Pork Shoulder - Need Advice

[Bumby]

I agree with rickgregory because I always want more bark!

[SloppyGrackle]

Lol. It's just a good camera.

[Ahumadora]

Looks great. You just made yellow belt...

[SloppyGrackle]

Final product.

Thanks again, Jeff.

Mark

[SloppyGrackle]

Jeff, thanks so much for your response! Super interesting. I did cook the butt this past weekend without wrapping or spritzing and while I did LOVE the bark, which was super thick and beautifully colored, it was noticeably drier than the last butt I cooked with wrapping and spritzing. I did remove the entire fatcap. Do you think that might've contributed to dryness?? Any suggestions for how to keep the meat moist without wrapping or spritzing??

Thanks again!

Mark

[EdF]

That sounds great!

[Donw]

Nice!

[jfmorris]

I never wrap and never spritz a Boston butt. Or pork ribs. Spritzing cools the meat down and washes off spices and softens bark.

You also need to remember that Harry Woo is cooking for competition, where a heavy bark may not be what wins the judges, who are basing their judgement on a single bite. Competition BBQ is not what you will want to feed friends and family.

[ChevyChase]

So it went on at 11:30, using MAK 1 star with Peach wood pellets - 225. AT 7:30 transferd to oven same temp. Since I had the time, I didn't change anything for either stall. Hit 203 at 2:30 and I took it off. Pulled it 15 min later and served at 3:00 exactly on time. Was AMAZING. Served it with the KC BBQ sauce recipe from the free site (substituted maple syrup for the brown sugar).

Only issue was that I lost track of time preparing for the party that I let the cracklings burn. Next time. Oh BTW - there were two bones in the shoulder so I'm not sure which it was.

[ChevyChase]

Trussed and Rubbed. Ready to smoke. Going on with Cherry pellets at midnight.

[SloppyGrackle]

Btw, and not to hijack the post that Chevy started, I'm smoking my second butt this weekend (as I mentioned, a fraction of the experience of my brethren in this forum), and I'm confused by the conflicting information I find online and in Meathead's "Science" book about how to smoke this piece of meat. In particular:

I wrapped the first butt I smoked (and spritzed it after unwrapping), which was consistent with Harry Woo's approach, but Meathead writes that he rarely crutches and says nothing about spritzing the butt. Almost sounds like he just brines, rubs, smokes and pushes through the stall until 203. I'm thinking of using that approach (Meathead's, and because it sounds like it'll produce a better bark), but I'm confused by these conflicting instructions.

Given that this thread was titled "Pork Shoulder - Need Advice" I figured I'd just solicit input here rather than start a new thread. And, again, apologies, Chevy, for coopting your thread for my own purposes. :-)

Peace, all.

PS: And thank you all for any advice you can offer!

[SloppyGrackle]

I have a fraction of the experience of my bbq brothers on this thread, but that looks pretty impressive, Chevy. The trimming and the slab. Look forward to seeing how that cooks.

[ChevyChase]

Thank you for all the advice. I had been debating whether to use the simple or competition (with injections) recipe. Either way, I dedcided to give it an extra day or two of dry brining to help it from drying out. I find its worked wonders on chicken and beef.

Here is a picture of the skin removed and ready for cracklings; and the trimmed shoulder after salting.

[texastweeter]

Ahumadora yeah but they are so juicy it's hard to keep them lit...

[Ahumadora]

After you have cooked it do you take it out of the bag and smoke it?