Bourbon Brown Sugar Smoked Pork Shoulder

Schaefd2 · September 30, 2017, 06:58:54 PM

It has been several weeks since my wife and I got to hang out all day with no others plans. Also, Bucks game is at 7:30, so what to do? Smoke something.

Also, my neighbor just conquered cancer and is finally able to taste her food again! Her and her husband love pulled pork, so I decided to make a lil extra to share and help celebrate!

I decided to try snaking it with apple wood chunks for the first time. (Verdict = snaking is an amazing method!) Seasoned the butt with my normal homemade mix, placed it in the kettle, and let it smoke away. Four hours of hardly touching it and then an hour to rest, and it was awesome!

My wife had the idea of making the bourbon brown sugar glaze and it was delicious. It will probably go down as my personal recipe. Anyway, I added half the glaze to it as it rested, then added the other half after I pulled it. Next time, I will probably wait to add it until after it is all pulled.

Overall, it was my wife's and my favorite pork I'd ever done and I'll be sure to do it again.

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Davescprktl · September 30, 2017, 07:35:26 PM

Man that looks good! Great looking bark.

MacEggs · September 30, 2017, 07:43:03 PM

Everything looks and sounds good ... I'm getting hungry again ...

Nice to hear that cancer was conquered. A celebration was well-deserved ...

mhiszem · October 03, 2017, 08:09:18 AM

Delish!

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Firemunkee · October 04, 2017, 01:23:56 PM

Looks super yummy! That's how to celebrate being able to taste again

How big were each shoulder? The one time I smoked a shoulder it was 7lb and it took 12 hours. I've haven't been able to try again because I haven't had a free day like that. Also did you rotate the lid around such that the vent was always opposite the lit coals?

Schaefd2 · October 04, 2017, 02:03:14 PM

Quote from: Firemunkee on October 04, 2017, 01:23:56 PM
Looks super yummy! That's how to celebrate being able to taste again How big were each shoulder? The one time I smoked a shoulder it was 7lb and it took 12 hours. I've haven't been able to try again because I haven't had a free day like that. Also did you rotate the lid around such that the vent was always opposite the lit coals?

Hey there Firemunkee!
Yes, I did rotate the vent around so that they were opposite the coals. I didn't realize that is standard practice though!

I cut a 7.5# boneless butt in half, then smoked it for 4 hours total, plus an hour to rest. I do that in order to save on fuel and time because who really has 10+ hours readily available?

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Schuey · October 04, 2017, 03:38:00 PM

Yum

Firemunkee · October 05, 2017, 05:00:42 AM

Quote from: Schaefd2 on October 04, 2017, 02:03:14 PM

Quote from: Firemunkee on October 04, 2017, 01:23:56 PM
Looks super yummy! That's how to celebrate being able to taste again How big were each shoulder? The one time I smoked a shoulder it was 7lb and it took 12 hours. I've haven't been able to try again because I haven't had a free day like that. Also did you rotate the lid around such that the vent was always opposite the lit coals?
Hey there Firemunkee!
Yes, I did rotate the vent around so that they were opposite the coals. I didn't realize that is standard practice though!

I cut a 7.5# boneless butt in half, then smoked it for 4 hours total, plus an hour to rest. I do that in order to save on fuel and time because who really has 10+ hours readily available?

Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club

I hear that! Luckily I started that day at 7am and it finished right as it got dark at 7pm. Took that long @ 225, it wasn't boneless though so maybe that also might have something to do with it. I'll definitely have to cut the butt in half next time! Thanks for the info!

Schaefd2 · October 05, 2017, 05:47:05 AM

No problem Firemunkee! I'll even cut a Bone-In shoulder in half sometimes. I have to use a kinda "S" cut to avoid the bone and end up with two equal size pieces, a bit difficult, but definitely possible.

OD.1 · October 06, 2017, 12:21:32 PM

Please excuse a few technical questions. How many lit briquettes did you start off with, was the snake packed 2x2, and how many briquettes did you burn through in total. Also rather importantly, did you burn Weber or Kingsford?

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Schaefd2 · October 06, 2017, 12:34:40 PM

Quote from: OD.1 on October 06, 2017, 12:21:32 PM

No prob. I did use Weber briqs for this cook. I set the snake up 2x1 for the most part; there's a 2nd briq placed on top sporadically, just to fill in the occasional empty space. To light the snake, I used about 1/4 chimney (probably a tad less) of leftover lump I had from a previous cook. I had about 6" of unused snake left after 4 hours. I estimate I coulda had a total of 6 hours cook time. I had the vents wide open for the first 3 hours and then closed the top one to 50% for the last hour. I think that caused it to run a bit hot. Next time, I'll have the vent at 50% for the entire cook and go 5-6 hours.

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Bertman · October 06, 2017, 04:47:32 PM

I'm trying that method tomorrow on a pork shoulder. Fingers crossed. That's for the report. I'll let ya know how is come out.

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CatskillSmoker · October 06, 2017, 04:56:36 PM

Substitute a little Maple sugar for the brown sugar and you'll be amazed at the flavor.

Schaefd2 · October 07, 2017, 06:00:30 PM

Quote from: Bertman on October 06, 2017, 04:47:32 PM
I'm trying that method tomorrow on a pork shoulder. Fingers crossed. That's for the report. I'll let ya know how is come out.

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How'd it go man? I did this recipe again for my birthday to share with my family. My snake broke apart early on but we finished a-ok.

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Bourbon Brown Sugar Smoked Pork Shoulder