Pork shoulder question

[Smokydave]

I did a bone-in shoulder yesterday.  Fired up the KK at about 5:30am, let it soak for about an hour then I put two decent chunks of hickory in.  I let the smoke go for a little bit and then put the meat on.  It cooked for about 10 hours at 250 or so and the stall was killing me, so I put it in a foil pan with a bottle of beer and some mustard sauce I made and wrapped.  It was delicious, but I want to hear from you all.  When you foil, do you lose a lot of the smoke flavor?  Don't get me wrong--it tasted great and beat just about anything you can get at a restaurant, but it just wasn't very smokey.  I've had this problem with other meats like brisket when I foil.  The smoke flavor seems to drop after foiling.

 

Do you use more smoke when you foil than you do without?

[5698k]

By the time the stall hits, you've gotten all the smoke flavor you're gonna get. The stall is actually the perfect time to wrap, if you're going to. <br />

<br />

<br />

Robert

[Smokydave]

I hit the stall at about 6-7 hours.  But the smoke petered out afte about maybe 2 hours.  Could it be that I'm just not giving enough smoke?

[rwalters]

What kind of wood are you using? If a fruit wood...try something like hickory instead, if you want a stronger smoke profile. Also, try putting your meat on the KK straight out of the fridge...that'll force it to spend a bit more time in the smoke. Also, I find that if I put a couple of fist sized chunks right on top of the burning lump (in addition to a couple of buried chunks already below the burning lump) RIGHT BEFORE placing the meat on, I get a much more intense smoke flavor.

[Firemonkey]

I agree. More wood. 5-6 fist sized pieces mixed in throughout the basket so it continues getting some smoke as the fire burns through the basket.

[tony b]

To paraphrase Dennis, smoke flavor comes from condensation on the meat surface, so you want the meat to be cooler than the smoke for it to stick. So, as noted, leave the meat in the fridge until just before ready to put on the KK. This will help maximize the smokiness.

 

As Robert noted, by the time you've hit the stall point (around 160F) you're past the point at which smoke is absorbed into the meat (140F). Wrapping in the foil only softens the bark on the meat surface, it doesn't cause a loss of "smokiness." Unless it gets so wet that all the bark falls off! Hence, the reason that some folks unwrap the meat for the last 30 minutes or so, to tighten up the bark.

 

My technique (learned from others on this Forum) for prolonged smoke generation on a long lo & slo cook is to use a smoke pot - a cast iron dutch oven with 3 small (3/32") holes in the bottom. Place your chunks/chips of smoking wood inside (do not wet/soak them, it's pointless), seal up the lid with a simple flour/water paste. Place pot on top of the lit coals. By restricting the airflow, you prolong the smoking; think of it as a "baby KK." The holes in the bottom force the smoke through the hot coals that help burn off some of the volatiles that make smoke bitter. And in the end, you end up with a few chunks of homemade charcoal - Bonus!

[Smokydave]

Looks like my prob is just not enough wood.

[mguerra]

We have a little blue pill for that...

[tony b]

[Smokydave]

I'm surprised it took you guys this long.  You must be tired.  

 

Of course, since this is a family forum, I should clarify that I need to use more hickory chunks.  I only use two, so the smoke is probably ending too soon.

[mguerra]

I thought long and hard about posting that comment.

[mguerra]

Ultimately I decided it was something you could hang your hat on  

[tony b]

Ba, da, bump - tssh! (rim shot!)

 

He's here all week folks! And, don't forget to tip your waitress!