5/13/2017 – The shoulder turned out fine. The flavor was good but it took 12 hours to get done. The meat was moist and Kelley raved about the bark. I pulled out the large chunks and she pulled them apart with forks. It tasted good. The time in the smoker was over a pan of pintos so maybe that moist beginning made a difference in the time.

Note – Today we also smoked pinto beans and stuffed jalapenos.

Made 1/4″ to 1/2″ slices in the thin fat cap of an 8.98 lb. shoulder then slathered yellow mustard over the whole thing. Shook on Stubb’s Hot Pork Rub all over making sure some went into the slices.

About 6:30 AM – Preheated MES to 225 while nuking and lighting pecan pellets.

By 7:00 am the pellets are smoking, the MES has overshot 225 to 235 and so added the pork to the 2nd grate from the top and an alum pan with the beans, hot water, a large onion quartered and 5 large and small garlic cloves. Grate temp rose but only to about 205. Ambient temp is 72 and humidity is low.

7:20 – Raised MES’s set point to 250 and it and grate temp rose to 245 by the time the MES cut off.

8:45 – Heavy white smoke inside and heavy white plume coming from the top port. Grate temp is 265 and MES does not come on. Closed top vent 75% and moved tape of loading chute hole to only a 1/8″ opening.

9:00 – Grate temp is 290 and MES is 255. Still heavy smoke. Opened and found all three rows are burning. Onions in beans have a brown tone and the layers are separating.  Garlic cloves visible with some of the large ones above the water in the beans.

Closed down the bottom and top vent and went to HEB. Looking back on it I was worried that closing the vents would cause creosote to build up but did not notice it.

11:00 – Upon return no smoke and temp about 250. Meat has black edges. Removed tray and there are a few pellets with red embers in each row. Dumped them all, nukes a row and half worth of new pellets and lite. Added to MES about 11:30.

12:00 – Inserted meat probe and IT is 140. Light white smoke.

1:00 – IT is 144 and the grate is 255.

2:00 +- IT is still 144. Moved it inside to the oven set to 275.

IT crept up to 150s and so raised the oven to 300. IT still only creeping to 160s after another hour. About 5 PM Mary increased oven to 350 and it climbed to 190 about 6:30 PM

7:30 – Twelve hours later it has finally reached 198 and so Mary and I along with Kelley, Piper, and Olivia ate dinner.

The meat was moist and Kelley raved about the bark. I pulled out the large chunks and she pulled them apart with forks. It tasted good.