BBQ Billy's Grumblings

i love barbecue, and that's just the start.

Pork-a-thon: Fourth of July 2011

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There are a few summer holidays where I just can't survive if I don't barbecue: Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. So this Fourth I decided to smoke the first pork shoulder of the summer. It's the first time I've tried my final rub on a shoulder and I was super happy with the results. In this run I've also confirmed that 1.5 hrs per pound at 210-240 is my sweet spot in terms of cooking time. Want to geek out with me on specifics? Read on for a full run down. 

  • Started with a 6.5 lb boston butt from Hannafords
  • Trimmed about .25 to .5 lb of fat away
  • Rubbed with my BBQ BIlly's shake (my rub in equal parts to granulated brown sugar)
  • Fired up the Weber Smokey Mountain with 1 full chimney lit of Stubb's briquettes
  • Tossed on another half a chimney of unlit coals, 2 softball sized chunks of apple wood and 1 softball sized chunk of red oak
  • Filled water pan with 1 gallon cider and 1 gallon water
  • Temp maxed at 240, at which point I put the pork on the top grate
  • After 5 hours the WSM was a temp of 220, and I mopped with a cider vinegar / canola oil / beer / BBQB shake mop
  • Pork was at 165-170 at the four hour mark
  • I also added a 8 briquettes and 1 softball sized chunk of apple wood and 1 softball sized chunk of red oak
  • Temp of the WSM maxed out at 245
  • After 2 hours more (7 hrs total), WSM was at 240, pork was at 175-180, and I mopped again
  • After 1 more hour (8 hrs total), WSM was at 230, pork was at 180, and i mopped again
  • After one more hour (9 hrs total), WSM was at 230, pork was at 185-190
  • I wrapped in foil, and set in a cooler (warmer)
  • 1 hour later I pulled it and found 80% of it to be perfectly moist and tender, and 20% a bit on the dense side
  • I chopped the denser meat up finely, and mixed it in with the rest along with a few healthy squirts of my vinegar/tomato sauce
  • We served these in hot dog rolls, topped with Lori's cole slaw which continues to dominate in the world of cole slaw. Its damn fine. 

And now, the Pork-a-Thon results!

Price: This butt would have yielded 25-28 "hot dog bun sized" rolls, which I'd like to think could be priced at 5 or 6 bucks each. 
Appearance: Lots of bark, and plenty of long strands. Smoke ring was average depth.  
Pork flavor solo: Porky (in a good way), with a great balance of smoke flavor. Smoke was an ingredient in this one, not dominant. Though it was signficant in the bark bites, which also had the sweetest flavor I've ever produced (also a good thing). 
Sauce: I want to marry my tomato/vinegar sauce. 
Bun: I ate these three meals in a row, and had them on New England style top-split hot dog buns, whole wheat top-split hot dog buns, and a martin potato hot dog bun. I think the martin's was the winner, and sadly (for this new englander) the top-split rolls don't work as well for pulled pork as a side split. 
Cole Slaw: using a bread knife I was able to slice the cabbage very thin, and it was the best Lovejoy Slaw yet. I loved it.... that tang! So Awesome. 
Summary: I think I've reached my 10. I could tinker with this here and there, but I think this was the best shoulder I've ever produced. Juicy, flavorful, respectable smoke flavors, sweet bites of bark, plus the tang of the sauce, and the crunch of the cole slaw... OMG, i want more!