Shoulder help

UPCamper

Someone gave me a 9 lber to make tomorrow. People want to eat around 3 pm.  I volunteered to do this when it was a smaller group. But somehow got roped into this. Anyway, I haven’t made one nearly that large. I don’t want to cook it all night and would rather just get up early. Any suggestions on how to get this done with some time to spare.  I normally smoke low heat for a couple hours then wrap in foil and turn heat up if I’m in a hurry. I don’t prefer a heavy bark.  Plan was to cut in half, turbo it as above and I was going to try wrapping it in butcher paper as I haven’t done it yet after the initial low temp smoking.  Is there any better ideas out there and how long do you think this thing will take?  Thanks in advance. 

jtcBoynton

Use the following times to schedule your cooking.  Aim to finish a couple of hours early - there is a good amount of play in the timing.  My favorite temp is around 290º which speeds things along without risk of overdoing the sugar in the rub but others have gotten great results over this entire temp range.

Approximate cooking times for pork butt/shoulder:

225º:  2 hours a pound

250º: 1.5 hours a pound

275º:  1 hour per pound

350º:  30-45 mins per pound

There is a good amount of variability between individual pieces so take all times as rough. Times assume a full sized butt - 7-10 pounds. Temps are dome.

You could always cut the piece into two smaller pieces to reduce cooking time.

gdenby

Check out the amazingribs explanation of the "stall." It also links the scientist who worked thru the problem, and if memory serves, he has a time/temp chart.

UPCamper

Thanks for the tips guys. Cut it in half, cooked at 290-300 and smells great. Taste test soon.