...and maybe a brisket as well. *gulp*
Hosting a big Calgary Stampede party this weekend. Doing baby backs in my buddy's Bradley as well.
Any tips for the shoulders?
I've never done so much meat at one time. Will they likely take longer than 12-ish hours with that much meat in there?
do as you usally cook and watch the it temps pull as they get done, start 34 to 36 hours ahead,,, you can always reheat
For that much pig, you might seriously consider doing the smoking in the Bradley (4-5 hours) and then finishing in the house oven and/or crockpot(s). See my post here (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=28663.msg340965#msg340965).
The 100th Stampede - should be way cool.
You may want to smoke/cook the shoulders ahead of time, pull them and refrigerate or freeze (depending on how much time there is between pulling the pork and reheating), then reheat them on the day of the event. I do this all the time, and I feel the pulled pork tastes better; it gives the flavors from the bark a chance to distribute throughout the pork.
Check the forum or the recipe site for recipes. The below link is my favorite way.
Pulled Pork & Sauce (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?86-Pulled-Pork-and-Sauce&p=99#post99)
I also try to smoke the pork in advance and then vaccuum seal. Taste better when reheated. I usually will set the bags in a pot on the stove and bring them up to temp slowly. Not a rollling boil. Keeps the meat nice and moist.
I'm doing a large batch too (not that large) -- but was thinking of reheating the poke (and brisket) up in 2 "slow cookers" I have on hand. I am serving 14 people -- but need to re-heat the food up quick since I'll be at work until 1 hour before they arrive (and 90 minutes before they will want to eat).
What do people think is the best scenario to handle this?
I ended up doing the shoulders and the brisket all at the same time.
Need to remember in the future to rotate the meat from top to bottom occasionally. The stuff on the bottom cooked more quickly than the stuff on the top.
Everything was done within an hour of eachother though. Worked out great in the end.
Thanks for the help, all!
How long was the total smoke/cook time?
About 13 hours.