"Denny Wheeler" wrote in
message ...

I'll be looking in tomorrow for a report on how the butt came
out.

Well, the restults were less than to be desired, but it was my
own fault for not starting at the crack of dawn. 8-( That's a
lesson I'll bet I won't have to repeat to have it stick.

Having started the fire at 12:15 p.m., I expected to be done by 1
or 2 a.m., at the latest. I knew I was in trouble by midnight.,
as the meat was only inching up about 3 degrees per. Seemed to
be slowing instead of building temperature.
By 2:40, I was only at 183 degrees. So close to pullable pork,
but . . . I just couldn't stay up any longer. It's still in the
cooler, too hot to put in the refrigerator.

Is there any way I can make it pullable now, or am I stuck with
sliced pork?

All in all, it was a good learning experience, and I'm anxious to
do it again. I've been reading up a storm during this process,
and I can see several areas where I need to make
improvements--the chief one being that I need to get a better
handle on controling the fire. I suspect therein lies most of
last night's troubles.

Got to admit it does look mighty pretty, though g.

Thanks to everyone who helped me through to this point. I
appreciate your help very much!

Karen C.

Karen,

You are on the right track! How much did the pork shoulder weigh and
what kind of smoker unit did you use?

I use a Weber "WSM" (Weber Smoky Mountain)and the minion technique
recommended by Jim Minion. You can google for the details.

My pork shoulders are generally at 190 degrees internal temp. after
about 11 to 14 hours on the grill at temps that fluctuate between 270
and 225, depending on the weight of the meat.

Last one I did I put on at 10 p.m. and took off the next morning at 9
a.m. with internal temps around 195. Once I get the unit cranking I
go on to bed as I have the WSM in a large sandy area and dont have to
worry about fires. I also use sand in the water pan instead of water
so dont have to worry about adding water all the time.

So, keep on working at getting a good steady fire, be patient, and you
will get there!

Low-N-Slow

"low-n-slow" wrote in message
oups.com...
You are on the right track! How much did the pork shoulder
weigh and
what kind of smoker unit did you use?

Thanks! The Boston butt was about 6-1/2 pounds. I'm using a
Weber Smokey Mountain with an ET-73 Maverick thermometer.

I use a Weber "WSM" (Weber Smoky Mountain)and the minion
technique
recommended by Jim Minion. You can google for the details.

I'm definitely going to give that a try soon.

My pork shoulders are generally at 190 degrees internal temp.
after
about 11 to 14 hours on the grill at temps that fluctuate
between 270
and 225, depending on the weight of the meat.

My major mistake was in underestimating the time. I thought I
had plenty of time, allowing for 1-1/2 hours per pound. After I
started the cook, I found out that I should have allowed for 2
hours per pound. I still would have had enough time had I had a
better fire going.

Last one I did I put on at 10 p.m. and took off the next
morning at 9
a.m. with internal temps around 195. Once I get the unit
cranking I
go on to bed as I have the WSM in a large sandy area and dont
have to
worry about fires. I also use sand in the water pan instead of
water
so dont have to worry about adding water all the time.

This sounds like a great solution; but aren't you afraid that the
fire is going to go down too low?

So, keep on working at getting a good steady fire, be patient,
and you
will get there!

Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it!

Karen C.

low-n-slow wrote in news:1186064992.180403.169980
@o61g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:

Karen,

You are on the right track! How much did the pork shoulder weigh and
what kind of smoker unit did you use?

I use a Weber "WSM" (Weber Smoky Mountain)and the minion technique
recommended by Jim Minion. You can google for the details.

My pork shoulders are generally at 190 degrees internal temp. after
about 11 to 14 hours on the grill at temps that fluctuate between 270
and 225, depending on the weight of the meat.

Last one I did I put on at 10 p.m. and took off the next morning at 9
a.m. with internal temps around 195. Once I get the unit cranking I
go on to bed as I have the WSM in a large sandy area and dont have to
worry about fires. I also use sand in the water pan instead of water
so dont have to worry about adding water all the time.

So, keep on working at getting a good steady fire, be patient, and you
will get there!

Low-N-Slow




At between 200F and 250F smoker temp you should allow aprox 1 and 1/2
hours per pound of boston butt to get it just over the internal temp of
170 which is the lowest temp pork pulls at (at least for me). Getting the
temp higher is beyond my knowledge; cause I can barely wait for it to get
over 170 before I snarf it. So a 6 lb roast would take well over 9 hours
at least to get close to 180F or higher internally.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

"hahabogus" wrote in message
...
low-n-slow wrote in
news:1186064992.180403.169980 @o61g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:
At between 200F and 250F smoker temp you should allow aprox 1
and 1/2
hours per pound of boston butt to get it just over the internal
temp of
170 which is the lowest temp pork pulls at (at least for me).
Getting the
temp higher is beyond my knowledge; cause I can barely wait for
it to get
over 170 before I snarf it. So a 6 lb roast would take well
over 9 hours
at least to get close to 180F or higher internally.

I was shooting for 195, but I had to stop at 183. I checked it
this a.m. Although I'm not going to have to slice it, the bone
isn't loose, and it's too moist for my daughter's tastes
(although I think DH would be fine with it).

I'm wondering if I can put it in the oven to bring it up to 195.

Thanks!

Karen C.

Karen C. wrote:

I was shooting for 195, but I had to stop at 183. I checked it
this a.m. Although I'm not going to have to slice it, the bone
isn't loose, and it's too moist for my daughter's tastes
(although I think DH would be fine with it).

The bone being loose is a very good indicator, certainly.
I fail to understand the idea of "too moist", though. Your
daughter likes meat dried out?

I'm wondering if I can put it in the oven to bring it up to 195.

Absolutely, that's what I've done in the past. Stick it
in a 250F oven until it hits 193F internal or so, then
let it rest a bit after taking it out. The shoulder has
taken-on all the smoke it's going to at this point, anyway.

Good eating!

Dana

Karen C. wrote:
"hahabogus" wrote in message
...
low-n-slow wrote in
news:1186064992.180403.169980 @o61g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:
At between 200F and 250F smoker temp you should allow aprox 1
and 1/2
hours per pound of boston butt to get it just over the internal
temp of
170 which is the lowest temp pork pulls at (at least for me).
Getting the
temp higher is beyond my knowledge; cause I can barely wait for
it to get
over 170 before I snarf it. So a 6 lb roast would take well
over 9 hours
at least to get close to 180F or higher internally.

I was shooting for 195, but I had to stop at 183. I checked it
this a.m. Although I'm not going to have to slice it, the bone
isn't loose, and it's too moist for my daughter's tastes
(although I think DH would be fine with it).

I'm wondering if I can put it in the oven to bring it up to 195.

Thanks!

Karen C.


I've done that in a pinch. Double wrapped in foil, with a little bit of
apple juice (or some kind of juice) to keep it from drying out. The bark
won't be crunchy, but I'm sure it'll be tasty. Good Luck!

Brian

"Dana Myers" wrote in message
. ..
I fail to understand the idea of "too moist", though. Your
daughter likes meat dried out?

Well, not completely dried out; but this is even a bit too moist
for me.

Absolutely, that's what I've done in the past. Stick it
in a 250F oven until it hits 193F internal or so, then
let it rest a bit after taking it out. The shoulder has
taken-on all the smoke it's going to at this point, anyway.

That's what I'll do, then. Thanks a bunch!

Karen C.

Brian wrote:

I was shooting for 195, but I had to stop at 183. I checked it
this a.m. Although I'm not going to have to slice it, the bone
isn't loose, and it's too moist for my daughter's tastes
(although I think DH would be fine with it).

I'm wondering if I can put it in the oven to bring it up to 195.

Thanks!

Karen C.


I've done that in a pinch. Double wrapped in foil, with a little bit of
apple juice (or some kind of juice) to keep it from drying out. The bark
won't be crunchy, but I'm sure it'll be tasty. Good Luck!

Why do you wrap the shoulder in foil and add apple juice?
Do you really think it keeps the shoulder from drying out?
Once the bark has formed, I believe there's very little
that exterior water vapor does to influence the interior
of the meat, but I'm sure it'll soften the bark as described.

I've just sat the shoulder on a rack in a shallow pan and
let it go, the times I've finished one in an oven, and
drying-out isn't a problem at all. Not even remotely.

Dana

"Brian" wrote in message
news:wqnsi.8506$xi.248@trndny03...
I've done that in a pinch. Double wrapped in foil, with a
little bit of
apple juice (or some kind of juice) to keep it from drying out.
The bark
won't be crunchy, but I'm sure it'll be tasty. Good Luck!

Perfect! I just happen to have bought a bottle of apple juice a
couple of days ago. Thanks!

Karen C.

"Karen C." wrote in message
...
"hahabogus" wrote in message
...
low-n-slow wrote in
news:1186064992.180403.169980 @o61g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:
At between 200F and 250F smoker temp you should allow aprox 1
and 1/2
hours per pound of boston butt to get it just over the internal
temp of
170 which is the lowest temp pork pulls at (at least for me).
Getting the
temp higher is beyond my knowledge; cause I can barely wait for
it to get
over 170 before I snarf it. So a 6 lb roast would take well
over 9 hours
at least to get close to 180F or higher internally.

I was shooting for 195, but I had to stop at 183. I checked it
this a.m. Although I'm not going to have to slice it, the bone
isn't loose, and it's too moist for my daughter's tastes
(although I think DH would be fine with it).

I'm wondering if I can put it in the oven to bring it up to 195.

Thanks!

Karen C.

I've read a lot of your posts Karen, and enjoy what you say as well as
reading the answers... but I have one question... does DH stand for what I
think it does? *g*

"43fan" wrote in message
...
I've read a lot of your posts Karen, and enjoy what you say as
well as
reading the answers...

Thanks for your kind words.

but I have one question... does DH stand for what I
think it does? *g*

Well, in my case, DH stands for "dear husband."

There are those who use the abbreviation in a more derrogatory
term (not duck head, but close g).

Karen C.

"Karen C." wrote in message
...
"43fan" wrote in message
...
I've read a lot of your posts Karen, and enjoy what you say as
well as
reading the answers...

Thanks for your kind words.

but I have one question... does DH stand for what I
think it does? *g*

Well, in my case, DH stands for "dear husband."

There are those who use the abbreviation in a more derrogatory
term (not duck head, but close g).

Karen C.


Dear Husband... yep, that's what I was thinking...

"Karen C." wrote:

"Denny Wheeler" wrote in
message ...

I'll be looking in tomorrow for a report on how the butt came
out.

Well, the restults were less than to be desired, but it was my
own fault for not starting at the crack of dawn. 8-( That's a
lesson I'll bet I won't have to repeat to have it stick.

Having started the fire at 12:15 p.m., I expected to be done by 1
or 2 a.m., at the latest. I knew I was in trouble by midnight.,
as the meat was only inching up about 3 degrees per. Seemed to
be slowing instead of building temperature.
By 2:40, I was only at 183 degrees. So close to pullable pork,
but . . . I just couldn't stay up any longer. It's still in the
cooler, too hot to put in the refrigerator.

Is there any way I can make it pullable now, or am I stuck with
sliced pork?

All in all, it was a good learning experience, and I'm anxious to
do it again. I've been reading up a storm during this process,
and I can see several areas where I need to make
improvements--the chief one being that I need to get a better
handle on controling the fire. I suspect therein lies most of
last night's troubles.

Got to admit it does look mighty pretty, though g.

Thanks to everyone who helped me through to this point. I
appreciate your help very much!

Karen C.

It may have had enough carry over to get to pullable while resting in
the cooler.

For future reference, while the purists will whine, if it's taking too
long and you want to go to sleep, just move it to the oven at the same
temp and it will be fine when you wake up. After the first few hours
it's generally absorbed all the smoke it's going to and after that it's
just slow cooking so moving to the oven at that point will make little
difference in the final product.

Pete C.

Dana Myers wrote:

Brian wrote:

I was shooting for 195, but I had to stop at 183. I checked it
this a.m. Although I'm not going to have to slice it, the bone
isn't loose, and it's too moist for my daughter's tastes
(although I think DH would be fine with it).

I'm wondering if I can put it in the oven to bring it up to 195.

Thanks!

Karen C.


I've done that in a pinch. Double wrapped in foil, with a little bit of
apple juice (or some kind of juice) to keep it from drying out. The bark
won't be crunchy, but I'm sure it'll be tasty. Good Luck!

Why do you wrap the shoulder in foil and add apple juice?
Do you really think it keeps the shoulder from drying out?
Once the bark has formed, I believe there's very little
that exterior water vapor does to influence the interior
of the meat, but I'm sure it'll soften the bark as described.

I've just sat the shoulder on a rack in a shallow pan and
let it go, the times I've finished one in an oven, and
drying-out isn't a problem at all. Not even remotely.

Dana

I'm with you, I've never foiled, using the same rack in a pan to allow
the drippings to continue to drip. Never had a problem.

Pete C.