Author Topic: Screwed up my first pork shoulder!  (Read 1345 times)

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Offline chris becker

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Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #-1 on: July 07, 2013, 05:46:59 PM »
In short, I turned on the grill and double clicked to 250 instaed of 225 to start and then I THOUGHT I turned it down to 180 but is was at 225. I had it on 10 hours and checked the temp...168, seemed a bit high but, it is hot outside and I was hungry, along with everyone else, for lunch so I kicked it up 1 more click (250) to finsh and pull at 200. I checked it about 2 hours later and it was 206... so basically I smoked it 25 degrees higher then norm and it didn't render out as normal because I cooked it to fast. A bit tough to pull and kinda chewy. My max time is about 14 hours and that extra 2 seems to render all or most connective tissue out plus the fat. Makes it more tender and easier to pull.
Lesson learned. Good but not great!
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Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« on: July 07, 2013, 05:55:40 PM »
Dagumit Chris, it is darn near impossible to goof up a pork butt...and you didn't even use Tendarub  ;) ;) I hope you at least used Perfect Mix pellets........ :)
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Offline Rummm

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Re: Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2013, 05:58:19 PM »
I start and finish at 250° and never a problem 2¢

As long as everyone was happy, no problemo  :P
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Offline Pappymn

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Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2013, 05:58:28 PM »
Sorry to hear about that. My last brisket was a total bomb.....I feel yah brother!
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Offline mikecorn.1

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Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2013, 06:26:58 PM »
Maybe it wasn't the temps but a tough little butt. I smoked a butt before at 225 to IT of 200 and it didn't pull very well. Just my .02 cents. :)


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Offline sliding_billy

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Re: Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2013, 06:41:07 PM »
Maybe it wasn't the temps but a tough little butt. I smoked a butt before at 225 to IT of 200 and it didn't pull very well. Just my .02 cents. :)


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Agreed.  Shoulder is pretty hard to mess up even doing way hotter and way faster than that.  I realized as I was reading my post that you said shoulder (I had originally typed that butt was hard to screw up).  What exactly was the cut?  Picnic (especially if you were expecting butt) could definitely have been chewier and harder to pull than you were planning.
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Offline Hub

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Re: Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2013, 11:30:29 AM »
Hey, if you can still eat it, not all is lost!  I'll never forget the ribs I once cooked and got distracted during the process.  They were the prettiest, glowing, shiny shade of black you ever saw.  When I touched them with the tongs to take them out of the cooker they disintigrated into powder and all that was left was bones.  I think in Old Testament times that was called a "burnt sacrifice" but such was not my intent.

Truth be told, there are several vac packs in my freezer containing less than ideally cooked subjects.  They'll be used, just not bragged on  ;)

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Offline fishingbouchman

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Re: Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2013, 12:25:53 PM »
Others screw up too?  Most of mine are screw up but taste pretty good so I just play it off. 
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Offline GusRobin

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Re: Screwed up my first pork shoulder!
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2013, 12:31:36 PM »
Whenever I screw up smoking have unfortunate results, I remember 2 things I learned on the forums:

1) Don't worry you can't hurt it as it is already dead --- Sonny
2) Quit whining and look at the bright side, you get to eat your mistake --Anonymous (not really I just can't remember where I heard it)
Why couldn't Noah have swatted the 2 mosquitoes?.