Well, this subsection has been dead for a long time, but since Alabama is coming to town Saturday to play my beloved Miss State Booldawgs I thought I might smoke a few pork shoulders for the tailgate.
Pork shoulders (known as "Boston Butts" by those not from around here) take a long time to cook, about 12 hours. So I'll be starting them about 6:00 Friday night for an early AM departure Saturday.
Here's how I do it:
Start your smoker heating up. It will take a while, so get started. I use dried pecan wood, because I have it. Hickory is good. I don't use oak because one of our group has an allergy to it. Charcoal (not that easy-light stuff, and no starter fluid) is ok if you don't have wood. You want your smoker to get up to about 225-250 degrees, and stay there - no yoyo-ing. Start it early and play around with adding fuel until you can do it without causing temp increase.
I get my meat at Sam's. Shoulders come in packages of 2 shoulders x10-12 lbs each. I'm doing 2 packages, 4 shoulders, this time because I'm expecting a crowd - Alabama, ranked teams, SECNation, etc. Get your charcoal at Sam's while you're there. I usually buy 2 packages of 2x20 lb bags (80lbs) if I'm using charcoal. You won't use all of it, but that is how it is packaged...
I make an injection mix like this:
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
vegetable oil
tabasco/LA hot sauce
salt or soy sauce
and use it to inject the shoulders. I save some of the liquid and add
ground black pepper
2 cloves crushed garlic
and use it to wet the outside of the shoulders.
Then I make a dry rub (actually I already have it made) like this:
½ oz orange or lemon peel
½ oz white pepper
1 cup paprika
½ cup lemon pepper
½ cup black pepper
½ oz red pepper
¼ cup garlic salt
¼ cup chili powder
½ cup brown sugar
Some folks say you shouldn't put sugar in a rub because it will turn black on the meat. That's true, but I like that black on mine so I put the brown sugar in.
Rub the shoulders generously with dry mix.
When you have your fire under control put the shoulders on, as far away from the fire as you can get them. My smoker has 3 temp gauges, one in the middle/low to the surface, 1 at the top away from the fire, and 1 at the surface away from the fire. You want the low ones hanging around 225-250.
Let them cook undisturbed until you have to replenish the fire. For my smoker that is about every 2.5-3 hrs. When I replenish the fire I MIGHT, if I feel like it, spritz the shoulder with some of the injection liquid. Just remember this, a fundamental truth of the universe: "if you're lookin' you ain't cookin'."
I always put a temp-sensor in one of the shoulders when I put them on the smoker. In the morning, about 6-7:00am, they'll be at about 160-170 degrees internally.
Take'em off. They will be black and look like they're burned. They're not, that is just the "bark" and the result of using brown sugar in the rub. Wrap them in aluminum foil, load them in a pre-heated cooler (take a bunch of towels, run them thru the dryer, and put them in the cooler. Repeat until cooler is hot) and head out to watch the booldawgs put an axx-whuppin' on the gumps.
When it is time to eat, take out one of the shoulders and break it apart. Pull the meat into pieces (this is where the term "pulled pork" comes from) and put it in a big aluminum pan. I use relatively small pans, like bread loafs, so I can get people eating while pulling another pan full. Do the shoulders as the meat is consumed so it doesn't get cold. Also mix the meat up with your hands so the black "bark" gets mixed in. It is a tasty part. Some kitchen prep gloves - or really exam gloves work best - make this easier, more sanitary, and you're less apt to burn your fingers. Also, pay attention as you pull the meat. There is a small piece called "the pearl". You'll recognize it when you see it. Only a fool puts it in the pan. A smart person would eat it. If there are children hanging around I might parcel it out to them. They learn quickly...
Also, don't dump sauce in your meat. Have the sauce available on the side for those that want it. I don't care anything about buns with my meat, but some people do, so you might have some on hand.
Speaking of sauce, here you go:
The sauce is a dipping sauce, not a cooking sauce, and is a work-in-progress. I fiddle the ingredients every time I make it.
3 tbsp butter
2 tsp onion powder
2 - 15oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup worcestershire sauce
½ cup lemon juice
½ tsp Tabasco
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne, or more to taste
Mix it up and simmer for about an hour.
This sounds like a lot of work, and it sorta is, but the result is almost always excellent. It is really hard to mess this up. There is so much fat in pork shoulder that it is almost hard to dry it out. Just watch your temps and take it off when it is done and you can bask in the glow as you are hailed as a pit-master.
Hail State.