Costco pork shoulder

[Clarkgriswald]

I was just at Costco and saw they have nice looking pork shoulders. 14ish lbs for $26 dollars. I've always cooked a bone in shoulder so what would I have to do different with one that doesn't have a bone. Do I have to put sting on it or can I just hang it like normal.

Thanks.

[ecowper]

I nearly always cook Costco's shoulders. I tie them with butcher's twine. They also tend to cook faster without the bone, in my experience.

[Clarkgriswald]

Do you hang then wrap?

[ecowper]

I cook on a WSM .... so no hanging for me :-) .... also, the only thing I ever wrap is brisket

[carolts]

I've always used the grate for Costco pork butt. I usually wrap with some hard cider to finish.

[Clarkgriswald]

I've always used the grate for Costco pork butt. I usually wrap with some hard cider to finish.

Do use string at all and do you ever flip it while it's on the grate?

[carolts]

I haven't used string, and in fact put some of the rub into the cuts where the bone was removed, then sorta fold it over on itself. I don't flip it. If there's more fat on one "side" I put that side up. I use Memphis Dust and serve with a variety of sauces, my favorite for this being Lexington Dip. Serving it with Sweet 'n Sour Slaw is mandatory in our house.

[Alex jardine]

I did the 2 pack of Costco pork shoulder for my first PBC cook. I hung them through the fatty connected side, and dropped them down the grate once they hit 160 or so. No twine was needed. Meathead's Memphis dust was sprinkled all over them. They stayed on the grate without flipping until cooked through, total about 6-7 hours. I didn't have the bear claws at the time, but shredding was pretty simple.

My friend from NC said it was the best pulled pork he had eaten in years.

[HawkerXP]

I, Tie, hang. Once it has a good looking bark, wrap with liquid of choice and on the grate to finish.

[Deaf Arty]

I've tried them both ways -- tied and not. Either way, I wrap. I think I like untied best because I can put rub in more places (more bark available), and I think they cook a little faster untied. Just be aware of the internal temp of the smaller side. Been using Costco shoulders for a few years, and I like 'em. Enjoy!

[Brookie]

Thats a big piece of meat. I cut mine in half, tie and hang in PBC until about 160 then on the grate. So far hard to screw up pork shoulder.

[Clarkgriswald]

Thats a big piece of meat. I cut mine in half, tie and hang in PBC until about 160 then on the grate. So far hard to screw up pork shoulder.

Cutting in half gives you more surface for rub. I gotta get one and try it.

[Livermoron]

Same here. I cut mine in half and leave them on the grate. The Costco pork shoulder is very forgiving...

[abandonedbrain]

The nice thing about shoulder/butt is that the meat doesn't need to be the best in the world, unlike steaks/chops or tenderloins, or chicken. If you see butts on sale, grab 'em. Maybe I've been really lucky with the stores in my area, but a couple of weeks ago our Meijer grocery had butts going for $1.09/lb, bone-in, and they were really well trimmed already. I put them on the PBC, two 6.5lb'ers, dry-brined the day before, and with Memphis Dust rubbed on heavy. Took about 10.5 hours, and I did have a beef tenderloin on for the first hour-ish along with the butts. Cold temps, high humidity = needed to add briquettes a couple of times. And I don't wrap, because I love my bark! I hung the two butts across the two rebars, and once they reached 170F (after the stall) I removed them from the cooker, put the full grate in, and put the butts back onto the grate.

I will say, though, that they came out... different. I've been cooking butts for the past year on my Weber 22" kettle grill, and the flavor profile of the two compared is night and day, to me. The Weber has more "depth", as the smoke is mostly pure wood. The PBC's version is, I don't know how to explain it... savory? Smell a grease fire, then smell a wood fire. Both smell good, but in different ways. To me, the wood fire smells better.

I love scotch whisky, but not from the Islay area; can't stand the peat smoke, as it smells/tastes like burnt rubber or band-aids. But others love it and swear by it. To each, his own, but I think because "my nose knows" I'll probably be continuing to do most of my butts on the Weber. Chicken, though, that's all PBC, all the time, now.

[JeffJ]

Keep an eye on your local grocery stores. About 6 months ago a local Kroger had bone-in butts on sale for $0.99 per pound. Needless to say, I bought some.