wkearney99
Senior Member
Yep, pork shoulder (boston butt) is great on a smoker. Mine gets a spice rub the night before (or longer). Then it's onto the BGE for around 8-10 hours between 215-250F until it hits 195-210F.
Note, there can be a 'stall' period when it gets to around 160F. This is where the meat is cooking out the last of it's internal moisture. The stall can take anywhere between an hour and I've seen as long as 2. This can be maddeningly frustrating if you have dinner scheduled... One work-around is to wrap it (really SEALED) inside tinfoil when it hits 160F. This will help keep the moisture in the meat and quicken the stall. At this point I also jack up the temp a bit to around 300F. The BGE does a remarkable job of keeping the temp stable. During my all-days smokes I leave the bottom vent open only a 1/2" and the top daisy just a tiny sliver of the vent holes.
Note, the moisture of a piece like a shoulder returns when all the connective tissue (fat, etc) breaks down. This diffuses back into the meat leaving it moist and tender. So when it hits 195-210F you want to take it off the heat and LET IT REST for AT LEAST a half-hour, if not more. Preferably in a cooler or other container. Not just on the air-conditioning chilled kitchen counter. One of mine, left wrapped in the foil, held it's temp for a good 45 minutes before starting to drop. This gave it plenty of time to thoroughly melt all the fat inside. When I went to remove the bone it came out with literally NO effort at all.
Then get some Bear Paw claws to shred the meat.
The only downside to the foil is it can tend to soften the exterior 'bark' of the roast a bit. This is a non-issue if you're doing pulled pork. But if you're doing a brisket or something else that benefits from a tougher bark (or you want to show it off) you might just have to endure the stall.
Note, there can be a 'stall' period when it gets to around 160F. This is where the meat is cooking out the last of it's internal moisture. The stall can take anywhere between an hour and I've seen as long as 2. This can be maddeningly frustrating if you have dinner scheduled... One work-around is to wrap it (really SEALED) inside tinfoil when it hits 160F. This will help keep the moisture in the meat and quicken the stall. At this point I also jack up the temp a bit to around 300F. The BGE does a remarkable job of keeping the temp stable. During my all-days smokes I leave the bottom vent open only a 1/2" and the top daisy just a tiny sliver of the vent holes.
Note, the moisture of a piece like a shoulder returns when all the connective tissue (fat, etc) breaks down. This diffuses back into the meat leaving it moist and tender. So when it hits 195-210F you want to take it off the heat and LET IT REST for AT LEAST a half-hour, if not more. Preferably in a cooler or other container. Not just on the air-conditioning chilled kitchen counter. One of mine, left wrapped in the foil, held it's temp for a good 45 minutes before starting to drop. This gave it plenty of time to thoroughly melt all the fat inside. When I went to remove the bone it came out with literally NO effort at all.
Then get some Bear Paw claws to shred the meat.
The only downside to the foil is it can tend to soften the exterior 'bark' of the roast a bit. This is a non-issue if you're doing pulled pork. But if you're doing a brisket or something else that benefits from a tougher bark (or you want to show it off) you might just have to endure the stall.
I use an automation controller for my smoker, brewing system, fermenters and kegerator. I developed my own touchscreen control for running the brew day.
