# First time smoking pork shoulder...



## smokinjd17 (Dec 15, 2010)

Good morning! Currently have my first pork shoulder in smoker. First off I hope I got the right cut, I noticed after I bought it that there are two shoulders, Boston and Picnic (i purchased picnic). Anyone know if that was the right choice? Second I heard of finishing the pork in the Oven, what about finishing in a crockpot? I intend to make pulled pork, any other advice would be great! Thanks!


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## redneck69 (Dec 15, 2010)

i usually smoke mine til the internal temp gets between 185-190 degrees, than i double foil and place back in the smoker til the internal temp gets to 203-205.  than i take the foil covered meat and wrap with a towel and place in a cooler for about 1/2 an hour to let the meat rest.  after that i pull out and unfoil and place on a cookie sheet and start trimming off the top cap fat and start pulling.  i have seen some people place there pork shoulder in the oven on a higher temp if they had temp stall issue.  dont forget to post some qview :)


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## SmokinAl (Dec 15, 2010)

I smoke mine to 165, then foil & put in a 235 degree oven until 205. I just smoked 4 yesterday. Started them at noon & they hit 165 at 7:30. Foiled them, & put them in the oven. Went to bed about 9:00 with temp probe remote alarm next to my bed. They all hit 205 at about 1:00 AM. Pulled them out, wrapped in blankets & into a cooler. Back to sleep. Didn't get around to pulling them until about 10:00 AM. Internal temp still about 160. When you foil them be sure to put some moisture in the foil. I use beer, some use apple juice. As far as the cut of meat, I get Boston Butts.


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## smokinjd17 (Dec 15, 2010)

wow thx guys! nice and fast responses! Well I am currently having issues keeping the smoker to temp, may have to with the fact it is 15 degrees and windy here in sunny Ohio.... Therefore I think I will def wrap in foil and put in the oven once the internal gets up higher...I like the idea of adding beer, gives me a reason to drink one (: ....what is qview redneck??


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## richoso1 (Dec 15, 2010)

Q View is taking pics of your finished smoke, and pics of the meat in between are good too. I've had to finish meat in the oven at times, if you can get a few hours in the smoker, it'll have some of that great smokey flavor. it's all good my friend.


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## smokinjd17 (Dec 15, 2010)

Thx, I'll try to get some pics!... Yeah it has been in for two hours at 200ish tops so it will go in to oven after a while ):


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## smokinjd17 (Dec 15, 2010)

Temp finally good, added more charcoal...


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## smokinjd17 (Dec 15, 2010)

Got temp up finally, had to add a lot more charcoal...


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## smokinjd17 (Dec 15, 2010)




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## thebarbequeen (Dec 15, 2010)

That's a beautiful piece of pork, there.  Cheers to you for such a good job in the cold!


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## rugsrme (Dec 15, 2010)

I like the snow! Everyone thinks I'm nuts for cooking outside on a day like this, glad to see I wasn't alone
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





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I haven't tried the picnic roast yet, cheaper around here, how did yours turn out?


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## smokinstevo27 (Dec 15, 2010)

Same shoulder, different parts. Both are good. I think the Boston Butt is a bit easier to deal with, its the upper part of the shoulder. They come packaged with no skin and are smaller than the picnic. Looks great man, this cold wave is drivin me nuts. I can't remember a december this cold here in NC.


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## sqwib (Dec 16, 2010)

SmokinJD17 said:


> Good morning! Currently have my first pork shoulder in smoker. First off I hope I got the right cut, I noticed after I bought it that there are two shoulders, Boston and Picnic (i purchased picnic). Anyone know if that was the right choice? Second I heard of finishing the pork in the Oven, what about finishing in a crockpot? I intend to make pulled pork, any other advice would be great! Thanks!


Boston Butt top part of shoulder

Picnic lower part







I prefer the Boston Butt however both are fine and you can mix the 2 when finished.

What about finishing in the smoker?

You can use a crock pot, that's what I use when doing PP from loins.


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## smokinjd17 (Dec 16, 2010)

Great info guys I really appreciate it!! Pork actually turned out great.. Wrapped in foil and put in oven after 4-5 hours in the smoker. Next time I will def try the boston cut. Thanks again for all the info, this is a great site!


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## joelowry (Dec 16, 2010)

i also have  a few questions what temp should i pull the pork of at? also i pulled it off at 140-150 and it did not just fall apart i had to really chop it up and it was not that flavorful?


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## smokinstevo27 (Dec 16, 2010)

yeah thats too early bud. you want to take it to 190 to about 205 if you want it falling apart. as far as flavor goes, what kind of rub did you use? what kind of wood for the smoke? tell us a little more and watch the answers come flying in. you will be cooking excellent barbecue in no time at all if you stick with SMF. check out basic pulled pork smoke under the pork sticky section.

 


joelowry said:


> i also have  a few questions what temp should i pull the pork of at? also i pulled it off at 140-150 and it did not just fall apart i had to really chop it up and it was not that flavorful?


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## joelowry (Dec 16, 2010)

i am using a apple and cherry combo for wood chips i mad my own rub with brown sugar  cumin paprika. what would you guys suggest for a rub


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## smokinstevo27 (Dec 16, 2010)

The wood sounds like a good combo. The rub you are off to a good start but I would jazz it up with some onion powder, garlic powder, maybe some cayenne and more dried herbs like thyme. Also for me a finishing sauce is crucial with pulled pork.


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## jirodriguez (Dec 16, 2010)

joelowry said:


> i am using a apple and cherry combo for wood chips i mad my own rub with brown sugar  cumin paprika. what would you guys suggest for a rub


Basic rub on pork is brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika. To that you can add all kinds of stuff to expand or create new flavors. Common additions are chili powder, onion powder, cellary salt, cummin, cayanne powder, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg.... you get the idea. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I would suggest starting with a base, then only adding one or two additional spices at a time, so you can actuall taste what impact the addition has on the flavor.


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## joelowry (Dec 16, 2010)

thanks guys! also i need a meat thermometer that is long enough  to be in the meat and be outside my smoker but not to expensive any idea's


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## jirodriguez (Dec 16, 2010)

Go to your local big box store (Walmart, Kmart, Target, ect.), in the cooking section find the thermometers, look for a probe oven thermometer. It will have a metal probe that is stuck into the meat, then a long metal braid or silicon coated wire that you run out of your smoker to the display unit. The ones at the box stores are usually Taylor Made or something similar and cost $9 to $12 bucks, they work fine, just make sure when you clean the probe and wire you do so by wiping them down with a disinfectant cleaning cloth or a sponge and a good cleaner. DO NOT put them in the dishwasher or submerge the probes in water - water gets into the joint where the probe an wire meet and kills the probe.

If you have a little more $$ to spend I would highly suggest getting a Mavrick Read-Check or Mavrick ET-73. They have a wireless reciever that is really, really nice to have in the house near you. That way you don't have to keep running out to the smoker to check the temps.


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## deannc (Dec 16, 2010)

joelowry said:


> thanks guys! also i need a meat thermometer that is long enough  to be in the meat and be outside my smoker but not to expensive any idea's


     You can pick up a descent inexpensive probe for $15 to $20 from Walmart or Lowes.  Home Depot probably also stocks something.  You can find the Taylor Weekend Warrior model which is very accurate and reliable at Lowes.  I'd make the Taylor my first choice and Walmart version my second choice.  If you can afford something in the mid $30 range, I'd recommend the Maverick ET-73, it's a nice dual probe setup with a remote.  The new and much improved Maverick ET-732 is due out any day, but it's going to cost nearly $60.


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## SmokinAl (Dec 17, 2010)

Man I thought it was cold in Florida, but I can't imagine smoking out in the snow. However, I know you guys up north do it all the time. Nice job on the Q-view video.


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## smokinjd17 (Dec 21, 2010)




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## smokinjd17 (Dec 21, 2010)

Pork turned out excellent!!! Thanks again for all the info..... Unfortunatley I found using charcoal alone does not produce enough heat nor is it consistant in my particular smoker. Today I converted my smoker to gas. There is a burner on the bottom and a cast iron skillet just above where I can put a few chunks of charcoal and woodchips for good flavor.


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## deannc (Dec 21, 2010)

Nice conversion.  If you can find a 55 gallon barrel, build you a UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker), they're an excellent charcoal smoker.  I started out with the gasser but since building my UDS I've found the charcoal smoking has added flavor I wasn't getting with the gasser and my UDS has become my primary smoker.


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## bbqthundar (Dec 21, 2010)

joelowry said:


> thanks guys! also i need a meat thermometer that is long enough  to be in the meat and be outside my smoker but not to expensive any idea's




A good thermometer for smoking is the Maverick ET73.  It runs around $40.00 online.  I bought one recently and it works great! 

SmokingJD your QVIEW looks great, I see it didn't take long for you to get hooked on QVIEW!


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## beer-b-q (Dec 22, 2010)

That butt looks good.  Butts are one of my favorite things to smoke...  Pulled pork can be used in so many different ways it is great in everything from Burritos to Pizzas and beyond...


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## SmokinAl (Dec 22, 2010)

MMMM that butt looks good. I just pulled one out of the freezer for the week-end.


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