Question about the 1st Four Hours...

Canadian_Smoke · September 29, 2005, 08:05:51 PM

Is there any valid reason why you have to apply the smoke during the 1st 4 hours of cooking??

I'm having a dinner party this coming Saturday night and I will be cooking a 15lb Pork Shoulder as the main course. In order to ensure that this hunk of meat is ready on time I want to cook it overnight Friday night. My concern is that I've already had a couple of puck jams (due to poor pucks IMO) and I don't want to risk letting it smoke whilst I get my beauty sleep [:I]

Would it be OK to let the meat cook for 4-6 hours and THEN apply the 5 hours of smoke that I want to use with this particular piece of pork?

I throw this question out there in the hopes that someone vastly more experienced than I can chime in with their advice.

Thank you everyone

PS - Bubba, great talking with you this past weekend. I look forward to receiving my Bubba pucks and some new Hickory pucks.

Carpe Diem does NOT mean catch of the day

psdubl07 · September 29, 2005, 08:22:57 PM

The residing theory is that at some point around 140 degrees F, the pores on the meat close up and don't absorb smoke any longer, or at least not as much.
I can't imagine cooking a chicken breast, then applying smoke for 3-4 hours and it not tasting smoky, but I've never tried because I know it works well the other way.
I would love for you to be the guinea pig though and give it a shot and report back how it worked!

bsolomon · September 29, 2005, 09:59:47 PM

Bear in mind that a single 15 lb. piece of meat will take a fairly long time to cook - I'm thinking in the 20+ hour range. Depending on your definition of "overnight" and when you plan to eat, you might run up against the clock. I would suggest starting earlier on Friday, if possible, say around 6:00 to 7:00 pm. That way, you can get through the smoking phase while you're still awake, and get a good night's sleep while it's cooking. Once it's done, you can FTC, and it will stay hot for a few more hours until you are ready to shred/slice.

This may be a better option than having a house full of guests helping you watch the thermometer, hoping that it gets done soon [:0] and it leaves you with more options if the cabinet temperature drops a bit overnight as it gets cooler and/or if you end up opening the door a couple of extra times during the cooking process.

nsxbill · September 29, 2005, 10:10:48 PM

Agree 100% on length of time to cook. Remember, if you are having problems with the puck advance, you only have to watch it for 4 hours, and the rest of the time you are just slow cooking and using the heat from the rear element and the smoke generator plate, puck on it or off. For that size (I have one I am going to start at 3 p.m. Friday), and will be finished at about 3 p.m. Sat. I cook at 210°F, to about 187°F. Meat temp. I will pull it and toss into cooler after wrapping with foil etc, and plan on eating about 7:15 p.m.

It really is a no brainer, but the puck advance has got to be a PIA!

Good luck and hope the advance on the pucks is working for you.

Bill

There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.

charlie · September 29, 2005, 11:35:48 PM

I would say definetley smoke before you cook. When the outside layer of the meat has actually been cooked, then the smoke flavor is no longer passing through the meat pores, it's just bellowing around the outside giving it an almost bitter smoke taste. I am speaking from experiance [:I]. I hope the pork turns out and the party is a success!

GrillinFool · September 30, 2005, 01:00:38 AM

Before I got a Bradley, I have smoked stuff for a few hours and then brought it in the house to cook over night in the oven to make sure it gets done and I get some sleep. It works fine generally speaking. It does make the house smell pretty good too. If you like the smell of bbq that is.

calatexmex · September 30, 2005, 08:45:41 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by GrillinFool
 If you like the smell of bbq that is.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
[:0] I had to go back and check to see if I was still on the right site. [:D] Sorry GrillinFool I coulden't resist.
Pork Butts can take alot of smoke (HICKORY) and from the git go. Instead of putting it in the oven one option is once you have applied all the smoke you want you can stop the smoke foil and leave it on the cooker till you reach desired temp IMO 190 to 200. (Smoke won't penetrate aluminum)For good pulled pork. I hope you are using a good spice rub for a nice bark. I sometimes feel that the spice rub is one of the most important elemements. Don't forget to pull the bark and mix it into the final mix. Now look what you did my mouth is watering for some good pulled pork [;)] Guess I will have to get off my bum and get to wrork[:D]

Mike C

Canadian_Smoke · September 30, 2005, 03:15:36 PM

Awesome stuff guys - I think that I will heed the good advice that I'm getting here and put the shoulder in this evening so that the smoking is done before I head off to bed - worse case scenario as I see it now is that the meat is done 2-4 hours before we want to eat in which case I'll just FTC it until we are ready to chow down.

Thanks!!

Scott

Carpe Diem does NOT mean catch of the day