This smoked pork shoulder is brined in a flavorful brine with a nice balance of sugar, savoriness, aromatics, and spices. Great for any cookout or BBQ, no matter how you pull or slice it!
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 hourshours
Brining Time 2 daysdays
Total Time 2 daysdays10 hourshours20 minutesminutes
11poundpork shoulder For this recipe look for a picnic shoulder that is between 10 and 12 pounds range.
brine solutionrecipe to follow
Brine Solution:
7cupswater
2cupapple juice
½cupkosher salt
½cupmaple syrup
¼cupbrown sugar
2tablespoonscrushed red pepper
2tablespoonsgarlic powder
2tablespoonsonion powder
Instructions
PREP THE PORK FOR BRINE
Blot the meat dry it with paper towels and place the prepared pork shoulder into a 2-gallon size zip-top bag and set aside.Combine the brine solution in a large bowl. Whisk the solution until the salt dissolves completely. Allow the brine to sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes. This will allow the red crushed pepper flakes to rise to the top, which will keep the meat injector from clogging up.
INJECT THE MEAT
Submerge the meat injector into the bowl and fill with the brine solution. If the meat injector clogs, simply push the plunger to release some brine solution and then pull the plunger back again to continue filling the injector with brine.Plunge the needle deep inside the meat, while pushing the plunger with a slow and steady force. Withdraw the needle gradually with each plunge.It’s important to minimize the number of holes you put into the meat. You can do this by angling the needle in 2 or 3 different directions using the same entry point. Continue to inject the meat until the meat cannot hold any more liquid and the brine solution begins to leak from the holes.
Pour the rest of the brine solution over the pork shoulder inside the zip-top bag covering the pork completely. Seal the bag squeezing as much air out of the bag as possible. Place the bag inside a bowl (to ensure there are no messy leaks inside the refrigerator). Refrigerate for 44 to 48 hours. Keep the pork shoulder cold inside the refrigerator until you’re ready to smoke it.
PFEP THE PORK SHOULDER FOR SMOKING
On the day of the smoke, remove the pork shoulder from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the brine solution to use in the water pan underneath the meat on the smoker.
SCORE THE SKIN
To score the meat, use a sharp knife to make diagonal cuts approximately 1 to 2-inches apart across the skin of the shoulder. Allow the knife to penetrate the skin and fat without slicing into the meat below. Next, turn the meat 90 degrees and make a crosshatch score across the skin in the opposite direction. (see the photo above)
PREHEAT THE GRILL OR SMOKER
Preheat the smoker or grill from 225 to 250 degrees F. Use only half as much charcoal as usual to maintain this low temperature. (A half chimney-full. Set up your smoker or grill for what is called the burn-down method. Fill the charcoal bed with unlit coals and add only a few lit coals to the top. The coals on top slowly light the ones underneath and burn down slowly over time. If you use a charcoal grill, set it up for an indirect heat 3-zone split, with a drip pan filled with half the leftover brine and half water directly underneath the meat to stabilize the temperature.
#5 Smoking the pork
You are ready to smoke when the smoker or grill is within the ideal temperature range. Place the pork shoulder onto the hot grate over the drip pan, skin side up.Probe the meat with a thermometer (if using). Toss a few wood chunks onto the coals and cover the smoker or grill. Bring the temperature back up to 225 degrees F and do your best to maintain this temperature, using the vents to regulate the temperature. Add fresh coals and more wood chunks to the smoker or grill every hour for at least the first 5 hours.
TEST FOR DONENESS
After 5 hours, use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the temperature in all areas of the meat. This will give you a good idea of how much more time it will need to cook. It's more important to concentrate on the internal temp of the meat vs. the time.
WAITING OUT THE STALL
When the pork’s internal temperature reaches about 165 degrees F, the surface evaporation causes the meat’s internal temperature to plateau. Pit Masters call this “the stall.” Don’t panic. It will pass. Just wait out the stall.
WHEN THE PORK IS DONE
According to the USDA, pork is safe to eat at 145 degrees F, but you want to smoke pork shoulder at a much higher temperature, especially if you are making pulled pork. Cooking a pork shoulder can take 1-1 ½ hours per pound, sometimes even longer, depending on the size and fat content of the shoulder. It took David about 10 hours to smoke a 10-pound smoke shoulder. Smoke the pork shoulder until a dark “bark” (outside crust) forms on the skin and the internal temperature of the meat is about 195-205 degrees F. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the pork all over before removing it from the smoker.
LET THE MEAT REST
At 200 degrees F, the pork is about to fall apart. Carefully remove the smoked pork shoulder from the smoker or grill. Allow the meat to rest for at least 1 hour under loosely tented foil. Allowing the pork to rest before slicing or chopping lets the meat fibers relax. Some of the dissolved proteins redistribute the moisture that was driven out and reabsorbed. It also keeps your cutting board from flooding with meat juices when you slice into the pork.
CARVE & SERVE
Hold the meat firmly with a carving fork to carve the pork shoulder. Wedge a knife underneath the pork skin and gently push through, slicing through the connective tissue so the skin comes off in one piece. Next, hold the meat firmly with the carving fork, and make a diagonal cut downward (using wide, sweeping strokes) to create thick slices. Pork shoulder is very versatile. Perfectly cooked meat should be moist and juicy. If you wish, drizzle it with some barbecue sauce and serve slices of flat fanned out like a deck of cards. You can serve it simply sliced on a plate or you could pull it to serve on a pulled pork sandwich. The possibilities are endless!
Notes
It is best to inject the brine into the meat inside the zip-top bag. Injecting brine can have unexpected messes. Sometimes a quick plunge can cause the injector to squirt brine solution everywhere. The bag will keep you from having to wash your cabinets or, even worse, rinse your eye out! I learned this kind of tip from watching David make his messes.
Reserve the cooked pork shoulder bone to season soups and beans.
Resist the temptation to open the lid. Only open the charcoal door or the lid if you need to add more charcoal or wood chunks to maintain temperature and smoke.
It is important to know that the internal temperature of the pork can increase by 10 degrees even after it’s been removed from the smoker or grill, so keep that in mind.
Knowing the temp in your grill is crucial. Having a temperature gauge directly on the grate of the smoker or grill is extremely important. You can purchase a digital BBQ thermometer with a remote control, such as Thermoworks’ Smoke™, with two channels, one for the meat and one for the smoker or grill. The remote control lets you monitor the temperature without worry and wonder. There are built-in alarms that sound each time the temperature of the smoker or grill rises above or falls below the ideal smoking temperature. We highly recommend the Thermoworks’ Smoke™. It’s a great tool!
Did you try this recipe? Tell us what you think!Give this recipe a star rating, leave a comment below and share pictures of your food with us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter! We can't wait to see them! Don't forget to mention @TheMountainKitchen or tag #TheMountainKitchen!