# My Pulled Pork Shoulder Attempt



## BeeRich (Jun 14, 2009)

Hiya folks.  I tried a pulled pork shoulder.  Half a shoulder, actually.  The thing was massive, took forever to get up to temperature.  On at 11:30 am, off at 8:00 pm, after I added some direct heat to get her going.  Should I have chosen the thinner half?  It was asymmetrical, but probably easier to get up to temperature.  

Had some for lunch today.  Not pulled, but sliced/cut from the bone.  Very nice.  

I'd love your input.  Cheers!

[youtube:3m9d23of]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhuyxQbdfpU[/youtube:3m9d23of]


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## dollarbill (Jun 14, 2009)

The shape should not affect it. The size/weight  will affect the time of the cook.  Usually If you cooking at 225* my general rule of thumb is 1&1/2 hours per pound for pulled pork.


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## BeeRich (Jun 14, 2009)

Still took more than that.  Was about 5 pounds, and it was just hitting 171 after direct heat was attached.  BBQ temp was 285.  

I got to try this again.


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## Cocophone (Jun 14, 2009)

I would try at least 12 hours indirect heat.


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## BeeRich (Jun 14, 2009)

Yeah I had no clue it would go that long.  I would have set it late evening, and let her go overnight.


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## dollarbill (Jun 14, 2009)

They all hit a "spot". That spot will hold same  temps for a long time then get through and continue cooking.  Thats the the  scientific part of it that  im not 100% clear of.


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## Nick Prochilo (Jun 14, 2009)

dollarbill said:
			
		

> They all hit a "spot". That spot will hold same  temps for a long time then get through and continue cooking.  Thats the the  scientific part of it that  im not 100% clear of.



Nobody is. That's when the magic happens!


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## Cliff H. (Jun 14, 2009)

Give that one to the neighbors and go get another one to try again.


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## BeeRich (Jun 14, 2009)

I'm too busy eating it.  Wonderful stuff.  I'm also very pleased with my Cajun Rub, first time using it.  

I have a boat trip next weekend, so I might just throw another on the cue this week for that.


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## Div (Jun 15, 2009)

Seems like a short time for that ... rule of thumb is low and slow and every piece of meat is different when it comes to when it stalls and for how long it stalls for....if ya liked it the way ya made it then dont fix what isnt broken


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

I'm up late and I think I'm gonna dive into some right now.  

I was completely unaware that it would take anywhere near this long, and I was relying on the thermoprobe to tell me it was done.  

I also had no way of adding moisture, so I should be thinking about that as well.


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## CarolinaQue (Jun 15, 2009)

What temp did you cook it to? Pulled pork usually isn't considered done until it reaches above 190*. I like to take mine to 195* personally. I usually cook at around 250* to 275* and it comes in at around 1 hour a lb. I never ad moisture and like the end product better. But that could be determined by what you're cooking on.


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## ScottyDaQ (Jun 15, 2009)

letting it rest in foil when it's done is also key IMHO.


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## 007bond-jb (Jun 15, 2009)

It hits whats called the plateau & sits at that temp while the collagen in the meat melts & disolves some, Then it will start rising in temp again. This may take a few hours. Rich check your thermo for accuracy,
Put it in a glass full of ice & add some water, it should read 32 deg F.
Then put it in a pot of boiling water, it should read 212 deg F.  

If it don't get a new one, like a true tell or a maverick


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

Got it up to 171, as the probe said pork was done at 170'F.  For the longest time it stalled at 152.  I will test the probe today.  

I've been eating it ever since, and I've been impressed with the results regardless.  Not pulled, but lovely all the same.

But I am going to try it again.  I should run to the market this morning...great day for a bbq, don't you think?  So it's a connective tissue plateau, is it?  I'm a biochemist, and I checked some of the forums here, but didn't see anything about >180F or any rests.  Good information to know.  We use various enzyme rests in the brewing industry as well, called step-infusion mashing.  

Here is the first version of my Cajun Rub.  I think I got it here somewhere:

0.75 cups ground white pepper 
0.75 cups ground black pepper 
0.5 cups ground red pepper 
0.5 cups dried thyme, crushed 
0.5 cups onion powder 
0.5 cups garlic powder 
0.25 cups salt 
0.25 cups ground red chillies
0.75 cups brown sugar

It doesn't have that distinct red Cajun flavour to it, and I get the Thyme coming through, which ain't bad either.  I'd love to perfect this rub.  

Thanks for the input guys!


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## DJ (Jun 15, 2009)

You might want to check your pit thermometer for accuracy in addition to yur meat thermometer.  I cook a case (every week-end) at a time between 235* and 250* and they are usually done around 10 hrs after reaching 195* or a bit higher. At 8 hrs on I double foil and save some of the drippings to add later if necessary or add a little while I'm pulling to keep it moist on re-heat. The foil will speed up the cooking time, catch the drippings and insure the pork is as moist as possible. 
Wish hd foil was:
1. Actually Heavy Duty and not as thin as a sheet of paper.
2. Not so expensive considering the quality.
dj


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

So what would be the calculations on time per pound, effective?  1.5 hours, as previously mentioned, seems a bit short.  

I will post my findings on all.  Thanks for the foil tip.


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## ScottyDaQ (Jun 15, 2009)

What's your elevation? Water doesn't always boil at 212'


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

I am in Toronto.  Nothing to write home about in terms of elevation.  Vapour pressure ain't changed much, as it's about 260 feet above sea level.  

Also, lowered vapour pressure shouldn't change the amount of endothermic demand on tissues.  Tissues should absorb the same amount of energy, regardless of how much hydration is evaporated and condensed.  Both phase transitions should cancel eachother out, from one source of energy.  

I'm preparing some numbers for the thermo readings.


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## dollarbill (Jun 15, 2009)

BeeRich said:
			
		

> So what would be the calculations on time per pound, effective?



Patience is the only real answer to that.  Your not gonna get a perfect/ effective  time per pound.  Every piece is different as someone else here said.  Definately wrap it in foil when its done. Then wrap it in towels and put it in an empty ice cooler or microwave to rest for an hour or more. It should come out & be ready to pull. It will also stilll be really hot.


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

This time around, the hunk is boneless, like a huge ass steak.  I expect to be up late tonight.  It went on at 11:30, over 7 pounds.


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

Results are in.  My thermo was too cold.  Way too cold.  It's basically useless if you ask me.  

The Napoleon thermometer is pretty high up in the chamber, and it goes down to 100°F.


```
Probe		Napoleon
Icewater		32			n/a
Mid 1			154			135
Mid 2			162			150
Boiling		212			290
```

The digital thermometer I have (Probe) is spot on.  The Napoleon thermometer is low in the midrange, and skyrockets up 80°F above real temperature, around boiling temperature.  I can only guess what it is inside the unit.  I need another thermometer.  Oh well, no better time than the present.  Heh.


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## 007bond-jb (Jun 15, 2009)

Here BR
http://www.teltru.com/s-142-black-dial.aspx


http://www.maverickhousewares.com/digit ... meters.htm


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

I bought the Redi-Chek, and all I need now are... batteries.


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## BeeRich (Jun 15, 2009)

7:30 pm UPDATE:  up to 161'F, then she dipped 3 degrees!  Very strange.  

Now, the new thermometer (the one I'm going by) is about 10'F lower than the one I calibrated this morning.  So it could be off.  It's in the meat as well, so they could be reading valid differential.

Anyway, been taking measurements since 3:00 pm, so I think it's time for a nap.  I'm gonna be up late.  The gas is on, the Napoleon is registering over 300, but I know that ain't the truth (see previous in thread).  

I think I am going to get a BBQ replacement cabin thermometer.  I know it's not exact, but I need something reasonable.  My original BBQ supplier was closed today (figures), and Crappy Tire didn't have any.  

New remote thermoprobe won't keep the probe temp registered when it's not in the base station!  WTF is up with that?  I called them, they close at 4:30.  

I'm filming this one.


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## BeeRich (Jun 16, 2009)

OK, she's midnight, and I was at the pub gloating about my pulled pork.  Then I came home, saw that it dipped a bit in temperature.  The circulation from the burner I chose isn't working hard enough.

So, I changed the burner to something underneath the grill, so that she can get going.  

I have a stainless bowl on a burner, and it's lowered since this afternoon.  I want the moist to stay up.  Anyway, it's somewhat above the burner now, so that should reintroduce some moisture to the meat, which looks like it needs some.  

I WILL MAKE THIS WORK.  I am dedicated.


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## BeeRich (Jun 16, 2009)

OK, with two of the underburners, I couldn't get the temp to really respond.  So, I went half total.  I thought I'd do an indirect with the infrared.  I got it on half heat for a bit, and the temp of the meat shot up, as it sits on the other side.  Up to 178 now (last reading on the half hour). 

So it seems the back burner is for rotisserie.  I'll do a Capon or a Turkey soon on that setup.  Man what a fun treat that is.  But, she can't be used for grill-level indirect heat.  Up to about 165.  The main unit, the infrared, really goes strong, with limited gas.  I'm just worried about long term use of such a tool.  It's really serious tool.  

But the strategy starts with a low temp smoke from the back burner, then a change of indirect heat from a choice of the 3 underlying burners:

- Left side hot only
- Middle to add more heat
- Right side Infrared ceramic burner ONLY

Testing testing.  It's all good.  I might post this to Napoleon to show them the restrictions of all the burners on some serious parts of meat.  

Oye!  Petit Napoleon...t'es la?  T'ecoute?


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## Diva Q (Jun 16, 2009)

Ever thought of a wsm ?


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## BeeRich (Jun 16, 2009)

I have no clue what a WSM is.  Sounds like it needs a vowel.


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## Diva Q (Jun 16, 2009)

weber smokey mountain- terrific cooker!


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## BeeRich (Jun 16, 2009)

No room.  Is that the vertical black stainless bullet?  I'm tryin to maximise the Napoleon as well.  I'm off to the dealer now, so I might come back with a Viking (heh!).


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## ScottyDaQ (Jun 16, 2009)

53 posts under your belt, I woulda thought you were a lurker that just recently came out of his/her shell.. but guess not...or you'd surely know what a WSM is. A real go-getter eh?
(I see many page-long threads coming)


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## BeeRich (Jun 16, 2009)

Oh I know the unit, just not referred to as WSM.  In fact, I just saw the Napoleon version at the local BBQ store.  Black, and from the looks of it, considerably larger.  Can fit a large turkey in there.  

Video to post soon.


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## BeeRich (Jun 16, 2009)

Get this:  2 of my 3 thermometers were broken.  My luck.  Probably why I'm single.  

Napoleon has new super thermometers for the big units.  I'll try to get that one as a replacement.  Local store had none.  Glad I went.  

The Redi-Chek didn't have any signal past 5 feet.  That's hardly remote.  So Crappy Tire replaced it.  I go test now.  

But the new video is here!


<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sg3QJQSQmFE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sg3QJQSQmFE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>


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## BeeRich (Jun 17, 2009)

No takers.  Ima gonna post a new thread.


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