No clue how to start... want to do a Pork Shoulder!

[George F]

The whole reason I got a smoker was to try to recreate the amazing pulled pork shoulder that a local guy used to sell before deserting his fan base and moving to Florida  >:(  Before he left, he confided in me that his secret was to use a pork shoulder and smoke it for 14 hours at 250.  I don't know what wood he used, but I am assuming local (Iowa) hardwoods. 

So I have this Bradley Smoker, no wood chips yet, and really no clue how to start.  Should I just buy a shoulder and some mesquite chips and go for it?  I have no real clue how to use this smoker- for example,

Can I put it in my attached garage and leave it running all day and night, or will it stink up the house?
Can I leave it outside in the Iowa winter weather, running or not?
Is it typical to put a rub on pork shoulder before smoking, or wait until after?

The above-referenced smoker would always pull out a fresh smoked shoulder for me when I went to his restaurant, and they would be in the smoker wrapped in celophane- he would unwrap it then slam it down on his butcher block, and it would pretty much fall apart... is the celophane trick only to preserve moisture after smoking, or has anyone seen this technique?

Thanks in advance, I will continue to search the forums to get as much knowledge as I can- Thanks!

[Smoking Duck]

George,

The first thing you're going to want to do is buy some bisquettes.  I would get different types of wood but if I were looking to do pork butt, I would look at maple, apple, oak, hickory (something milder than mesquite) but smoke flavor really is a personal preference.  Either way, the first thing you'll need to do is if your Bradley is new is to season your smoker.  I simply run mine at 230F for about 4 hours with the smoke rolling and nothing else in it.

Once you get your unit seasoned, then purchase a pork butt.  You can do it with a rub or not.  Here are some ides to help with regards to rubs:

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180

When I do my pork butts, I do them low and slow.  I'll set the Bradley to 205-210F and roll with 4 hours of smoke.  I generally either use apple, maple, oak or hickory.  Figure on a minimum of 1.5 hours per pound and let the butt come to an IT of 190F.  The meat will be extremely easy to pull at that point.  Also, you'll want to let the meat rest a bit before pulling (I always try to allow a minimum of 2 hours) utilizing the FTC method.  I simply double-wrap the butt in foil, then wrap in a towel and then either put in the oven or microwave (no heat in either) or a pre-warmed cooler.

Not sure why anyone would put cellophane on a butt while it's cooking.  Some folks will wrap in aluminum but I don't.  Mine come out very tender with just being left in the smoker until reaching the IT of 190F. 

The smoke will be strong, so unless you have a way to move the smoke out of the garage (or a very understanding spouse), I'd do it outdoors.  You can leave it outdoors unless there is some form of precipitation, in which case, you'd want the smoker protected from the precipitation as it would go down the vent and make things a mess. 

Most folks will put the rub on and leave the butt to rest in the refer before smoking.  This is especially true if your rub contains a lot of salt as the salt will first draw out the moisture and you need the time for the moisture to be "re-drawn" back into the meat.

Always smoke with your top vent at least 50% open or you can run into problems with moisture buildup.  I always keep mine 100% open and it works great.  Also, do a search for pulled pork and you can find some great ideas.

Good luck and welcome!


SD

[KyNola]

George,
SD has you set.  One thing you can do is after the 4 hour smoke period, you can finish the cooking in your house oven.  A lot of us choose to move it into the house oven to control the heat better, particularly in the winter.  Simply place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and set the oven to 225 and continue to cook until the internal temp reaches 190.  Some folks will put some apple juice in the bottom of the pan and cover the whole thing with foil.  Some simply wrap in foil and place in the oven.  I prefer them uncovered as my personal experience is you get a better bark on the exterior.

Check out our recipe website.  It has tons of recipes as well as helpful info.  Just click on the link below.

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180

Have fun George and we're here if you need help!

KyNola

[NePaSmoKer]

Welcome to the forum George. KyNola and Duck have you with the right links.

Love pulled or chopped pork.




nepas

[drano]

George,
Welcome, and congrats on your smoker.  You'll have it mastered in no time and enjoying great Q.
There are rub recipes on the internet (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180 is a great start), or buy the book called Smoke and Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison.  Its got a lot of good smoking recipes in it, to include rubs, mops, etc. 
Pork butt is pretty straight forward.  Put your favorite rub on it, wrap in it cellophane and throw in fridge over nite.  Next morning, fire up the Bradly to 230 deg (plug it straight into the wall, no extension cord which eats up power the Bradley needs).  Take cellophane off, put butt in smoker w/ fat slab on top so the fat bastes onto the butt as it melts off.  Leave in smoker until meat is 190 deg.  Wrap in foil, wrap in towel, put in cooler (FTC) until dinner time.  Tear apart with a pair of forks.  Enjoy!
If the fat side has a thick layer of fat, trim it down thinner.  The last butt I did had about 3/8 fat slab on it.  Man, I had a lot of fat in the drip pan, and the butt was too greasy near that fat slab.  I'd guess 1/8-1/4" is plenty of fat to keep the butt moist. 

Here's a log of a recent butt smoke:
2.7  lb bone-in butt
8 Pecan pucks
Time:   Meat:   Smoker:
0730   on   230
1630   194   230      
1630   FTC

I'd recommend starting with a smaller butt.  It will cook quicker, and the Bradly will come up to temp quicker w/ a smaller butt in it.

Good luck, and remember, we are hear to help.  I've learned tons from everyone on this site. 
get smokin
drano

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum George F!

Congrats on your first smoke!
I do alot of "Q" - The last ones I did are in this thread - http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=8942.0

[macattak]

Did you buy the Bradley smoker new?  If not, did it come with the owners manual?  Give it a good read and get acquainted with the operation of the smoker before you do anything.  If you don't have the manual, here's a link to the download:

http://www.bradleysmoker.com/manuals-and-blueprints-downloads.asp

Check out the bisquettes at your local retailer, the Bradley doesn't used chips.  While you're buying the bisquettes, grab a meat thermometer as well.  It will prove indispensable.  After you take these steps, just follow what the others have said.  I'm in Central Illinois and I leave mine on the deck all winter.  I do remove the smoke generator and keep it inside and use the Bradley cover to protect the box.

The Bradley is easy to operate and butts are pretty forgiving.  Try not to peek too much while you're smoking!

[West Coast Kansan]

Welcome George, SD and others have you off to the races.  Enjoy the journey.  These smokers are habit forming.  ;D

[bfnish]

Being a newbie, what does FTC stand for?

[Mr Walleye]

Being a newbie, what does FTC stand for?

Hi bfnish and welcome to the forum.

This link should help you out...
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showpost.php?p=766&postcount=9

Also here is a link to the FAQ section everybody from the forum here contributed to.
http://susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=748#post748

And last but not least, if you have never been to the recipe site just click on the smoker in the bottom of my post. Lots of great stuff there compliments of all the fine folks on the forum.

Mike

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum.  These guys have you pointed in the right direction.  I do butts and brisket all the time.  The only thing I can add is be patient.  The meat will be done when it gets done.  Your smoke will take between 14 and 24 hours to finish, depending on a number of factors and assuming you are only doing one.

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum bfnish!

Recipe site - check

FAQ - check

leave the vent open

don't get in a hurry.

[Smoking Duck]

So true, Wildcat.  I did two butts yesterday along with 4 portabella stuffed mushroom caps.  One butt (both were about the same size and bone in) took just about 15 hours to get to 190F and the other took 25 hours.  They both came out extremely tender and pullable.  You just gotta let the meat tell you when it's done.  Let the Bradley do its job and let the meat go at it's own pace.

[bfnish]

My smoker arrived today, but unfortunately for me I will be out of town until Sunday.

I plan on seasoning the smoker on Sunday night and then hopefully using it on Monday.

Thanks for the links to everything and yes I have already printed off numerous recipes.

[macattak]

I don't think George is coming back... :D