pork shoulder recepie

[marcs95gt]

does anyone have a recepie for smokinga pork shoulder? I was given two from a friend that just came back from a hunt. Anywhere I can get a rub or tell me how to make one. Thanks

[OldGuysRule]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/apple-injected-smoked-pork-recipe/index.html

I've made this about 5 times and every time I get asked for the recipe. Shit is gooooood!

[Leah]

PM Bcoop. I've never had such good meat in my mouth before. :drool:

[slow55]

PM Bcoop. I've never had such good meat in my mouth before. :drool:

This is going to be entertianing.

[centexchick]

Well shut.. Lea you opened yourself up for that one!

[marcs95gt]

Well shut.. Lea you opened yourself up for that one!

she sure did...lol

[mystic96]

pm bcoop. I've never had such good meat in my mouth before. :drool:

qft

[paul_376]

I like my pork pulled

[bcoop]

Do you have the whole shoulder? If not, which cut do you have? Picnic, or butt? I make my own rub, and it's always changing and top secret, but I'll start with the basics. MUST COOK BONE IN, IMO. It's the only way to go. And I'm not a big fan of the picnic, I prefer the blade roast/boston butt.

I used to brine mine with water/kosher salt/turbinado sugar for 24 hours, before rubbing it down, but I've found that injecting beer seconds before it goes on the smoker gives the same effect.

Wash the butt, rub down with prepared mustard. Give it a nice thick layer all over. This will give you a nice thick bark when it's done cooking. I always let it sit out for a bit after rubbing with the mustard, and before applying the dry rub, so the mustard dries a bit, but you don't want it to dry completely. Once you apply the dry rub, it's easier to make a paste (if you've let the mustard dry a bit before applying rub) which is essentially what you're going for. Apply your dry rub, and really molest it. Get it in every nook and cranny, and don't fear applying too much seasoning. You have to keep in mind, when you wrap with saran wrap some of this paste is going to come off with the plastic. The longer you let this marinate, the more flavor you're going to have. It needs to marinate for a minimum of 24 hours, but 48 hours is ideal. Pull the butt from the fridge a few hours ahead of time, to let it get up to room temp before putting on the smoker. Make sure your fire is steady and not still rising in temp when you put the butt on. And like I said, inject with beer seconds before it goes on the smoker. I make one hole, but stab in through that one hole, making sure to hit all corners, top, bottom, etc. I'm sure there are videos on youtube that illustrate the proper way to do this. You don't want to make a bunch of different holes, because that gives the beer more ways to escape or boil out when cooking, defeating your purpose.

I'm a purist when it comes to fire temperature. No more than 245, no less than 200. 225 is ideal, and the more consistent you keep, it the better your pork will be. Temp gets too high, butt dries out. Temp gets too low, and it takes longer to cook. I also don't say '12 hours for a 7 lb butt', either. I cook to an internal temp, period. I've had them on the smoker for as little as 12 hours, and as many as 27 hours. I use a remote thermometer with two probes. One for the rack of the smoker, the other is a meat probe. Mine has a hi/lo alarm that is adjustable, for both probes. I've found this really helps in several different ways. It also helped me discover that the thermometer on my smoker reads about 40 degrees low.

#1 rule of smoking - Low and Slow.
#2 rule of smoking - Don't over use the doors/lids.

I won't open the lid for the first 4 hours, period. After about 4 hours, you want to apply your mopping sauce. The mop sauce I use is equal parts Apple Cider Vinegar, and Canola oil. I also dice onions (small dice), and put a quarter cup of my rub in, stir, and mop on. Once I start the mop process, I apply the mopping sauce every 2 hours.

Pork is 'done' at 165, but I've found that if you let it get up to 185-190 before pulling it, it really helps that collagen render more, which aids in the pork being moist. Once you pull from the smoker, you need to let it rest on the counter for at least an hour before you start pulling it, slicing it, etc. This lets the rendered collagen redistribute itself back through the pork. If you were to slice or pull it immediately, all that rendered collagen will run out, and your pork will be too dry. If you don't have a meat probe, just use a normal meat thermometer to gauge internal temp. Another way to tell when it's done, is by pulling the blade bone. If you tug on the bone, and it pulls clean out (no meat comes with it), it's done.

Some people carve the bark off the pork before they pull or slice it, but they are pussies. I'm of the opinion that the bark really sets it off and gives it the extra kick, so I always leave it on.

What wood you use, is really up to you. Mequite is good, hickory is good, pecan is good, etc. All these woods give different flavors though. Be warned though, mesquite and hickory both produce strong, thick smoke. Since I go low and slow, and the pork will be on 24 hours (usually), I use a mixture of pecan/hickory or pecan/mesquite. If you cook it as long as I do, and used 100% of one or the other, the smoke flavor is too damn strong, so I prefer to mix so the smoke flavor doesn't overpower the rest of the spices and the natural pork flavor. I also strip the bark off the wood before throwing it in the fire. The wood bark (not to be confused with the bark on the pork), gives off a bitter flavor when it burns. You don't have to do this, but again I'm a bit of a purist, so it's a must at my house.

As for rubs, it's really all in what you like. I'm not a big fan of the overpowering chili flavor a lot of people use in their rubs, so while I do use a bit of chili powder, it's not a lot. I also like mine spicy, so I use a generous dose of cayenne and crushed red pepper. With pork, tarragon is a must, but it doesn't take a whole lot. I googled around a bit, and this is somewhat similar to what I make. I'll say, though, this recipe has WAY too much chili powder for my taste, not enough cayenne, and no red pepper. But again, I like some kick to mine.

http://barbequelovers.com/recipes/sauces-marinades-rubs/michael-wright-bbq-rub-recipe

Basics ingredients of a rub should be brown sugar, kosher salt, paprika, onion powder, lots of black pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, tarragon, some lemon pepper gives a nice touch, etc.


Some people will say that a water pan is a must, but I don't use one, because I don't need a water pan to keep it from drying out. Then again, I use a horizontal smoker. A water pan IS a must if you're using a vertical smoker.

Any questions at all, just ask.

[bcoop]

qft

It's hot when Leah says it. It's just flat out creepy when you say it. lol Thanks though, I appreciate it.

[Silverback]

I'd go with Brent's method for one.

And if you want to try something different, I used a bit of a mix of Bobby Flay and Roberto Guerra's recipes from the La Caja China Throwdown episode one time, and it was awesome.

Marinade the pork in a combination of Sour Orange, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cloves for at least 12 hours. Remove from the fridge and let sit for about an hour at room temp before you put it on the smoker. Rinse off the shoulder and pat dry with a towel. Rub the meat with yellow mustard, then apply a rub consisting of your favorite bbq rub and brown sugar. Place on the smoker as Brent suggested, slow and low is the only way to cook. Four times during the smoking process, "mop" the shoulder with the remainder of the marinade.

This produces more of a sweeter shoulder, and was awesome when making cuban sandwiches with a vinegar/pepper sauce.

[mstng86]

Why is it so important to have a water pan on a vertical smoker?

I am debating whether or not to smoke something or fry a turkey in my new turkey fryer for christmas.

[Silverback]

two reasons.

1 - keeps the smoke moist/humid which is said to help aid in flavor penetration. A lot of people choose to flavor the liquid in the water pan for this reason as well.

2 - probably the most important. It keeps any juices that get released from the meat from hitting the heating area, and reducing the temperature in the smoker

[bcoop]

Why is it so important to have a water pan on a vertical smoker?

Because in essence, with a vertical smoker, you're cooking on direct heat. Sure, whatever you are smoking is 2' or so above the fire, but heat rises, blah blah blah. The water pan reroutes the tip of the flames, and the heat. It will also produce a steam that will rise, and go up in to the meat, keeping the meat moist.

[bcoop]

two reasons.

1 - keeps the smoke moist/humid which is said to help aid in flavor penetration. A lot of people choose to flavor the liquid in the water pan for this reason as well.

2 - probably the most important. It keeps any juices that get released from the meat from hitting the heating area, and reducing the temperature in the smoker

To add to #1, you can substitute beer for water, or use a mixture of beer/water.

To add to #2, it also prevents flare ups when fat drips on to an open flame