Pork Shoulder - newbie

[gman2112]

Hey Guys and Gals, a buddy of mine wants to smoke a 15lb pork shoulder for pulled pork.  He says he will rub it up and inject with a personal marinade.  How long would it take, what temp, and what flavours (apple, alder, etc)?
Thanks

[GusRobin]

You should cook to an internal temperature not time. I have done 8 lb pork butts at 225* and they have taken anywhere from 12- 18 hrs. I would think a 15# would take anywhere from 18-20 something hours.

[gman2112]

Thanks for the advice, internal temp of what ....... to pull nicely off the bone?

[KyNola]

Take it to 190-200 for fall apart goodness.  Don't be surprised if it takes longer than 18-20 hours.  I have had them go 24-26 hours.  It all depends on the pig.  Also, somewhere along the way the internal temp of the shoulder is going oto stall, somewhere between 145-160.  It will stall for a few hours and may drip a degree or two.  Don't panic.  That is when the magic is happening.  Don't bump the temp up in the smoker in an effort to get the temp in the pork to rise.  The stall is when all of the collagen and connective tissues begin to melt and goodness happens.  The temp in the pork will begin to rise again I promise.

For pulled pork I smoke and cook at 225.  One other thing you can do is to smoke it in the Bradley at 225 and at the end of the smoking period transfer it to a rack in a roasting pan and put it in your house oven set at 225.  After the smoking period the Bradley is nothing more than an Easy Bake Oven.

Good luck and let us know how it's going.

[gman2112]

Awesome advice than you, how long to smoke?  We would like a real smoky flavour, but 26 hours ?????? and what flavour do you suggest?
thanks
P.S. will take pics and post

[Grouperman941]

Awesome advice than you, how long to smoke?  We would like a real smoky flavour, but 26 hours ?????? and what flavour do you suggest?
thanks
P.S. will take pics and post

3-4 hours.

[JZ]

I would use Hickory.

My experience so far is that the smoke is not as strong as I was expecting. Most of the smokey flavor is in the "bark", the dark crust that develops on the outside. There is little smokey flavor in the meat itself. I think the smokey flavor is more pronounced the next day after a rest in the fridge in an airtight container. Take the bark and mix it in well with the meat and it will be more flavorful the next day, IMHO. The meat is incredibly juicy and tender though when it is pulled from the bone and it's hard not to eat a whole bunch while you're pulling. ENJOY. :)

[Grouperman941]

Awesome advice than you, how long to smoke?  We would like a real smoky flavour, but 26 hours ?????? and what flavour do you suggest?
thanks
P.S. will take pics and post

3-4 hours.

and my favorite smoke on pork so far is pecan.

[JZ]

and my favorite smoke on pork so far is pecan.

Mine too, but if he is looking for a more pronounced smoke, then Hickory might give it to him. I used Pecan on my last one and even gave it another hour of smoke towards the end of the cook. It still wasn't a strong smokey flavor; good but not strong.

[Consooger]

I love my pork with Cherry or Pecan, but if he wants a stronger smoke flavor I would go with 4 hours of hickory or mesquite.

[TedEbear]

How long would it take, what temp, and what flavours (apple, alder, etc)?
Thanks

If you want a ballpark estimate it usually takes 1.5-2 hours per lb.  As others have said, always cook by internal temp, not time.

I usually go with sweet flavors for pork and things like hickory for beef.  I cook mine at 220 to an internal temp of 195 and smoke for the first 4 hours only.