emoji]128077[/emoji] 

JD


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## hydrostan (Jun 18, 2017)

YUM...nice going!


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## lemans (Jun 18, 2017)

A whole pork shoulder is made up of two cuts of meat 
The upper portion is the blade roast or (Boston Butt) and the lower portion is the Picnic Roast .. usually sold with some skin on... both good for Pulled Pork. But given a choice the Boston is what you want. Slightly 
Different in taste and texture.. IMHO


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