Weber Kettle Club Forums
Cooking & Food Talk => Charcoal Grilling & BBQ => Topic started by: Kilted_Griller on August 10, 2013, 07:11:52 AM
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Hello All! Has anyone here ever brined a pork shoulder?
The XC and I are planning on low and slowing a 7lb pork shoulder tomorrow. After we spent last night reading many threads and learning some excellent tips and tricks (Buckie, OTP, Marty...you guys are pure genius :) ), we decided we are going with the 2-1 snake method for the first time. Our issue in the past is we have been impatient. We here in the KG Clan are instant gratification kind of folks! ;D :o The one question we do have is about brining or injecting. We always brine our chickens and turkeys and the pork shoulders we have done in the past we have given them a dry rub and let them sit overnight. We are looking to step our game a touch and need some help from our WKC brethren.
Any and all advice is welcomed and appreciated!!!
Slainte!
The XC and KG
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If you're impatient, start it tonite & eat it for breakfast.....that's what I do...... 8)
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I cook mine like you described with hickory. Before I cook tho I like to inject mine with equal parts apple cider vinegar and my favorite bbq sauce (sweet baby rats chipotle). Dry rub it. Cook to 175 internal then wrap. This is the method I have done for the last 2 I have done and 2 days later all left overs are gone.
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I know what you're thinking.....that Silly Sumbitch is no help at all....... ::)
You can brine if you want, personally I think PB has enough going for it already to not have to do that, but you could add a flavoring that way......
Some folks tastes run such that the interior seems a little bland....three ways to go about a remedy....inject, it's OK, but a lot of that kinda cooks out, brine & flavor will be spread thru better.....or just cook it & splash the finished pull with warmed sauce of your choice, thinned out a bit...............
As far as the impatientence thing, please cook it all the way thru to probe tender............you will be so happy you did...... ;D
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I know what you're thinking.....that Silly Sumbitch is no help at all....... ::)
Actually the XC and I were sitting here laughing so hard we are crying at your post about Bruno whizzing on the charcoal! That is good stuff right there!!
Thanks for the advice, Weber Ninja!
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He's getting a little better about it, but I still catch him nosing around & checking out newly accquired grills, the box pallet where I keep the lump & the odd bag of Kingsford from time to time
PS: Are youi doing drip beans?
Prime opportunity !!!!
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He's getting a little better about it, but I still catch him nosing around & checking out newly accquired grills, the box pallet where I keep the lump & the odd bag of Kingsford from time to time
PS: Are youi doing drip beans?
Prime opportunity !!!!
Indeed! Drip beans are on the menu.
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KG I'm the same way and hate waiting. But the cook is the most fun for me and keeps the instant gratification at bay for awhile anyway.
I would plan a lunch to cook during the day to help keep busy. Besides with two grills going your only six away from being in buckie status!
I usually just rub them down and let the smoke so the rest. A brine seems like a great idea and you have the time to do it. I don't think it would hurt, your just adding more flavor into the mix.
"my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."
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As far as the impatientence thing, please cook it all the way thru to probe tender............you will be so happy you did...... ;D
+1
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This may come as a surprise to some ... but, I'm with Ken (1buckie) on the "no need to brine" camp. (not his exact words)
You spend enough time waiting for the butt to cook and reach it's desired IT.
But, before all that, you want to spend the time preparing a brine ...
and, then wait for the brine to do what you hope it will do before the butt is even placed into the cooker. ??? ???
If you are into "instant gratification", then, I recommend just rubbing it a few hours, or the night before.
Onto the cooker ....... The waiting is the hardest part (Tom Petty line).
Some quality BBQ sauce or mustard sauce to complement the PP, and you're a happy clan. :D ;)
I understand that everyone has tastes, wants, desires, etc. YMMV (Your Method May Vary). 8)
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The way we do it is to inject with AJ,vinegar,siracha,sugar and some liquid smoke. We will rub it and inject it the night before and take it out before firing the smoker up. Once the bark is set i wrap it with foil and wait till it probes tender, i let it rest with the foil open some to let it cool and then shred, some do not wrap i have not tried that but plan to.
Me personaly would not brine a pork butt but i am not by any means an expert.
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Buckie and Kilt - how do you go about the drip beans? Recipe perhaps? Length of time to cook em? Thanks in advance.
Kilt - I've always done butts without brine. Inject sometimes, others not so much. Taste was slightly better with the injection, but as buckie said it mostly runs out during cooks it seems. I've never wrapped any either and they come out great.
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Terry .......here's a response to Ligrill when they wanted to try the drip beans.....tells most all of what I'll do for that setup ~~~>
it just kinda depends on what's on hand at the time.............
lately, it's been canned pintos, a lesser amount of canned baby blacks, a good size shake of granulated garlic ( this is always added, just provides a good pivot point to any other flavorings....granulated, 'cause is "blooms" or puffs up a bit & makes the flavor more prominent) I like a goodly amount of the colored, or sweeter bell peppers....you can use green, I don't, they give me heartburn.........sweet white onion, chopped about the size of the beans (peppers same ) & a BIG dollop of HONEY..........you can variously add bits of leftover meat.....pork, ham, pre-cooked bacon bits (I try to keep pork with pork & not mix beef with pork)
The canned beans I'll rinse the juice / sauce from the can back out, unless it's Bush's original or one of their flavored ones......those make a good fix leaving the canned sauce in.....if you do use those, just be prepared to mix then ladle out some of the finished sauce or they'll be too soupy.....
Here's one that shows kinda the proportions ~~~>
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/food-pr0n/nothing-new-just-some-pork-beans/msg26001/#msg26001
No salt / pepper added, as there's enough extra flavor coming from the rub in the drip to not really be concerned about a lot of extra seasoning.....although you can add spices if you want them more "kicked up"cayenne, etc.........
Have fun adjusting to your own personal tastes, also....some people add celery, mushrooms, other different kinds of vegetable stuff....and if you have any pulled pork left over, it freezes REALLY well & you can add that into the next batch of beans !!!
PS: There's addt'l. info IN the link to the cook........
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Terry, Buckie is the man for the beans. That is the recipe he gave me and they are stellar!!!
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Thanks guys, I'll have to try them out next pork butt cook.
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Same here, my plan is to try it in my wsm. I'm thinking two butts and a big pot of DB's underneath.
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We always inject and rub the night before. I put the butt on by 8am to have it done around 4pm. I do it low and slow at around 225-250 range and take it off at 200 internal temp. How much/big is the pork butt you want to cook? I always cut ours in half...most of the time I just cook one half and freeze the rest for next time since 4 pounds is enough for me and the family , but even if I do a whole one( usually we get them at around 9 pounds) we still cut it in half.....it will cook faster that way. I low and slow it for right around 8 hours and then foil it for an hour and then pull. Since I read on the net that people low and slow theirs for 12 or 13 hours I would say the trick is to reduce the size of the butt or butts to smaller roasts if you want to cook them faster and still low and slow them. If you are impatient this may help you get the results you want using the techniques you want but speed up your cook. Hope that helps you in some way. By the way I am cooking a pork butt in the morning (Sunday) so I will be putting it on by 8 am.
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.... By the way I am cooking a pork butt in the morning (Sunday) so I will be putting it on by 8 am.
Thanks, OTP. It helps a great deal. We will be cooking at the same time. I just put the rub on my shoulder and put it back in the fridge. Please post some pics, as will I.
Slainte
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Good Morning, All!
The XC and I got the shoulder on this morning at 7:30. We are using the 2-1 snake method with some Pecan chunks. We also decided to brine our shoulder because we had the time to let it sit for 12 hours in the brine. Our brine was kosher salt, water and some apple juice. The rub we are using is a sweet pecan rub from a spice shop here in town.
Rubbed and rested overnight...
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/Kilted-Surveyor/P1010757.jpg) (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/Kilted-Surveyor/media/P1010757.jpg.html)
The set up...
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/Kilted-Surveyor/P1010756.jpg) (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/Kilted-Surveyor/media/P1010756.jpg.html)
The beginning of the magic (we hope!!)
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/Kilted-Surveyor/P1010758.jpg) (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/Kilted-Surveyor/media/P1010758.jpg.html)
BTW, this is also the first cook on the Performer that I picked up a few months back. I will post more pics as the cook progresses.
The XC reminded me that the word of the day is PATIENCE
Thanks for following! Slainte
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Here are a couple of pics of mine that you requested.
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t112/jeffhoard/IMG_0889.jpg)The setup
The butt going on at around 7:30 am.(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t112/jeffhoard/IMG_0890.jpg)
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Nice!! Thanks, OTP.
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Here's mine! Came off the grill at a little over 8 hours. Internal temp was 200 degrees and then I let it rest for 1 hour in foil. One word.....YUM!
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t112/jeffhoard/IMG_0891.jpg)
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t112/jeffhoard/IMG_0893.jpg)
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Just had pulled pork last weekend but that makes me want more. Looks perfect!
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OTP, that looks fantastic!! The XC and I took ours off at 4:45, 180 degrees, and I am just going to pull it right now. Pics to follow!!!
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I'm curious, how did your pulled pork come out? It looks good in the pictures of the prep and going on the grill. I also am curious how the texture was at 180 internal? Did you pull it or did you serve it sliced?
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Hey KG,
No need to brine. I assume your going for pulled pork right? If you want a ton of extra flavor start with about a cup of water in your drip pan. When it's done (9+ hours) and you can wiggle the bone out, foil it and put it in an ice chest for a couple hours. Empty all the juice ( probably a 1/2 cup) out of the foil into the drippings. After you pull it, add all the drippings back into the meat. Now your probably about 12 hours into your cook before you eat. You can also do this: http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/9lb-butt-on-the-rotisserie-now/ It's allot less time and really good (sliced though). You don't need a Roti you can just cook it offset. BTW, I've never tried this snake method but it seems like alot of work also. Just pile up a bunch of coals and use the Minion method. 5 lit coals on the pile should get you up to temp 260 - 280 in about 20 minutes and atleast 8 hrs of burn. Good luck with your cook. Just my 5 cents............Fedex
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Good Evening, All~
Sorry for the delay in posting the finished product. Our neighbors smelled the slow cooking goodness and showed up at our front door with a 6'er of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA with an offer of trade...needless to say I accepted.
The XC and I took the shoulder off the grill when the internal temp read 180 degrees. This was 9hrs on the grill and the snake was on its last 3 beads (tribute to our Aussie friends). We wrapped it and let is sit for 1 1/5 hrs, when the bone pulled out with no resistance at all.
Brining....In comparison to the shoulders and drip beans we have done before, there was a lot more "drip" into the beans. I'm not sure if this was due to the brining or the fact that we were actually patient and let the shoulder cook.
I guess the final result for Sunday is the shoulder and the beans turned out awesome, but it is going to require the XC and I to do another one (oh darn!) without the brine to see if it truly makes a difference. Here are the pics I have...
Half way through...Drakes Aroma Coma IPA. Every bit as good as Pliny the Elder for all of you IPA fans
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/Kilted-Surveyor/P1010759.jpg) (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/Kilted-Surveyor/media/P1010759.jpg.html)
Off the grill and in the foil to wrap. It read 180 internal at this point.
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/Kilted-Surveyor/P1010760.jpg) (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/Kilted-Surveyor/media/P1010760.jpg.html)
Pulled and ready to eat!! This is only about half of the shoulder.
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj210/Kilted-Surveyor/P1010762.jpg) (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/Kilted-Surveyor/media/P1010762.jpg.html)
The XC and I truly appreciate all of the advice we got from our WKC brethren. This was a big advance for us and we couldn't have done it without all the help!!
Thanks for following this thread!!
Slainte
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Great cook KG!
"my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."
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Great cook! Glad it turned out well.
Question to all that have done this. Do you let the butt come to room temp, before hitting the Kettle?
I have brined turkey, but never a butt. What I have learned is to brine 48 hours prior to cook.
24 hour brine, pull from brine, stand 24 hours in fridge, then smoke. Has any one else tried this method?
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Great cook! Glad it turned out well.
Question to all that have done this. Do you let the butt come to room temp, before hitting the Kettle?
I have brined turkey, but never a butt. What I have learned is to brine 48 hours prior to cook.
24 hour brine, pull from brine, stand 24 hours in fridge, then smoke. Has any one else tried this method?
Thanks, GL! We brined the shoulder for about 10hrs, rubbed it, then pulled it out of the fridge and let it sit for 2hrs at room temp.
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I must admit, I was a little nervous when you said 180f pull.....but the results speak volumes !!!!
May be that the brine allows for a lower finish temp & still plenty enough fat breakdown & available moisture to shread up nice....'cause that one sure did !!!!
Fedex has some interesting observations, so if you're not doing drip beans....that would make for a good saucing.....
But the snakes aren't that much work.........I've setup 4 kettles in 9 minutes when I was in a hurry to get rolling & get to sleep.....using the OTPlatinum / Buckie / I'm Too Lazy to Make it Neat & Orderly Method.....which works fine.....
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In general all meats should be room temp before cooking. Just don't let it sit too long, I've seen some leave meat out all day that didn't start frozen and you start risking bacteria growth.
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I read somewhere that the fat and connective tissues start to break down at around 179 degrees or somewhere in that range.....which is one temp range that the stall can happen for that very reason....I would guess that as long as it was at that temp long enough it would break down enough to be fork tender, and judging by your pics it must be. I have never brined one either, Maybe it does make it more tender at a lower temperature internal. I will be curious to see what happens when you do one that is not brined. The first time that I wrapped a butt, I wrapped it because it was done too early and nobody else was home yet to eat.....I do it EVERY time now because it does make a huge difference in the final product and the extra juices in the foil after it has rested for an hour helps as well. When I read that you pulled it off at 180 I thought that maybe you were going to slice it but I am glad it came out the way you wanted it. The temperature thing can be misleading...I once tried to cook chuck roast before like I saw on BBQ PIT BOYS...it was supposed to be fork tender and easy to pull at 200 degrees .....I was using my other grill at the time and the temperature got away from me and I hit 200 after a pretty short time and believe me, you could not pull it apart at all.....it was a huge failure. I think the problem was that it did not sit in the temperature zone where the tissues break down long enough...it was cooked but was like eating a boot. ::)
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I am going to go back and watch America's test Kitchen episode on brining again. I am curious what the effects are slow cooking a brined slab versus hot and fast.
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About the snake method, I have tried to use the Minion method on my Kettle and my horizontal.....never worked for me. I start with a pile of unlit , add 5 to 10 coals with vents pretty closed and I always end up with ....a big pile of HOT coals! >:( The first time I tried the snake/fuse method it worked, and it worked GOOD! I use this method for a bunch of different cooks beside pulled pork or ribs, I will use it if I make stew or chili or something I want to simmer for a long period since once I hit my temp it will stay for hours and hours . As I have stated in other posts, do not use a slow burn setup if you are baking! You will get smoke flavor in you cake or whatever and unless you are such a diehard BBQ guy that everything must be smoked or you can't eat it you will be...unhappy. :'( I tried to stack the coals all nice ONCE.....I found that while my patience during a low and slow is unwavering.....my patience during the stacking process was ...lacking. I have a little pan my Wife got me to use as a shovel for my coal can( I will post a couple of pics when I get home since I am at work now getting ready to get on the clock) and I just fill it up and dump the coals banked along the edge of the bowl...using several pans full and I am done. I light about 10 coals and place them at the end and wait for dinner. I end up using about 1 chimeny full or less of coal....never ounted the coals but I had some leftover coals in my chimney once ( Full) and it was about the same amount.
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Here is a pic of my Coal bucket and scoop. I use 3 scoops to get 350 degree heat for baking and us about 4 for a full chimney. I use this to dump out my sloppy snake around the bowl....usually about 4 pans full.
The garbage can holds about 70 pounds of charcoal.....the metal one next to it is the one I use to dump ashes and trash into.
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t112/jeffhoard/IMG_0903.jpg)
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Nice. Its impressive how you have everything measured. Well done, OTP. Well done indeed.