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First time smoking pork shoulder for others, have a few questions

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    First time smoking pork shoulder for others, have a few questions

    Hi everyone,

    My first time in The Pit here -- I've been a long time Meathead recipe user, but never joined until now. Anyway...

    I got a vertical gas smoker from Charbroil about six weeks ago, and so far I've just used it for making pulled pork for my family. I use ~4 lb boneless shoulders from a really great local butcher. It's been fantastic, even though I never seem to hit the temp I'm going for -- the stall lasts forEVer, and I can't break get the meat past 180 degrees in any reasonable amount of time (12-13 hours). Still, I've been happy with how it's turned out.

    This weekend, I'm supposed to be cooking for 11 people, which'll be my first large-scale smoke. I'm planning on about 10 lbs of shoulder, but I have a few questions that I'm hoping you folks might be willing to answer.

    1) Do you think it'd be better to use 2 or 3 smaller shoulders from the known good butcher, or get one huge one from Costco?
    2) If I use multiple little ones, how (if at all) will I need to adjust the cooking time?
    3) If I use one huge one (say 10 lbs instead of 4), how much do you think the time will increase?

    Thanks for helping a first-timer,
    John

    #2
    One more thing -- I graphed the meat temperature over time last time I smoked. Here it is, in case anyone finds it interesting!

    Comment


      #3
      If the shoulders are the same height then cooking two vs one will not change your cooking times.
      I would definitely plan on wrapping when your butt hits the stall. If you use foil on the bottom and butcher paper on the top, the bark will not soften as much if at all.
      If you get near eating time and you aren't close to the target temp don't be afraid to crank up the heat. I have finished plenty at 350.

      A couple of questions, when you mentioned hitting your temps which were you referring to? Grate or Internal.
      How are you measuring your grill temperature and what temp are you cooking at?

      Comment


      • martybartram
        martybartram commented
        Editing a comment
        I posted this the same time as your second post.

      #4
      Smaller ones should cook faster, and you'll have more bark, so I'd either buy smaller ones or cut up a larger one.

      Comment


        #5
        Welcome to The Pit johnchoiniere. We're glad you joined.

        The advantage of smaller ones is that you will get more bark. As martybartram said, thickness (not length or width) affects cook time.

        Most of my butts have been approximately 4" thick and usually take around 14 hours at 250 degrees. I don't wrap (crutch), but that's just how I like to cook them. When the butts are probe tender (inserting a temp probe feels like you're putting it in butter - no resistance), they are ready which is typically 195-203 IT.

        Edit to add: richinlbrg types faster than me!
        Last edited by fuzzydaddy; June 27, 2016, 04:42 AM.

        Comment


        • richinlbrg
          richinlbrg commented
          Editing a comment
          Factor in my high error rate and you win, fuzzydaddy !

          Great minds......

        #6
        More bark, more better.👍

        I always start my pork butts 18 hours before I want to serve them. I usually cook 1 or 2 8 pound butts. The cooking time is the same whether I cook 1 or 2. I cook at 225°. I've never wrapped to speed up cooking. Butts for me take 14 to 16 hours usually. I prefer that my butts get at least 2 hours in the cambro. Sometimes they get 4 hours.

        Comment


          #7
          4" butts with bone in cooked at 225 to an internal temp of 200 typically takes me 12-14 hours. Sometimes they take 16 hours. Wrapping usually cuts the stall in half and occasionally there is a shorter second stall. You can cut the cook time by cooking at 275 and I don't think you will notice much difference in quality. So, 275 and wrapping should speed things up. Remember thickness determines cook time. The thicker the butt the longer it takes to cook. I usually cook 10# bone in butts which are 4" thick. I think 4" is the typical thickness of most butts, but you should check to get a better feel for cook times.
          Last edited by LA Pork Butt; June 27, 2016, 02:28 PM.

          Comment


            #8
            Welcome johnchoiniere

            Comment


              #9
              Thanks for all the replies, everyone! I had a feeling people here would be pretty welcoming, even if I was asking a question that's probably been asked on the boards a hundred times before.

              I think I'll go with smaller pieces, for the sake of more bark (which makes so much sense!), and trust that the cooking time won't extend much if at all.

              To answer the question everyone had but I forgot -- I try to keep the smoker at 225, but I've found that to be pretty challenging. I'd call it 230 +/- 25 degrees. On the plus side, no matter what I do it's hard to get it above about 325, too, so I think I'm in good shape no matter what. I'm monitoring temperature with the Maverick ET-732.

              Here's the smoker temp for the same cook I posted the meat temp graph for, as well as the before/after pics of the butt itself.

              Comment


              • Breadhead
                Breadhead commented
                Editing a comment
                Nice pork butt cook!👍

              • Mitchl
                Mitchl commented
                Editing a comment
                Looks good. I cut down an 8+ pounder into two smaller butts. May not speed time but I get more bark and much easier to manipulate 4-5 pounders.

              • fuzzydaddy
                fuzzydaddy commented
                Editing a comment
                Your pork butt looks great! Well done.

              #10
              johnchoiniere, Welcome to The Pit! You are Now Enrolled in the BBQ Univ! Attendance is Mandatory! Nice Looking Smoked Butt! I generally do 8-10# Butts Whole, Sometimes 8-10 Hrs Sometimes Longer, Todate I have Not Wrapped or Crutched, I usually turn up the Heat to Power through the Stall as high as 350*-375* F! I tried the Faux Cambria for 1Hr on the Last I did, I believe I will be doing that from Now On for a Longer Time 2-3 Hrs!
              It seemed the Temp Loss was Minimal and the Moisture Level of the Meat was improved?
              Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan
              Attached Files

              Comment


                #11
                I buy all my pork butts at Costco. Costco removes the bone for you. And the meat is good quality. I cook my pork butts at 275. It's very forgiving and handles 275 just fine. I never use the crutch, but I always rest them in a faux cambro. I cook the butt whole, rather than cutting down smaller. I generally hit 195-200 in about 8 hours.

                Comment


                  #12
                  In this case I cooked four for my neighbor's daughter's graduation party.

                  Comment


                    #13
                    I'm in favor of cutting them in half to get more bark. I don't wrap, just keep em cooking till they hit that tender point. Usually around 200, but can occasionally be as low at 195 for me. Faux cambro for at least an hour, IMHO more is better. If you use Breadhead advice and use the 18 hour cooking time estimate you should be good to go.

                    Comment


                      #14
                      Dr ROK ... Once I really understood the cambro concept and how butts and briskets benefited from a long rest... I knew my fear of having a large party of guests tapping their feet saying where's the food, three hours after the announced dinner time was over.

                      I calculated that if you take your butts and briskets off of the smoker at 200° or more, wrapped them in foil and did your cambro right, 4 hours would NOT be a food safety issue. So I did the math and backed everything backwards. I calculated the potential double stall. I calculated me just screwing up.

                      At the end of the day, my 18 hour theory puts food on the table, on time, every time!!!👍

                      Remember... I'm old school! I cook at exactly 225°. I NEVER use the Texas crutch. I NEVER power through the stall. I'm a low and slow type of guy.👌
                      Last edited by Breadhead; June 28, 2016, 11:42 PM.

                      Comment


                      • Danjohnston949
                        Danjohnston949 commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Breadhead, Dr ROK, Breadhead, I would Never Call You Low or Slow! I think Your Posts have given me more
                        Info and taught more than Most! Dr ROK, Talked me into and helped me use Evernote so I could rember what I
                        Learned Yesterday! Thanks to Both of You! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo, Dan

                      • Dr ROK
                        Dr ROK commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Breadhead, I cook the same way. 225, don't wrap, and don't power through.

                        Danjohnston949, glad you are enjoying evernote. I don't know how I'd remember anything without it!

                      • Breadhead
                        Breadhead commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Danjohnston949 ... Thanks for the nice compliment. I learn from you too. You've tamed your kettle collection better than most.👍

                      #15
                      Well, today was the day! Went with ~13 lbs split across four shoulders. Got 'em on the smoker at 3AM, and they hit 200 degrees at about 5:30 PM, which was perfect. Smoker temp was lower than used to -- I had trouble getting it consistent above ~200, but that worked out fine. Anyway, it was a hit! Thanks, everyone.

                      Comment


                      • Huskee
                        Huskee commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Congrats! Pics?

                      • Nate
                        Nate commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Congrats!

                      • fuzzydaddy
                        fuzzydaddy commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Congrats on the successful cook! Ditto on the have any pictures?

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