Planning my first overnighter

Flashback Bob · February 2007

I picked up an 8+ lb picnic shoulder and figured I'd put in on tomorrow night for pulled pork on Sunday. [p]I'm guestimating 2 hrs/lb cooking time and keeping the temp at 225 thru the plateau?[p]I been looking at Elder Wards recipe so I'll have to buy a few things tomorrow. I'll probably get some lump that burns slower than Cowboy, too.[p]Any advice you'd care to offer is welcome - like if there's a rub I already have that's good to use, or if there's an easy dippin sauce to put in the pan. I'm not a connoissoeur of the pulled pork, I'm just trying to cook it right.

stike · February 2007

Flashback Bob,
make sure you are indirect... and don't pull a 'Bob' (wandering away for hours on end). wait a seocnd, now that i think about it, after you have her steady, you CAN go hours on end without paying attention. so this cook is right up yer alley.[p]elder ward's method is the rosetta stone. follow it as close as you can your first time. i might say 250, because i think the large has a natural auto-pilot thereabouts, but 225 is ok. put it on after a half hour, 40 minutes steady at temp. stay up later than usual, check it again before bed. adjustments should be TINY. and give them a full half hour before deciding to tweak again.[p]set your alarm if you want for once or twice in the morning. but get up at 5:30/6:00. if it's ok, go back to bed.[p]you don't have to check every hour. it can't shoot to 400 somehow magically if it sat at 250 for four hours. but it could choke and tend downward. therefore, first cook, check it every few hours til you feel comfortable. after the first few overnights, you'll dump lump straight from a bag, and sleep like a baby.[p]i deviate from elder's method now by using chips rather than one big chunk (that hickory you have would be perfect). and i light in a coupla three spots, rather than dead center. spread chips all around. you won't burn all the lump, and so you won't burn all the chips. but wherever the fire goes, it's nice to have wood for smoke to be there too.[p]royal oak is perfect for this cook, but i've done cowby lump too. just fill it pretty good.[p]if you have huge chunks of lump, make sure there's medium-sized stuff in there to bridge gaps. you can sprinkle smaller stuff around too.[p]if you have the ash tool, jam it vertically in two or three spots to create some insurance air-flow flues in the lump. madson came up with that, and i think it's easy to do even if it might not be necessary. instead of the ash tool, long twigs or splits can be put in vertically as you fill with lump, and wiggled or taken out when full. leaves some nice nostrils to guarantee air flow. or to try to HELP guarantee it any way.[p]don't go nuts with rubs or sauce. if it's your first pulled pork, you might benefit more by experiencing the unadulterated version. hate to admit it but this skinny-a** yankee had never even seen real pulled pork whole before doing it, so i was all "um, zat whattit sposeda look like?"[p]luckily a friend was there who could offer a critique. and he was very pleased by the stuff.[p]if the wife is a hard sell re: smoke, you may be eating this sucker by yourself. maybe the kids'll help you.[p]wouldn't be a bad thing if no one wanted some and it became yours alone.

Beachbum · February 2007

Flashback Bob,
We've cooked a few shoulders in the last few months... 8 lb'ers usually take us from 20-21 hours to reach 200 degree internal temp with a dome temp of 225. The dome temp on the last one dipped to 195 for a few hours last weekend, and it took right at 20 hours to get it done. I slathered in with cheap yellow mustard and Dizzy Dust, put in the fridge overnight, and put it on the Egg. Make sure you build your fire like the one shown on TNW's site below.. otherwise it will go out and you've got raw pig. Yuck.[p]When you pull it off the Egg, wrap it good in heavy foil and a stick it in a cooler for a couple of hours.. otherwise it is way too hot to handle.[p]We have used a bbq sauce that my SO's aunt has always made. It is more of a vinegar based... depends on what you like. Some like more of a sweet sauce. [p]Here is TNW's site...[p]http://www.nakedwhiz.com/pullpork.htm[p]Good luck![p]Lisa

ronbeaux · February 2007

stike,
Man! I hate to add to that excellant advice, but the only thing I would do in addition would be to wiggle stick it right before I went to sleep just to make sure, and my large likes 240 the best.

EGGOMANIAC · February 2007

Flashback Bob,[p]Remember the differences between the picnic and the shoulder(butt) portion. The picnic is more of a ham like while the butt has a higher collage factor allowing it to be truely "pulled". You can pull portions of the picnic but not like the butt.[p]Final temp should be about 195~

Flashback Bob · February 2007

stike,
Thanks for the good info!
I'm heading out to Rounds now for some R.O. and yes, what's left of the hickory is going into this cook!

Flashback Bob · February 2007

Beachbum,
20 hrs- good to know! I think I'll be putting her on a little earlier than previously planned!

Flashback Bob · February 2007

EGGOMANIAC,
Because it's more of a ham and there's less of a collagen factor, does that mean it won't stay at the plateau as long (ie cook quicker than say, the same sized butt)?

Celtic Wolf · February 2007

Flashback Bob,[p] You want the dome to be around 250. That will put the grate temp around 220-230 and that is where the cooking is. If you have the dome at 220 then the grate will be 190-200. Little tough to reach 195 when the cooking area is below that.[p] It will take an hour to two hours per pound to cook that beastie. This will all depend on the amount of fat, bone and connective tissue thatis present. Average it out and plan your cook for 1.5 hours per pound. However, keep an eye on after the 7 hour mark. Watch it close when it reaches the plateau. That is where it will stay the longest. After that it will rise at a steady rate. Remember if it's done early it will keep wrapped up in a dry cooler for quite some time.[p]DO NOT Plan on the two hours per pound. You will be disappointed.

stike · February 2007

Flashback Bob,
there's more of a joint in the picnic, and joints are rife with collagen. i dunno if there's a giant difference, or even if there IS a diff. put a gun to my head and i'd wager the picnic has more, actually.[p]you won't notice any significant longer or shorter plateau from a butt cook vs a picnic cook. certainly not one that couldn't be attributed to differences in the dome temp or any of twenty other factors.[p]it'll pull fine at any internal above 185, 190. i've done them anywhere between 185 and 205. again, so many factors from butt to butt and cook to cook, i didn't see huge differences or any reason to make one internal temp the 'definitive' temp.[p]basically, aim for 190-195, and allow yourself the freedom to yank it earlier, or to wait and have four more beers.[p]if you are out there shouting "hurry up!" at dinner time and it says 185, don't open a can of spaghettios. eat the damn pork. it'll be eye-rollingly good. likewise. if you find that at two or three hours before you eat that you are at 195, well, shut down as much as possible and let her ride til even 205. or toss it in a cooler (cheapo foam, because it'll smell forever like Q).[p]very forgiving. you cannot screw it up, and if you do, it'll be better than any Q you've had within 300 miles of boston.

Sundown · February 2007

Flashback Bob,
Be sure to take your toothbrush. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Celtic Wolf · February 2007

stike,[p] Some Borax mixed with water will take care of any smell, but why would you want to get rid of the smell of Q [p]

stike · February 2007

Celtic Wolf,
no no no
it's my fault that you misunderstood... i wasn't clear.
bob has a horrific body odor issue. one of the reasons i left the office we both used to work in.[p]i should have spelled it out rather than abbreviating.[p]"it'll smell like Q"="it'll smell like you".[p]sorry.[p]i'm pretty sure bob knew what i meant.

Celtic Wolf · February 2007

stike,[p] Borax mixed with water will take care of that too...
Even works in the laundry.. I think there is a warning on the label about not trying it on Stump though...

Flashback Bob · February 2007

Celtic Wolf,
Thanks for all the great info, guys! I just got out of my Borax Bubble Bath and I'm really feeling fresh and sunshiney all over![p]CW- I'll use the 1.5 hrs, and plan accordingly!

Newville · February 2007

Flashback Bob,
A lot of good advice here (and in the archieves) ... no doubt it should be a great expieriance. That was the one thing I was amazed at ... how easy it is to do it pretty great the first time. Good luck, take some pictures and let us know how it turns out.

Planning my first overnighter

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