Introduction

This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Smokin' BUTT* Shoulder

Y'all know I medicate with cannabis. I micro-dose all day, and that includes smoking it, but when it comes to smoking meat? My hubster is a rock star. He truly is the king of the grill and smoker, and when he upped his own damn game by coming up with the recipe for our Memphis Mojo Rub, he took the smoker to a whole 'nother level. There's an art to smoking meat, and he is the Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, and Klimt of the smoker. 

The unofficial start to summer is Memorial Day, and what a great way to spend it: smoking meat! Any of the long summer holiday weekends are perfect for this delicious recipe. But why wait for a holiday? Make any weekend special with a great smoked butt! (or shoulder)

Jeffro found a great recipe for the brine he used for the shoulder at https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-brine-recipe/. He’s tried many different recipes, and this one is his favorite. There’s not too much salt and other great flavors to deliver a juicy shoulder, with or without his rub and sauce

Jeffro and MMMK make your kitchen and smoker magic. Let's eat..


The brine recipe courtesy of Recipetineasts.com

Tools

  • Large pot or container

  • Knife

  • Cutting mat

  • Whisk

  • Measuring cups and spoons

  • Mixing bowls

  • Basting brush

  • Meat injector (optional)

  • Smoker (see notes)

    • Wood chunks and charcoal or

    • Wood chips and smoking box (if using propane grill)

  • Food-safe spray bottle

  • Meat thermometer

  • Metal bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 bone-in pork shoulder (8-10 lbs)

  • Honey

  • Colemans Prepared Mustard

  • Memphis Mojo Rub™

  • Barbecue Sauce (optional)

  • 1 48 oz. can of beer

Brine (courtesy of Recipetineasts.com)

  • 2 liters / 2 quarts water, cold tap water

  • 1/3 cup kosher or cooking salt, NOT table salt (Note 1)

  •  2 lemons, quartered

  •  10 sprigs parsley, fresh

  •  7 sprigs thyme

  •  2 sprigs rosemary

  •  5 bay leaves, fresh (or 3 dried)

  •  1⁄4 cup honey

  •  6 garlic cloves, smashed (Note 3)

  •  1 tbsp black peppercorns

Spray Mixture

  • 1 cup water

  • ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

  • ¼ cup apple juice

  • 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

Prep time 20 minutes, Brine time 12-24 hours, Cooking time 12-15 hours

Brining

  • Pour about 1/3 of the water into a large pot (large enough for the brine and submerged pork shoulder) with the remaining Brine ingredients. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve salt.

  • Remove from heat and pour in remaining water (add ice with or in place of additional water). Cool completely before using (I cool for about 30 minutes and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours). DO NOT put meat in before the brine is fully cooled; this is a health hazard (Note 4).

  • Submerge pork shoulder in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 12 – 24 hours (Note 5).

  • Optional – use a meat injector to inject brine into the pork shoulder (Note 6)

Prep for Smoker

  • Remove the pot from the refrigerator, remove the pork from the brine, and allow it to get to room temperature. Pat dry before applying seasoning.

Rub Prep

  • Mix 2 parts mustard to 1 part honey in a small bowl and mix well. 

  • Brush the mixture all over the meat with a basting brush. 

  • Sprinkle generously with Memphis Mojo Rub™ to desired coverage.

Cooking

  • The time you need to prepare and tend to your grill or smoker will vary depending on what you have and your fuel. If you are new to slow cooking, see my notes below. 

  • Place a metal bowl of water under the side where the meat will cook. Pour the can of beer into the bowl.

  • Preheat chamber to 250º F – ensure temperature is maintained throughout cooking.

  • Place the shoulder fatty side up on the grate.

  • Close up the chamber and keep closed except to:

    • Spray meat with the spray mixture about every 30 minutes.

    • Flip the meat over about every 2 hours.

  • Cook pork shoulder for 12-15 hours. Brush on barbecue sauce (optional) and wrap in butcher paper and then foil and place back into chamber for 1 – 2 hours.

  • Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes from Jeffro:

The Internet has countless websites that offer advice on the best smokers, tips, and tricks. I have read many of them, but my notes below are my take on the art of cooking barbecue. I am by no means an award-winning pit master or expert on the subject, but I have been doing it for many years and get compliments every time I serve up my barbecue. So I am just sharing what I know and make no claims that it is the best advice out there.

Smoker Notes

A purpose-built smoking rig is the best option if you have one. Many styles and options are on the market, ranging from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars. But if you are not a pit master with a killer rig, you can use what you have. Set up your grill so the heat source is on one side and the meat is on the other. All that is needed is enough room to hold whatever you are smoking and sufficient horizontal space between that and your heat source. You also need airflow so the heat and the smoke move around the meat. 

Fuel – There are several options you can use:

Wood chunks/lump charcoal – I use this combination. Various kinds of wood are available that produce different flavor profiles that can be used alone or in combinations. I like to use apple or cherry and hickory with pork. The chunks produce a good amount of smoke and burn nicely. After the first few hours of cooking, the meat has absorbed about all the smoke flavor it will absorb, so I switch to lump charcoal. I prefer lump to briquets because no chemicals are needed to make those nice little shapes; it’s just natural charred wood. With this option, you must build a small fire and tend to it frequently to ensure a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process. 

Gas/Propane and wood chips—This option allows for less maintenance but does not produce quite as much smoky flavor. To get the smoky flavor, you will need a smoker box and some wood chips that you have soaked for a few hours. However, most gas/propane grills do not have great airflow inside the chamber.

Wood Pellets – Wood pellet grills and smokers combine consistent temps and less maintenance from gas with the natural flame and smoke of wood/charcoal. I avoid pellets for the same reason I avoid charcoal briquets. Plus, pellet grills and smokers require electricity to operate, so there is added cost associated with their use, and they require an outdoor source of electricity. 

Electric and wood chips – These are nifty and very accurate, provide consistent temperature, and offer a set-and-forget option for smoking. But they are expensive, even for small models, and require a power source. 

Brine and Prep Notes

1. SALT—important!! You must use kosher salt or cooking salt (the same thing, but different names in different countries), which has larger grains than table salt. If using table salt (i.e., the fine grains of salt served at the table you put on your food), decrease by 2 tablespoons.

2. Brine flavorings substitutions:

• Honey – sub the same amount of maple syrup or 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Fresh herbs—use more of one of them, switch out with sage leaves or other fresh herbs of choice. OR use 1 tbsp dried herbs of choice
• lemons—lime or oranges, or leave out
• Peppercorns—sub 1/2 tsp ground pepper

3. Smashed garlic—Smack the palm of your hand down on the side of a knife to make the garlic burst open but largely stay in one piece. In an emergency, you can substitute 2 tsp jar paste.

4. Warm brine = cozy environment for bacteria to start forming in raw meat = health hazard! Brine must be completely chilled before putting the meat in.

5. Brining time—12 hours is enough, 18 to 24 hours is ideal. Don’t go longer than 24 hours because the meat starts getting too salty. You can take meat out, pat dry and refrigerate for a while until cooking.

6. Injecting Brine – For some proteins like poultry, injecting the meat with brine overnight can produce undesired results, but with tougher cuts of meat like a butt or shoulder, injecting the brine before letting it sit produces a more tender result..

7. Rubbing the Pork Shoulder – I recommend covering the meat side on the plate and the fatty side once it’s on the smoker

(Notes 1-5 courtesy of Recipetineasts.com)

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