Pork Shoulder

I usually wrap around 165 or so and crank the heat and put it in a foil pan to catch all the juice so this time I was going to go commando through the cook and wrap before it goes into the resting cooler (which according to Amazon is out for delivery!).

I figure at 165 it has probably got all the smoke it's going to get and raising the temp would lessen the smoke impact anyway, so perhaps put it in a pan then; however, I do like your idea of just riding it out on the grill and catch the juice once it's resting.
Yeah, I was gonna add that you could put it in a pan at 160 or so, but I bet that would mess up that beautiful bark you would get by going totally commando
 
I'll be smoking 3 pork shoulders (appr 8lb ea) tomorrow. Some one else suggested using a aluminum pan with foil covering the pan after it reaches 165 temp. I've done 2 pork shoulder in the past (Brinkman) and wrapped foil tight before putting it back on till internal temp is reached at 205. Should I try this on one of the 3 shoulders? Maybe wrap in foil first and put in tray before putting back on grill for final temp of 205? Does this achieve anything different than just wrapping it in 2 foils? Im still learning and experimenting. Thank you.
 
I'll be smoking 3 pork shoulders (appr 8lb ea) tomorrow. Some one else suggested using a aluminum pan with foil covering the pan after it reaches 165 temp. I've done 2 pork shoulder in the past (Brinkman) and wrapped foil tight before putting it back on till internal temp is reached at 205. Should I try this on one of the 3 shoulders? Maybe wrap in foil first and put in tray before putting back on grill for final temp of 205? Does this achieve anything different than just wrapping it in 2 foils? Im still learning and experimenting. Thank you.
Here is how I did my last 3 pork butts.
Post in thread 'What's for dinner tonight? Dinner ideas?'
https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/whats-for-dinner-tonight-dinner-ideas.93/post-26470
 
I'll be smoking 3 pork shoulders (appr 8lb ea) tomorrow. Some one else suggested using a aluminum pan with foil covering the pan after it reaches 165 temp. I've done 2 pork shoulder in the past (Brinkman) and wrapped foil tight before putting it back on till internal temp is reached at 205. Should I try this on one of the 3 shoulders? Maybe wrap in foil first and put in tray before putting back on grill for final temp of 205? Does this achieve anything different than just wrapping it in 2 foils? Im still learning and experimenting. Thank you.
I did it that way with the aluminum pan - i used the Meat Church method and loved it. Next time, I might use a little less butter...


Sorry, I did not have a pic of the finished product... but it was good!
 

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I usually wrap and put in a pan around 165 and I tried my last one “commando”, or unwrapped until the cooler rest. It was by far the driest one I’ve done. There was zero juice in the pan after a few hour rest.

I don’t know if I did something wrong, if altitude matters, or what, but I am going to wrap in foil and put in a pan at 165 for my next one.
 
T.G.I.G.F.
Experiment #3/Pull Pork (First time using the Traeger Grill)
From left to right, Kalua Pork #1 (hawaiian salt/liquid smoke) > Pulled Pork #2 (Meat Church Honey Hog) > Pulled Pork #3 (Red’s Rub). Grill temp>220. Letting it sit low and slow for 4hrs and then spritzing them every 30+ minutes until interior temp of 160-165 is reached. To be continued………🤙

photo on grill the Honey Hog rub is on far right and Red’s Rub is in the middle on the tray(collecting juice).

Edit: Interior grill temp: left side is showing 245. Middle temp is showing 212 (water pan is kinda blocking the temp probe. Nothing on the right side.

Update: 7hrs in…Kalua came of the grill to get wrapped in banana leaves and foil. Internal temp hit 165. Thrown right back on the grill. Left side still higher than middle. Other 2 moving along at 136 & 143. Middle grill temp at around 220.

test ban phim


 
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Update: 7hrs in…Kalua came of the grill to get wrapped in banana leaves and foil. Internal temp hit 165. Thrown right back on the grill. Left side still higher than middle.
This is the first time I'm hearing of someone using banana leaves for wrapping. I know that they are used in making barbacoa. Are you trying to achieve that?
 
Yesterday’s pork shoulder smoke out ended up 90% a success. Between the 3, the Kalua was a little disappointed. The other 2 shoulders ended up juicy and very tender with different taste and color. Kalua was drier (not dry) And didnt have that Hawaiian Kalua flavor I was expecting. Maybe a little bit of the banana leaves flavor.
My 10% dissatisfaction is there was no bark. My 2 times on the Brinkman I had flavor, tenderness, color and Bark. Again the grill temp was 220 throughout, with the left side the hottest at 240-50 and the center spot on at 220. All 3 fat side down. The Kalua was the shortest time and the hottest heat side at 10hrs. So it was grilling at 250 while the other 2 at or around 220. The stall happened at 165. So I pulled it to wrap in foil. On the Brinkman I had nice blacken dark bark sticking to the grates when I pulled to wrap. Is it the Traeger? What’s the trick to get shoulder Bark on a Traeger? Higher temp?
 
The stall happened at 165. So I pulled it to wrap in foil. On the Brinkman I had nice blacken dark bark sticking to the grates when I pulled to wrap. Is it the Traeger? What’s the trick to get shoulder Bark on a Traeger?

I have never wrapped a pork shoulder/butt ever during the cook, they don't need it, the moisture comes when you wrap after, in foil, towel, and in a cooler tight for 2-4 hours.
Wrapping before that = less bark. On any smoker but probably more on a Traeger.

Now once again, 10 guys will chime in and claim they wrap no problem... but if that's the way you like it then DO IT.
I'm just answering you and saying, you CANNOT ruin a pork butt buy cooking it to 200, just no need to wrap till it's done cooking. The "wrapped rest" on pork is the most important part of getting seriously juicy meat and waiting till the end is how you get serous bark.

BEEF forms a bark much sooner than pork, wrapping beef at 165-170 is common, but the best Pulled Pork comes from mixing in the BARK, and the best bark is 'no wrap till 200'

Timmy's latest Pork cook was eye popping bark!! No wrap during cook.

Here is how I did my last 3 pork butts.
Post in thread 'What's for dinner tonight? Dinner ideas?'

https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/whats-for-dinner-tonight-dinner-ideas.93/post-26470
 
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yes, I do this all the time.. this past weekend I did two - one the regular way (Rub, Smoke, wrap @165, cook to 203), the other I followed the recipe from Meat Church... LOVED it!!
I got 2 7-8lb shoulders, bone-in to smoke either later tonight or early tomorrow morning. With Matt’s recipe the grill temp set at 275 would not produce any smoke flavor to the pork, I would assume. At least not on the T grill.
 
If it’s good sized, I’d start it the night before n let it ride overnight around 190f.
I’m thinking about starting my 2 pork shoulders tonight or early tomorrow morning. I’ve done shoulders/butt 5 times now, but never at night and grill temp always at 225. If I were to set grill temp at 200 with two bone in shoulders (7 & 7.5lbs) what time should I start in the evening? I’m usually up between 5-6, so morning time is not an issue for me. I’ve always wrapped at 165 so I would set my temp at 165 for alarm. I’ve never let the shoulder ride the entire time till internal temp reaches 203. By wrapping the shoulder every one has come out great.
 
Fine for overnight in refrig. When using a dry rub on pork be careful with the salt. I guess about 1/2 the amount I put on a beef cut.
 
I’m thinking about starting my 2 pork shoulders tonight or early tomorrow morning. I’ve done shoulders/butt 5 times now, but never at night and grill temp always at 225. If I were to set grill temp at 200 with two bone in shoulders (7 & 7.5lbs) what time should I start in the evening? I’m usually up between 5-6, so morning time is not an issue for me. I’ve always wrapped at 165 so I would set my temp at 165 for alarm. I’ve never let the shoulder ride the entire time till internal temp reaches 203. By wrapping the shoulder every one has come out great.
GrillMeister recently did 3 pork butts overnight and took him nearly 24 hours. See his FireBoard profile:
 
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