Pork Shoulder

[maher]

why not smoke it frozen? it'll take a bit longer, but will be great for smoke absorption

[JimH]

I agree, just toss it on the smoker. Give it a couple of hours at 300 then back it down to your normal smoking temps.

[dls]

why not smoke it frozen? it'll take a bit longer, but will be great for smoke absorption

←

Absolutely. I've done this a few times on short notice smokes (shoulders/briskets) with no problems whatsoever. I go with my normal smoking temperature of 225F and just plan on an additional 15-20 minutes per pound.

[Richard Kilgore]

The original need for a pork shoulder was solved in the interests of time by buying another one unfrozen. So I started to thaw the original 8 pounder two days ago in cold water. Unfortunately, I left this sitting out instead of in the frig, and forgot it when I was called away for a day. I put it in the frig a few hours ago and the water was still cool, but it was out for 48 hours.

I assume this is a loss. Does anyone think differently?

[Darren72]

Richard, I can't speak to your most recent question (though I would error on the side of throwing it out), but I have a refinement to the original question about how to quickly thaw the shoulder:

Food thaws quicker in moving water than in still water. I have a two-part sink. I put the food in one side, close the drain, and run cold water. When the water begins to overflow, it falls into the other half of the sink and goes down the drain. Thus, the water surrounding the meat is cold and continuously moving, and the meat thaws faster than if it was sitting in still water.

If you don't have a two-part sink, you can still do this, but you have to find the correct flow of water so that the meat stays submerged. i.e. so the water comes from the tap at the same rate as it goes down the drain.

I wouldn't thaw in warm water.

[snowangel]

The original need for a pork shoulder was solved in the interests of time by buying another one unfrozen. So I started to thaw the original 8 pounder two days ago in cold water. Unfortunately, I left this sitting out instead of in the frig, and forgot it when I was called away for a day. I put it in the frig a few hours ago and the water was still cool, but it was out for 48 hours.

I assume this is a loss. Does anyone think differently?

←

Open the package and smell it. That will tell you what you should do.

Me, my butt is still somewhat frozen, so I stuck in in the coldest part of the fridge, and since I'm smoking tomorrow, I'll report back on sticking a mostly frozen butt on the smoker.

[Sentiamo]

I agree with Darren re thawing with cold running water....only prob with that of course is the horrendous waste of water. It is the safest way to hurry a thaw but it is essential that the wrapping be watertight so we are talking vacuum packed really. Without adequate wrapping the risk of bacterial invasion is greatly enhanced.

Recently I attended my food safety refresher course ( certificates are mandatory for anyone working with food in New Zealand) and the course notes provide this info for anyone facing a thawing issue!

Approx thawing times in refrigerator set to 3 or 4 degrees:

Lge Roast 4 to 7 hrs per 500gms

Sm Roast 3 to 5 hrs per 500gms

Steak ( 2.5 cm thick) 12 to 14 hrs

Hope this info is of use to someone sometime.

[Andrew Fenton]

The original need for a pork shoulder was solved in the interests of time by buying another one unfrozen. So I started to thaw the original 8 pounder two days ago in cold water. Unfortunately, I left this sitting out instead of in the frig, and forgot it when I was called away for a day. I put it in the frig a few hours ago and the water was still cool, but it was out for 48 hours.

I assume this is a loss. Does anyone think differently?

←

Open the package and smell it. That will tell you what you should do.

If the shoulder is vacuum sealed, the big danger is botulism, which to the best of my knowledge doesn't smell.

[Sentiamo]

Andrew...Im sure the whole botulism thing is if vacuum packed food is kept long ( ish) term, with low acid curing/preservatives used. I am also pretty sure thawing under cold running water does not pose a botulism risk as that risk is inherent in the storage.

ETA: Never rely on a lack of smell to indicate safety with anything!!!

Edited June 24, 2009 by Sentiamo (log)

[Soup]

I got a pork shoulder recipe that my family loves. I got it off allrecipe.com and I have spend hours trying to find it again on allrecipe.com without success. Somehow it came off my recipe box.

I would appreciate your help in recreating it. Here are some of what I recall.

It uses a crock pot to get it really cooked soft.

I used to score a pork shoulder and used a dry rub (I cannot recall what was in the dry rub but it was a brown sugar based mixture).

You put the shoulder in the crock pot and you add rosemary, tyme or italian seasoning (i cannot remember which)

Add lots chop garlic, slice onions.

I think I remember adding white wine definitely but I cannot be sure if I added any vinegar (or how much).

I then add a cup of chicken stock.

Can anyone help me get this loose set of memories to an actual recipe, please.

Soup

[kayswv]

I couldn't find anything on Allrecipes that matched what you are remembering. However, I did find this My link recipe on Food.com, which was previously known as RecipeZaar. It has a lot of similarity to your described recipe.

Hopefully, it is it and you just misremembered the source.

Kay

[mgaretz]

My family likes pork shoulder (as pulled pork) too - but everyone likes it with different sauces. So I just make it plain(ish). Put the pork in the slow cooker and season with a bit of pepper, a sprinkle of an all-purpose seasoning mix (I use 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes) and a dash of bourbon. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. No need for any other liquid as the pork will release plenty of its own.

[Cass]

Here is my recipe:

Rub Recipe

1/2 C + 1T Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 C Sugar

1/2 C Paprika

1/2 C Garlic Salt

1 T Kosher Salt

1 T Chili Powder

1 1/2 t Oregano

1 1/4 t Cayenne Pepper

1 1/2 t Cumin

1 t Fresh Pepper

1 t Onion Powder

1 1/2 t Lowrey's Seasoning

Lightly coat the ribs/pork/brisket with yellow mustard, then apply rub.

I use the smoker, but you could maybe try a little stock/garlic/onions in the crock pot with a bit of liquid smoke? Just a thought....

[Dr. Spice]

What do you remember about the taste? Is it deep and dark tasting? Spicy? Would it taste good on tacos? How did you serve it? What side dishes did you serve it with? Sometimes starting at the end and working your way backwards based on what you can remember is a good way to re-create a dish.

My crock-pot pork usually involves chicken stock, white wine, chopped tomato, bay leaf, thyme, garlic, sliced onions, salt, and pepper. You can always start with what you think is going to taste good and have fun eating the experiments!

[Tim Dolan]

I haven't posted in a WHILE, but I need an answer in time for my Super Bowl party. I've have been a huge fan of the Momofuku bo ssam pork should recipe. It's the perfect party food and it's dead simple, however, my party this year is going to bigger and I would like to roast TWO pork shoulders in the same oven.

The Momofuku recipe calls for one shoulder to cook for 6 hours at 300 degrees. How would two shoulders in the same oven affect cooking time? Since they take so long it would be tragic to have them both not be finished at the desired time. Has anyone ever roasted more than one pork should in an oven for a long period of time? Thanks.

[stckciv]

I did 3 in the oven a couple weeks ago. I cooked them at a higher temp only because I slept in.

I generally like to do 250 for 8 - 12 hours (depending on the size of the shoulder). Also move them around from time to time.

[Okanagancook]

Never done two in the oven, just two in the BGE and do them for 18 to 24 hours at 225 degrees. If you want to play it safe and allow a longer cooking time you can always wrap up the cooked pork in a foil tray covered with foil, etc and a towel and put in a cooler. I have done this a few times and the pork can sit in there for three or four hours without a problem. A bag of hot water in the cooler is another thing I have done to ensure it stays warm. Choose a cooler that gives a nice tight fit.

[dcarch]

What kind of oven do you have?

Convection takes a lot shorter.

dcarch

[Tim Dolan]

Just a standard GE oven. Not convection or anything.

[Dave the Cook]

If your oven is calibrated and operating properly, and you can keep a good amount of air space between the two shoulders (therefore, much depends on how big they are), the difference between cooking one and two shouldn't amount to much. You might want to rotate their positions once or twice to ensure even cooking.

ETA: you'll probably take a timing hit at the beginning, since adding twice as much cold meat to the oven will result in a longer recovery period while the oven comes back up to temperature. After that, it shouldn't matter.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Dave the Cook (log)

[dcarch]

Lets say you are setting the temperature at 225 F, and the oven is capable of 16000 BTU/hr. output

It may not make perceivable difference in time for the temperature in the oven to reach 225 F whether you have one or two or three pieces of meat inside.

dcarch

[weinoo]

Why don't you start them 8 hours ahead, check them after 6 hours, and if they're done lower the heat to 150° - I doubt they'll overcook.

[judiu]

Open the oven door, give the meat a hard look, and think mean thoughts. If it falls apart, it MIGHT be over done... %)

[Ttogull]

From personal experience, what Dave the Cook said + 1, all else equal. I've never found the added cold mass from doing two instead of one to appreciably add to the cooking time. It probably helps to spend a good amount of time preheating though. Works with all kinds of stuff. Roasting two chickens is the same as roasting one, etc.

Quite frankly, I've found more variation from shoulder to shoulder. I've BBQed two shoulders of nearly identical size side-by-side and have had one take hours longer than the other.

I've looked at the recipe online, and based on a helicopter read it looks amenable to a fantastic BBQ trick: cook your pork early, timing it for, say, 2-3 hours before you would have otherwise planned to have it ready. When it is ready, wrap the shoulders in foil, wrap that in some clean, nonscented (and possibly disposable) towels, and then place in a cooler. Then maybe lay some towels over the cooler for added insulation. That will stay very hot for a long time. Then you have complete flexibility on choosing when to eat, plus the added assurance that it will be ready.

[DocDougherty]

There is a long history (10 yrs) of this method with many trials, but all in a convection oven. I don't see any difference between one and two butts (almost always butts instead of shoulders or hams but it works the same for all). Use a skewer to probe for the bone and place your meat thermometer tip in the center of the meat but away from the bone. For an 9 lb butt, start at 300°F for ~3:45 (until the core is at 165°F), then turn the oven down to 240°F and let it go until the center gets to 205°F (about 7 to 8 hrs total in my Wolf convection oven). The final stage is quite dependent on the specifics of the oven and a ±5°F calibration error can produce dramatically different times for a 205°F finishing temperature. For a non-convection oven it will take longer but I can't predict how much longer.

The advice about starting early and holding it (foil covered and wrapped in a towel and then newspaper in a cooler) is very good. I have held a butt for 3 hrs before pulling it and not been able to tell that it wasn't just out of the oven.