First pork shoulder

Unknown

I have a 9.5 lb. pork picnic in the fridge for my first attempt at pulled pork. Do I leave the rind on, remove, or score it? And when should I put it on tonight if I want to eat around four tomorrow?[p]Thanks![p]Donna

Fireball

Donna,
Welcome to the family. Leave the rind (Fat cap) on. it will flavor and moisten the pork. Timing: It will take one and one half to two hours per pound to cook. That is between 14 and 20 hours. After that rest the picnic for 30 minutes or so. If it tis done before four wrap it up in towels and put it in a dry ice chest, this will keep it warm for hours. Most importantly, sit back and enjoy the cook, You will have great Pulled Pork for dinner.
Fireball

Tim M

<p />Donna,[p]I think you can do either. I did one a long time ago and have always done butts since. I didn't like the results of leaving on the skin and I would atleast score it. In my case there was a huge amount of fat under that skin cap and it never totally rendered itself after 20 hours so I would remove it and trim all but an inch of fat. That should be pleanty much to keep it moist. Good luck - figure 20+ hrs at 225-235 deg over a drip pan.[p]Tim
[ul][li]-Tim's -[/ul]

Grumpa

Tim M,[p]In looking at the setup used in the picture, might I suggest you try a shoulder again but, this time without the firebricks. I believe that is why the fat did not render as you would have liked. The shoulder is my favorite but I always ues the setup in your picture less the bricks. Let me know if you try again and what you think the difference in method results are.

Tim M

Bob,[p]I sorta doubt the ceramic had anything to do with that. Cooking 20+ hrs at 225-250, it shouldn't matter if it was very very indirect or just indirect - the heat is still swirling all around. The skin seemed to act as a heat shield and doing without it might help more - IMHO. I also think the one I did had a lot of extra fat under that skin - because there was pleanty there.

Grumpa

Tim M,[p]Radiant heat does appear to melt fat better than indirect or at least has for me. I say give it a try so you will have a comparison. You may have had an extremely fatty shoulder on the other hand and as you said, it may not have made a difference.

Mike Oelrich

Donna,[p] When I do picnic roasts (as I did for Eggfest2000), I cut the "rind" off. However, I am always careful to cut off only the rind and leave as much of the fat on as possible. When you cook the roast, make sure the fat side is *up* so the meat is "basted" throughout the cook. Cooking time will vary depending on the temp you use. I normally cook for about 24 hours, but I start at about 150F with heavy smoke to get a lot of maple (my wood of choice for pp) flavor into the meat. I then let things settle between 200 and 225. I monitor the Polder (internal temp) occasionally, and inevitably I crank the BGE up to 275-300 toward the end of the cook to bring the internal temperature up to about 180-185. I then let it set -- sealed in foil with whatever juices haven't boiled out of the drip pan -- for about an hour. Normally after that, the thing is done and deeeelicious. One of the good things about doing pulled pork is that it is hard to mess up. Check the internal temperature a few hours before you're looking to serve it. If it's close to done, seal it in foil and place it in a cooler (to keep it warm). If it's not quite at the temp you're looking for, turn up the heat a little.[p]MikeO