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Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder (Advise please)

haymanhayman Posts: 25
in EggHead Forum
I got talked into smoking some pork butts for a group of 30 people for a work related luncheon. The original plan was for 7 to 10 people and now its up to 30 and could increase to 40 by next Friday. :woohoo: I plan on purchasing two packs of shoulders (@ 12 to 15 pound each) from Sam's Club. Not all of this will be for the luncheon.

I nervously agreed to do this letting the coordinator know that I have only smoked Pork for myself. I brought some into work and gave some people a taste and that was how all this got started.

I have an XL BGE and plan on using a rub recipe out of a smoker recipe book I bought and have used in the past. I believe it Mr. Browns recipe..?? Not sure if I should mop as the recipe has the ingredient to do so. Thoughts???

I plan on using hickory chunks and it will be an over night cook. I have done this in the past and have the Maverick smoker thermometer that has done a good job waking me up during the night to adjust temps.

Can anyone recommend how much wood to use? In the past I filled the BGE with the hard wood coal and scattered 4 or 5 chunks in the mix. Is there a rule of thumb as to how much wood should be used for the middle of the road smoke taste? Not to weak and not to over powering?

I'd appreciate any other helpful hint, tip or recommendations.

Thanks
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Comments

  • GrilldogGrilldog Posts: 21
    I usually just keep my egg full of wood and use a plate setter. Keeping the temperature as close to 325 as possible. Once you have the temp down put the meat on. As far as wood chucks for smoking i.e. hickory, etc. That's pretty much up to personal taste. I'm sure just about everyone on the forum has their own favorite method. The key is to layer the wood chunks and the coal so that as the lump charcoal burns down smoke is continually released. I know in the BGE book they recommend some sort of spiral method of coal/smoking chunks but I get just as good of a result from mixing my lump coal and wood. If you are a newbie my best advice is to get an automatic thermometer that you can keep in the meat while it is cooking so that you can monitor the temperature without continually lifting the lid. Trust me, that lil device is well worth the investment. Every time you raise the lid you decrease the temp and increase the cooking time. The key to any really great cooking/grilling recipe is to maintain the temperature as best you can throughout the cooking process.

    As far as mops vs just a rub, that's also up to personal preference. In my opinion I don't like to raise the lid and perfer a steady temperature. Therefore, I typically just use a rub and have a sauce on hand in the event someone wants to sauce up their meat on their own at their plate.

    Hope that helps!
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  • Gandy DancerGandy Dancer Posts: 268
    Here is a link that may help Thirdeye's
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  • gdenbygdenby Posts: 3,606
    Other people who have bought packs of shoulders from Sam's club found that they had 2 butts in the package. The meant the cook went quicker because the hunks of meat were not so large.

    Hickory is great smoke for pork, but if you are concerned with the intensity of smoke flavor, fruit woods tend to be a bit milder. Just scatter the chips or chunks throughout the lump so that a bit of wood will be charring all the time. Or, again to lessen the smoke flavor, just place the wood on top.

    I like to use a good coat of sugar based rub, but no mop, and no peeking for the first 8 hours. The Egg holds moisture much better than most smokers. Sometimes, towards the end of the cook, the accumulated fluids in the drip pan begin to char. I add water then. Some folks place apple juice or beer in the pan from the beginning, but I haven't tasted much difference when I have done that.

    If, when you pull the meat, the flavor is not quite what you want, you can add more rub, or just specific ingredients and mix in.
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  • probe1957probe1957 Posts: 182
    I have smoked many a butt. I set my Maverick to ring at 195 degrees and I don't open the dome until it does. IOW, no mopping. I use apple wood for the smoke, no liquid in the drip pan. I have tried different liquids in the drip pan but can distinguish no difference in taste of the final product.

    Good luck with your cook. Don't worry. You will do fine.
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  • probe1957probe1957 Posts: 182
    WTH am I doing to cause double posts? :angry:
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  • AZRPAZRP Posts: 10,115
    Probably hitting the back key. -RP
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  • Little ChefLittle Chef Posts: 4,725
    Don't hit the back arrow after you post. Just hit submit, then hit return to forum after your post comes up. :)
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  • ChokeOnSmokeChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,434
    probe1957 wrote:
    WTH am I doing to cause double posts? :angry:

    I did this ALL THE TIME when I started posting on this forum. I fail to understand why the administrator of this site doesn't fix this problem! :angry:
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