New to smoking

[marc72777]

Good morning,
I am new to smoking and have tried out my Bradley Digital a few times.  I'm about to smoke a pork shoulder but wasn't sure how long to use the hot smoker for.  I don't want a heavy pungent smoke flavor as I'm serving several people whom may not appreciate a rugged smokey flavor.  I was going to hot smoke with maple for 3-4 house @ 220, 0 hot smoker off and continue to cook until internal temp is 190?

Thoughts?

[tailfeathers]

Your plan looks good. I usually smoke for four hours and then just let the meat cook. Allow yourself plenty of time. I do my shoulders at 205F and allow around two hours per pound, they usually will pass the fork test by 180F. Insert a two tined meat fork and twist, if it turns easily the meat is done.  Depending on how soon you want to eat you can pull it right away or FTC it at that point. Wrap tightly in foil, then an old towel and put in the smallest cooler that will hold it. I also put a couple layers of newspaper on top before closing the cooler. You will find the meat will still be to hot to handle comfortably after 4 hours. This gives you a wide window in which to finish.  Good luck and keep us posted. We like pictures!


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[tailfeathers]

Be sure to use the fork test to ensure doneness. Even IT can vary from one hog to the next.


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[tailfeathers]

Another thing is don't panic when you hit the "stall". You will find that the meat temp stops rising for a few hours, this is referred to as the stall period and is normal. Just be patient and the temp will resume slowly rising. Some have made the mistake of cranking up the chamber temp but it is unnecessary.


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[marc72777]

Thank you for your help!  Quick question,  I'm cooking it off this Saturday for a Sunday football event.  Should I still complete the FTC step?

[tskeeter]

Marc, I always FTC my pork shoulder for at least an hour.  This is the equivalent of allowing a steak to rest before serving it, so that all the juices don't run out as soon as you cut it.  And it allows the temperature to even out throughout the piece of meat, so the meat is cooked to a consistent level throughout the piece.

[tailfeathers]

Do you have a remote thermometer to monitor the temp? If I were doing it I would let it cook overnight. As soon as it passes the fork test Sunday morning FTC it or go ahead with pulling it if within an hour or so of eating then keep it warm in a crockpot. I use a Maverick thermometer that lets me monitor both meat temp and cabinet temp, it has low and high alarms you can set to let you know if either meat or cabinet temps stray outside the set ranges. Apply the 4 hours of smoke Saturday then before you go to bed empty the puck bowl and put in fresh water.


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[marc72777]

Thank you guys for the information, it is greatly appreciated.  I have an igrill mini to monitor the temp.