So I'm going to smoke a pork shoulder for the first time tomorrow night, is there any advice or tips that I can get from you guys on the subject.
Heavy dry rub (lots of kosher salt). Slow smoke at extremely low temperature for as long as possible. Good luck.
Cook it pretty much just like a brisket. Virtually impossible to screw up. If you want a little different sauce to serve with it, get a bunch of habaneros & some mango nectar, throw in blender, reduce a bit on stove.
Just picked up two 7lb bone in shoulders and some hickory chunks. As for the rub, this is what I'm thinking about: black pepper paprika brown sugar salt dry mustard cayenne Any suggestions on the rub?
Leave off the sugar. It burns. If you must have sweet with your pork, use some sort of sauce while serving.
From what I understand, the secret to a fantastic brisket is to first coat it with ordinary yellow mustard before putting on your rub. I also have fantastic recipes for grilled chicken that call for using mustard. But I don't know if it's a good idea to put yellow mustard on your pork shoulder before cooking. Maybe you can try putting yellow mustard on a certain portion of it (before the rub) and then, after cooking, taste that portion to see if it was better or worse with the mustard.
Have you tried it with and without the sugar? What was the difference, taste and texture wise? I wouldn't be using much, probably about a 1/4 cup or so.
Smoke it no hotter that 230 degrees until the meat measures 194 degrees in the center. It will tak a long, long time. You can finish it in a 250 degree oven if you get tired of baby sitting it.
I disagree. I use brown sugar in my rib rub and I smoke them. Since I don't cook it over direct heat the sugar doesn't burn. The sugar actually melts and combines with the other components and makes a nice, sweet/spicy sauce.
A little sugar is okay in my opinion, but go heavy on the kosher salt or sea salt. 225-250 degrees. And, if you have access to Pecan or Oak, it will taste much better than hickory in my opinion. But, it's hard to screw up with pork butt. Whatever you do, it will end up tasting good.
What's a long, long time to you? My girlfriend's dad gets them done in about 8 hours, sometimes less.
It usually takes me 11 to 14 hours. but if I am going to do it, I fill the smoker up. A single butt may cook faster. Trust the thermometer. It is ready when it is ready.
