The Weekend Smoke Guide: pulled pork shoulder
A two-day plan for smoked pork shoulder: shopping, seasoning, fire, the stall, wrapping, resting and pulling, with USDA food-safety temperatures.
Live-fire cooking, explained properly
Good smoke, steady fire, patient meat.
Practical guides to smoking and grilling: how to run the fire, when meat is safe to eat, and when it is actually done.
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Three pieces worth reading before your next cook.
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Six sections. We publish slowly and only what we would cook ourselves.
- Recipes 6 guides Full cooks, start to finish: what to buy, how to season it, how long it takes, and how to tell when it is done.
- Techniques 2 guides The skills underneath every recipe: temperature, timing, resting, slicing and food safety.
- Smokers 2 guides Offsets, kettles, kamados, drums and pellet cookers: how each one makes heat and smoke, and how to keep it steady.
- Grills 5 guides Direct heat, two-zone setups, searing and reverse searing on charcoal and gas.
- Gear 4 guides Thermometers, chimneys, gloves, knives and the few tools that actually change results.
- Bourbon pairings 4 guides What to pour with smoked meat, and why some pairings work better than others.
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The Weekend Smoke Guide
A two-day plan for your first pork shoulder, with the fire, the stall and the USDA temperatures laid out hour by hour.
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Friday nightTrim, season, and chill it overnight.
Cut off loose flaps and thin any fat thicker than ¼ in. Season every side, about 1 tsp. of coarse kosher salt per pound, then refrigerate it uncovered. Trimming and the rub
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Saturday, earlyLight the fire and get clean blue smoke.
Hold the smoker at 225°F–275°F. Good smoke is thin and pale blue, almost invisible. Thick white smoke means the fire needs more air. How to read the smoke
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MiddayWait out the stall, then wrap.
The stall is when the temperature stops climbing in the 150s or 160s for hours as moisture evaporates. It is normal. Once the bark is dark and set, wrap the shoulder tightly in butcher paper or foil. When and how to wrap
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Late afternoonCook until probe tender, around 195°F–205°F.
Probe tender means a thermometer probe slides into the thickest part like it is going into soft butter, and the blade bone wiggles loose. Go by feel, not just the number. How to know it is done
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DinnerRest it an hour, pull, and serve.
Do not skip the rest: leave it wrapped for at least an hour so the juices settle and it cools enough to handle. Pulled pork is not sliced. Pull out the bone and shred the meat with forks or gloved hands. Resting, pulling and serving
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