pork shoulder attempt - 22.5 weber

[ligrill]

I am attempting a pork shoulder on my Weber 22.5 this weekend.  The shoulder will weight about 7 pounds.  Should I use the snake method for charcoal or minion method (place lit charcoal on unlit charcoal pile)?  Will I have to add charcoal towards the end of the smoke?

Thanks!

[MartyG]

I recently used the snake, and would make a few changes next time:

Make the snake a little longer - another 10 inches would have been about right. (I had to add some near the end) Coals are two bottom/two top all the way.
Use fewer lit coals at the beginning. I had a dozen in there and probably only needed 8 or 10.
Start earlier in the day. This one went on around 9:00am, and I pulled it around 11:pm after a 2.5 hr wrapped-rest in the cooler.
Might also have been good to let the butt come up to room temp a little longer than I allowed, although I did not measure the internal temp when I put it on.
I took it off the grill at 190 or so, and could have let it go another 5 degrees.

Tasted perfect though, and I can't wait to do it again. Here's the full thread:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/boston-butt-on-the-performer/msg46306/#msg46306

[1buckie]

My experience is a lot like Marty's, where I'll be adding some at the end sometimes.....

things to consider may be:
Your outside air temp......I did some a few weeks ago & it was 90 degrees in the middle of the nite & charcoal just plain burns faster under those conditions......

A pile, with a few lit, Minion style works fine.....you may want to rotate the grate several times during the cook if coals are burning only on one side of the kettle......and you may end out opening ther cooker a bit more to add coals using this way......

Snake or chain cooks all the way around, so ya don't have to fiddle with your meat......and it may be somewhat easier to keep your burn temp down where you'd like with that setup.......

i tried to get some decent setup pics on these ones, to help folks who'd like to try out these kinds of cookups ~~~>

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/food-pr0n/bob's-beef-o-rama/

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/re-print-ok-what's-in-kettle-3/

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/food-pr0n/nothing-new-just-some-pork-beans/msg26001/#msg26001

Ask questions, post pics, if you're able & have FUN !!!!

[mike.stavlund]

ligrill, if you're wondering why more folks aren't chiming in about your question, it's because buckie has spoken.  He's the Yoda of low-and-slow kettle cooking, and no one wants to say anything once he's spoken.  Do what he says, and you too can become a master. 

Good luck with your shoulder!  My only advice is to be VERY patient.  As in, think in terms of whole hours... it will take about one hour for your grill to respond to your adding coals, or adjusting vents, or dealing with a change in the wind.  It's pretty common for first-time cooks to do way too much fretting and fussing and (worst of all) lifting the lid to 'check on things'.  Remember that "if you're looking, you're not cooking", and keep that lid down.  Your grill already knows more than you do about cooking pork shoulder, so watch it and listen to it. 

Also know that shoulder is pretty forgiving.  If your fire is a bit hotter than your desired range, don't worry about that too much.  If it dips down a bit cooler, add a few lit coals to bring it up.  Just don't be in any hurry. 

[1buckie]

thanks for the props, Mike but I'd feel like a Cub Scout wrecking a pizza in this crowd.....

I've done some good stuff, but there's ALL kinds of crazy good stuff happening around here.....

And what Mike's saying about patientce is correct....1st rule of thumb: No freaking out, make a move, watch & wait, make a move (if needed) watch & wait.....


( PS: Just 'cause I look like Yoda.... )

[OGlenn]

I agree with everyone so far, the snake method will be a good choice. I've been using the snake method in the kettle pretty regularly this summer instead of using my vertical smoker because I have found the snake method to be pretty foolproof.  I start my fuse with a small pile of 5-6 coals and a lighting cube (or a vaseline-coated cotton ball).  My recommendation is start your cook around midnight (nearly full snake, I leave a short 6 inch or so gap between start and end of the snake for a long cook) then head off to bed. When you awake, check you shoulder temp (I usually foil mine at about 170 degrees and keep it going to 200 or 205 degrees) and if necessary extend the length of the snake. I see no issue with a too long snake, as it is easy to snuff the burn and save your coals. Pretty easy to make a dry run during the week as well if you are worried.

[1buckie]

More good ideas by O'Glenn..........

"Pretty easy to make a dry run during the week as well if you are worried."

    Charcoal is pretty inexpensive compared to most foods you'd cook.....

" (nearly full snake, I leave a short 6 inch or so gap between start and end of the snake for a long cook)"

    Just check maybe 1/2 hour in to make sure coals didn't roll back & lite the other end of the fuse !!
Ask me why I do this quick little check in.....

[One Touch Platinum]

My advice would be ,use a water pan. I smoke pork butts on my Weber just about every other week....it will help keep the temp low and stable. If you cut the shoulder in half it will cook faster too, just set the two chunks of meat next to each other and let them go. I usually will put the butts on at 8am and they are ready to take off by 4pm or so with the internal temp at 200 degrees. I will foil it for about 45 minutes to an hour and then pull. I bank the charcoal in a semi-circle around about half of the bowl and start about 10 coals and let it go low and slow from there. It will usually go for about 6 hours without any fussing, I will add a little more charcoal towards the end if needed. I go strictly by the internal temp of the meat and not by time but since I have done so many of them now on my 22 inch I know that I can get it done cooking in about 8 hours. My Wife usually buys them at about 8 -10 pounds.....we always cut it in half and usually just do one half unless we have company. We inject and let sit in the refrigerator over night and I get the grill fired up for use by 8am. My grill temp is between 225-275 range. Pork butts are great because they taste great and they are pretty forgiving.....they are hard to screw up unless you don't cook them long enough.

[OGlenn]

" ... (nearly full snake, I leave a short 6 inch or so gap between start and end of the snake for a long cook)"

    Just check maybe 1/2 hour in to make sure coals didn't roll back & lite the other end of the fuse !!
Ask me why I do this quick little check in.....

Hah, thanks for the heads up! No issues so far but I will take that advice going forward.

[1buckie]

 "Hah, thanks for the heads up! No issues so far but I will take that advice going forward."

 Stuff happens......


 Good ideas from OTPlatinum, also......the cut in half thing is not a bad idea, if you'rwe pressed for time, or just don't want to tend to it longer.....
 Water pan's  another idea that's helped folks keep level temps.....more often, I'll put in drip beans, really good with the pork drippings...................those previous links show how that works.....

[ligrill]

I am going to for a 2 x 2 stack nearly all the way around and see how it goes.  Place about 5 wood chunks on the top as well.

[1buckie]

 Sounds good....your temp in cooker should be stabilized at about 20 min. to 1/2 hour in.....may dip when you add a big piece of cold meat to the equation, but after that point you can make any minor adjustments to get the temp where you want & it should stay fairly close to that till the end.........
  I like those little grate therms, right at meat level, accurate enough tale of what's going on.....

[One Touch Platinum]

A pork shoulder is one of the most forgiving cuts of meat to smoke/grill. Just have some fun with it and don't stress too much and it will come out great! The main problem I have ever seen people have with them is they don't let them get done. It will be done when it is done.....no real timetable . Most likely your meat will hit a stall during the cook....do not freak out.....do not throw a ton of fuel on the fire .....do nothing except grab a beer or a cold beverage. If/when it stalls the temp will freeze in one spot for maybe an hour or more and may even drop......this is natural and if you wait it out your meat will turn out fine. If you want to eat the meat the same day you are doing your cook start it earlier than you think you need to....if it reaches 200 degrees internal before dinner all you need to do is wrap it in foil and a towel and stick it in a cooler and it will stay hot for hours....in fact it will still be too hot to pull with your fingers hours after it comes off the grill. You do not need to add anymore wood for the smoke after the first hour or so it will just make the meat darker. I always use a spray bottle filled with apple juice and vinegar and start to spray it about once an hour after leaving it alone ( no peaking) for the first 2 hours. I would say a water pan and or beans or something with liquid is a must. It will help the smoke stick to the meat and keep the cooking chamber moist with the added benefit of helping your temp stay rock solid for a low and slow. Last piece of advice...try not to eat all of the meat...especially the bark while you are pulling it! I think that you will find that even though it was not designed to be a smoker a kettle really does a good job of it. I keep a probe in the meat during the whole cook and go strictly by the internal temp for when to pull it off. A little wood for smoke will do a lot so don't go apeshit with it. Please post some pics of the meat when it is done....I will bet it tastes great!

[1buckie]

 One Touch Platinum
 hits the nail on the head !!!!

 "Last piece of advice...try not to eat all of the meat...especially the bark while you are pulling it!"


 That right there is the toughest part of the whole process !!!!


 In addition to temp, good guidelines above ^^^..............if your's is bone-in, when the bone releases from the meat it's kinda like the "pop-up timer".......the fat rendering is done enough to then rest the piece & let the moisture redistribute & the last of the fat to melt down.....just like magic, it is !!!!!

[ligrill]

Just put the butt on along with buckies bean mix under the pork.  I also when fat down tonight.  We will see how long the snake burns.  I will check on it around 6am.