25 lb pork shoulder roast

It DAYUM sure ain't a whole pork shoulder.Looks like a bone in pork loin. :S

Oops, I didn't ralize it was a clickable thumbnail. I looked at both pictures in your photobucket, and I still say that is a pork loin. I've cooked hundreds of shoulders and those are rib bones I see....





Here is what the blade bone in the butt end of a shoulder looks like.

but it's still a nice chunk of pig

XLegglover: Yes, it is a bone in pork roast. Forgive me Pat, and XL for answering for Pat, but I know he has retired for the night.
The reason I asked about additional pics was to see how close to the shoulder they cut the roast. I suspect the other end is going to be far leaner, with much more loin meat apparent, and less cap.
You can still cook this low n slow with great results, but I do not recommend trying to get it to 'pulled pork' temps. The loin will be like sawdust imo.
This cook can be done at higher temps as well, all depends what result you want, but this is not going to be a 'pulled pork' kind of cook.
Cook to 137-140* TOPS, allow a good 20-30 minute rest under a LOOSE cover of foil, then slice into nice chops. (carryover cooking will bring it to the 145-148* range)
You can add some wood for smoke flavor if you want. Totally up to you. But again, not a pulled pork cut. You will love it anyways!


I frenched the bones...(cut and scraped away the overly fatty stuff) Ran a string of butchers twine between each bone, just so the meat couldn't pull away...


Onto 300* egg (you can go lower, or higher!)


Pulled this one at 135*...


After a nice long rest, cut into chops and plated.

You have a wonderful cut of pork there! Just not intended for pulled pork.

PS...I'd still like to see more pics to make sure we are on track here...25 lbs is HUGE! :blink: If it is a cut like pictured above, figure about 15-20 min per pound in the 350* range. Have fun with it, and that sure is one nice hunk of pig!!

Looking at your latest picture, you are right... the section of the loin we all were seeing in your earlier photos (which was the rib end, not the sirloin end) is attached to the shoulder butt. Take a look at my hog chart above.... You can see the blade bone in the butt end on the shoulder, and the arrangement of the rib bones along the loin to the rear of the shoulder. I'm guessing the red line must be in the vicinity of where the butcher cut it.

If it were me, I would break out my meat saw and straighten the situation out by cutting off the loin muscle and rib bones. You may not have that option, so keep in mind that because of your custom butchering job, you are cooking two different muscles that just happen to be attached.

That's what's going to happen. The loin meat will be ready in the high 140's or low 150's. The shoulder meat will me sliceable in the 180's and pullable in the high 190's or low 200's.

Or maybe carve some off for a sandwich during the cook....

Hey you did not tell us how you liked the loin part of the cook. :huh: