Multiple Pork Shoulders - approx cook time

[ThunderLund78]

My youngest boy is turning 5 in a few days.  We're throwing a little family party for him next weekend.  I'm going to do smoked pulled pork for the main dish, I figure I'm going to need 3 or 4 pork shoulders and a lot of Hickory   I'm still pretty new at this - Reinhart, I've been reading your blog for your pork shoulder method and it's very helpful.  We plan to eat around 5 pm. In order to get the meat to 200 deg or so at a 250 cooking temp and then rest it before pulling -- about how much time do you think I need to give the entire process? Could I expedite by cutting the shoulders in-half? That would also create more surface area for the tasty bark, right?  I'm prepared to make it an early morning if I need to...  Any advice would be appreciated.  THANKS!

[leechlake]

RH1 will steer you right but I'll give it a shot.  

1.  time depends on size of shoulder

2.  if you have three shoulders of identical size I bet one will take an hour longer or an hour less than the other two, it's because every shoulder is a little different.  Cutting in half is an option or buy the 4-5 pounders instead.

3.  get them done 2-3 hours before you think anyone will show up and throw them in a cooler with towels wrapped in foil.  They can rest and you can "rest" knowing the meat is done to perfection.

Get two types of rolls, something the gals like that's fancy and the old fashioned cheapest white soft buns you can find that the guys and kids will love.

Happy Birthday to your son hope he gets a Red Ryder!

[nofishfisherman]

Leech is pretty spot on.

I usually go with the 4-5 pounders and they take roughly 12 hours to cook, sometimes more sometimes less.

I usually start them mid morning so they finish around midnight.  I then pull them out of the smoker and wrap in foil and towels and let them rest in the cooler overnight.  I then pull in the morning.  

If you want them done at 5pm I would probably start them late the night before.  Like 11pm or Midnight.  Let them cook overnight and then they should be done around noonish on the day of the party.  That gives you some flex time in case one needs more time.  It also leaves plenty of time for it to rest and by time the party starts and you want to pull the meat it will still be plenty hot to serve right away.

[reinhard1]

Some good stuff so far!!! I get started early.  The 10 to 12 hours in the smoker for a typical butt is average for the internal to hit the 205 or so mark.  I also like to let them rest [wrapped in foil and in a towel] for at least 2 to 3 hours].  That rest time is really important.  It let's the juices distribute withing the roast.  I don't like to cut the butts in half.  I feel they stay juicier leaving them whole.  My average butts that I do are from 7 to 8 pounds.  Another thing is after you pull your pork, add just enough of your sauce to give it the flavor.  Some folks seem like they drown the meat in sauce.  That is taking the flavor of the meat away.  I serve extra sauce on the side in squirt bottles should anyone want any and of course fresh cole slaw for topping.  Rub that butt with mustard first and then put your rub on it.  The mustard act's as a glue and helps the rub stay on the meat better.  Got some good cooks on this page I see.  Let us know if you need anything else and take some pics!!  Another thing I do is to let the butt's stay in room temperature for an hour or so before you put them in the smoker.  This will take the chill out of them and speed up the smoking time some.  good luck.

Edited October 9, 2015 by reinhard1

[leechlake]

1.  the pulling them out of fridge before hand is important.  Sometimes I will throw in the microwave to take the chill out instead, especially since one of my dogs may think them sitting in sink is actually a large dog food bowl.  Microwave helps me avoid them being picked off by one of these pesky dogs I live with.

 

Edited October 9, 2015 by leechlake

[Boar]

boy all this talk of pulled pork is makeing me wat to smoke my dog shoulders now, gosh thats just not gonna work is it. as far as i do pulled pork, i do the mustard rub likenrie y says or i sumerse them in bucket with lid totally submersed in APPLE CiDER....cong cong cong!!!!. then the mustard and rub of choice let sit for 24hrs. then smoke for 10, and i like to finish off in the roaster. ....cong cong cong!!! let sit. and in the meantime separate fat from juices. the read add the juices. and keep warm in a slow cooker on very low

[Walleyehooker]

If I were you I would either make them the day before and then wrap them up and put them in a cooler to sit and reheat next day if needed. Or smoke them for 4-6 hours and then wrap them in foil and finish in oven. I have done this several times and you wont see much difference other than maybe less bark on the outside. 3-4 good size pork butts will feed a lot of people.

[reinhard1]

Love the picture of  the dogs!!!!  Love it!!!. good luck.

[Boar]

Hey Ive heard they are a member of the bear family now.  man that dont work either, Im so confused. But due to my last post, I seedoing the posting VIA the phone, just dosent work very well for me, but neither dose the keyboard. Ha.

[ThunderLund78]

Great advice, thanks all.  

I think I will be doing three 4 lb butts

I ordered a 18" tube smoker from A-MAZ-N and picked up a big bag of all-natural hickory pellets  This should get me a good six hours of sleep once I put it in . It will also ensure I don't have to open the door t refresh the wood supply.  I'll start it around midnight the night before and give it a good rest in a cooler the next day.  If I pull it and it needs any reheating by meal time, I'll put it in a foil pan and put it in the oven for a while - heck, maybe even the smoker with a little more wood depending on the level of smokiness the meat has when I pull it.  I'll try to take pics of the whole process.

[reinhard1]

What kind of smoker do you have?  Does it have a side chip tray?  If so pull the chip tray out half way.  This gives the AMPS tube a little air to keep smoking.  The tube is a great tool.  Make sure once filled that you light up that one end good.  let it burn for a little while and then blow the flame out when you see it burning good.  That full tube should give you plenty of smoke and like you said you won't have to open the door.  good luck.

[ThunderLund78]

Using the homemade smoker, Reinhard.  No side chip tray - I have to open the door and put a new pan of chips in every time it needs it, so the tube's going to be a good purchase.  I have louvered vents that will help let a little air in to keep it smoldering.  I bought a torch attachment for a 5lb cylinder that's going to be my lighter.  I'll put it in at midnight and then wake up at dawn to check on things and refresh the tube if needed.  Should be a fun little project, even if I end up a little sleepy

[nofishfisherman]

On the long smokes with a charcoal smoker you're pretty much always going to end up a little sleepy.  I have a cheaper Brinkman smoker that needs new coals every 2+ hours so thats why I try to shoot for a start time around mid morning so that I can just stay up a little late to tend to things.  In  pinch I have pulled the shoulders from the smoker and finished them in the oven if for some reason I was unable to keep tending things outside.  Haven't noticed significant differences by finishing in the oven and my guests have never complained :).

I doubt you'll need to reheat the meat if you wrap it up tight with foil and towels and get it into a cooler.  I try to make sure the bulk of the cooler is filled with either meat or towels.  Usually have 6-7 hours the meat is still a little too hot to handle easily. If you do need to reheat it and if you want to keep it warm for a party I'd suggest a crock pot.  Put just a little apple cider or some drippings if you have them into the crock pot for moisture and let it reheat that way.  That ensures nothing dries out during reheating and it stays warm and fresh for when people come back for seconds.

[ThunderLund78]

I wish I could cook them the day before and reheat, but work beckons.  Fortunately when I built my unit I dropped some $$ on a good control unit. So as long as I can keep smoke flowing with the tube, I don't need to worry about temp.  It will hold within a degree or two all night.  I see the whole thing going something like this:

Friday 8pm - Take out the butts, mustard/rub them and let them sit on the counter wrapped in plastic wrap to come to room temp.

Friday 10pm - Turn on the smoker to 250, fill the smoker tube up and set it aside. Put on a movie or nod off for a couple of hours.

Saturday 12am - Wake up, light the tube and get the butts in the smoker - and maybe a pan of chips for some extra smoke off the bat for good measure . Go back to bed.

Saturday 6am - Wake up, assess the situation, check temps of the butts, refresh the pellets, get the coffee going, embellish the story to my wife of how tough and sleepless the night was.

Saturday noonish - hopefully the butts will be at the desired temp - wrap them and in the cooler they go.  Take a pitty-nap from the aforementioned embellished story.

Saturday 5pm - take the meat from the cooler, pull it and and some drippings back in, serve. Crack a beer and enjoy the party

[nofishfisherman]

Sounds like you've got the process down perfectly.  The only thing I might do is do the rub Friday morning if possible, just gives it a little more time for the meat to get happy in the rub, not critical though.  Beyond that you sound like an old pro with the process including the critical step of embellishing how much work it was and how much sleep you lost.  That should be good for at least a short nap and an extra beer while the wife does the rest of the work.  Make sure to rub a little wood ash on your face and mist your face with a water bottle to make it look like you were sweating in the heat of the smoker.

Edited October 12, 2015 by nofishfisherman

[JP Z]

Another great thing is to add a finishing sauce when you reheat or use...here is one I use a lot.

JJ's Finishing Sauce

 

2C Apple Cider Vinegar

2T Worcestershire Sauce or more to taste

1/4C Brown Sugar

1T Smoked Paprika

2 tsp Granulated Garlic

2 tsp Granulated Onion

2 tsp Fine Grind Black Pepper

1 tsp Celery Salt

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Chipotle powder. Add more if you like Heat.

1/2 tsp Grnd Allspice

 

Combine all and whisk well. Let rest, at room temp, 30 minutes for the flavors to meld together.

[reinhard1]

HA HA, I'll have to do the embellishing deal some time down the road.  Looks like a good plan, and I'll keep checking the progress.  good luck.

[ThunderLund78]

Great stuff, nofish!  I'm already planning my sob story. Actually, it might be a real one... The one thing I'm concerned about is my smoker keeping up in colder weather.  That's probably not an issue with most smokers, but I ask a lot of my element for the size of vessel I have.  The vents are going to have to stay mainly shut - just enough to allow air for the smoldering pellets.  But any air it ingests is going to be pretty cold - forecast of 32 deg.  Hopefully the tube goes a little way in helping the element out.

Worse case scenario is that the butts still absorb some good smoke and it all goes in the oven in the morning, I guess

[bobberineyes]

You have this planned out well thunderlund,  plenty of time to see how the smoker reacts. Don't feel shame at all if you have to bail on old faithful, after all that smoke you'll still have plenty of smiles around the table ( the house might smell smokey a bit after its  finished in the oven but so what). Then again  32 degrees isn't all that cold so I'm sure it will be fine.       Have fun...

[leechlake]

I fret many times too, it's part of the deal.  My mom served some of the best food ever over the years and never was satisfied with it.  "Mom this is the best XYZ you ever have made"  Mom,"it's a little too salty and I wish I would have added less paprika."  

Everyone eating what you make won't have invested a dimes worth of time in it, let alone asking "hacks" like us our opinion two weeks prior because you care!!!   If you're over concerned there is nothing wrong with the adults having a few beers to help their taste buds activate, even at a kids birthday party. 

Go get 'em!!!

[nofishfisherman]

On cold days I try to keep my smoker out of the wind as much as possible and it seems to do alright down to maybe 20 degrees.  I may have to up the charcoal a little but not a ton.

If you need to don't hesitate to put it in the oven in the morning.  By that point you'll have plenty of smoke on the meat and it won't impact final flavor at all and with your timeline you should have plenty to finish in the oven if need be.  I do it from time to time if things are taking too long and I'm wanting to get to bed.  Usually my wife wakes up and raves about how good the house smells. I'm sure the party guests will notice as well.

I promise the party guests are going to love it.  I throw a big rib fest at my house every summer where I smoke several racks of ribs over two days to make sure I have enough.  Every time I worry that one rack was over done or not done enough or to dry or blah blah blah.  Once people start eating its noting but rave reviews while I'm sitting in the corner thinking "man this one needed 15 more minutes" or " dang, too much sauce".  No one besides me has ever complained about any of my smoked meats but I don't think i've ever done anything perfectly.

[reinhard1]

It's funny that we are our worst critics at time about the food we make.  That shows that we care about what we make for our friends and family and that we love what we are doing.  You are good at what you do if you love what you are doing.  good luck.

[ThunderLund78]

It's funny that we are our worst critics at time about the food we make.  That shows that we care about what we make for our friends and family and that we love what we are doing.  You are good at what you do if you love what you are doing.  good luck.

Wise words Reinhard!

It applies to everything but fishing   I love it, but I think I suck worse every year at it HAHA.