Isn't she beautiful?
Pork shoulder roast is known by several names: picnic roast, pork picnic shoulder, even picnic ham. Call it what you want but a smoked pork shoulder roast is one of the most delicious things you could ever eat. Caressed by hickory/apple wood smoke and BBQ rub, the meat is incredible.
Another plus is that pork shoulder is easy to cook and inexpensive. It's the perfect cut to start with if you're new to barbecuing.
Often, though, people confuse the shoulder roast with its meat mate, the "shoulder butt", also known as pork butt, Boston butt, Boston blade roast, blade end shoulder, etc.
The shoulder roast is the lower portion of the hog's front leg quarter and contains the shank bone. The ligaments and connective tissue make it more tough than the shoulder butt.
The shoulder butt or Boston-style butt is taken from the top of the shoulder near the more tender loin section. It contains a small blade bone but is also sold boneless.
(See my pork cuts chart for a diagram showing the location of both cuts.)
I've smoked a pork shoulder roast and a boneless pork shoulder butt side-by-side. Once the meat is pulled, paired with a BBQ sauce and made into pulled pork sandwiches, the difference in taste was negligible.
Obviously, you'll need to try both cuts to see which you prefer in terms of taste and texture as there are some differences.
For example, both the Boston butt and picnic shoulder contain plenty of fat - especially the picnic shoulder. But the Boston butt has more marbling or intermuscular fat (see the red circles in the two photos to the right). When cooking, the melting fat bastes the meat, helping to make it super moist and tender.
The shoulder butt is also meatier and since it has no attached skin like the picnic shoulder there is less waste.
Hence, the shoulder butt or Boston butt is the traditional cut for making pulled pork...usually. As I understand it, the picnic shoulder is favored for pulled pork on the East Coast.
If you do decide to compare the two shoulders, which I do recommend (what could be more fun than taste-testing meat?), just make sure both test cuts are boneless or bone-in for a more accurate comparison.
Now let's discuss preparing and smoking the shoulder roast.
Preparation
Before we go on, perhaps we should clear something up. Some people report that the shoulder roast or picnic shoulder has a "hammy" taste.
I suspect that they unknowingly purchased a pork shoulder that was "enhanced", that is, injected with water, salt and sodium phosphates and perhaps other flavoring. Enhanced meats are not bad, and in some areas you may be hard-pressed to find pork and poultry that has not been enhanced.
But if you have a choice, definitely get a shoulder roast that has not been injected with any additional ingredients. Of course, you'll need to check the labeling on the package to ensure this.
Now once you've removed your pork shoulder roast from the package, I suggest cleaning it with fresh lemon juice. You'll undoubtedly notice that this is a hefty clod of meat. To help get the flavor of my BBQ rub into the core of the pork shoulder roast, I use the simple technique of butterflying it.
You begin by taking note of the line of fat that runs through the pork shoulder.
Simply take your knife and cut along this fat line.
Below is how the pork shoulder roast looks once it's been butterflied.
Once the pork shoulder roast has been butterflied, you'll see the layer of fat in its entirety. That fat will provide moisture as it renders while cooking and what remains is easily removed after the roast is done. Keep in mind that we've simply cut open the pork shoulder roast - we are not de-boning it.
Next, cover the roast with a thin layer of prepared mustard. Don't worry - there will be no taste of it on the roast. The mustard simply helps your rub better adhere to the meat.
After applying the BBQ rub, close the picnic shoulder and apply BBQ rub to any other areas where the meat is exposed. I also apply rub to the skin and later use it to add flavor when cooking a pot o' beans.
Next, refrigerate your roast in plastic wrap or some other non-reactive container for at least 4 hours to overnight.
Smoking Your Pork Shoulder Roast
Now it's time to cook this rascal.
Remove the pork shoulder roast from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (at least 30 min.). During this time, set-up your grill for indirect heating. This simply means putting your charcoal on one side of your grill and the meat on the opposite side.
Heat-up your grill until it reaches a temperature of 225F. Place the pork shoulder roast on the grill, skin-side down with a drip pan beneath it. The drip pan not only simplifies clean-up but we'll use the flavorful drippings when the pork shoulder is finished cooking.
Next, add two large chunks of hickory or apple wood to the coals. I use one each. You'll need to add about 12 charcoals to your hot coals every half hour or so to maintain a steady temperature. Also, for the first few hours add 2 wood chunks to your coals every 30 to 45 minutes.
The roast will be done when it reaches an internal temperature of 180-185F. However, at that point the meat will be just fine for slicing but not tender enough for pulling. For pulled pork, the roast should reach an internal temperature of 190-195F. This is going to take 1-1/2 to 2 hours per pound. Obviously, you're going to need an instant read food thermometer, which will make this SO much easier.
Once the pork shoulder roast is finished cooking, remove it from the grill, cover it with foil and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes. While it's resting, heat the drippings in a pot and remove from the heat as soon as it begins to boil. Skim off any fat, if you can.
Below is a picture of a pork shoulder roast I smoked with hickory and apple wood. Ain't it perty??
The meat was SO tender that it just began falling apart when I turned it over (see picture below).
Once the roast has finished resting, remove the bone, skin and excess fat. You can begin pulling the pork with forks or you can use your hand. If you use your hand (which is what I do), be sure to wear a pair or two of food service plastic gloves as the meat will still be hot. When you're done pulling the pork, mix in some of the drippings.
My pulled pork before I added BBQ sauce
You can now add your BBQ sauce to the pulled pork. Remember, though, you spent hours infusing the meat with the flavor of your BBQ rub and even more time letting the wood smoke work its magic. Don't wash away those intricate flavors with a bucket of thick, super sweet BBQ sauce. A thinner, semi-sweet sauce that's a bit more vinegary complements the meat well. If you do have a thick commercial sauce, you can thin it out with a little cider vinegar and water.
Here's a Lexington-style sauce you can try (yields just over 2-1/2 cups):
1-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbls white sugar
3 tbls brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
In terms of actually making a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw is the next ingredient. My wife and daughters love coleslaw on their pulled pork sandwiches. Personally, I do like it but I don't have to have it. Sometimes I prefer just the taste of the meat and BBQ sauce.
For the bread, my favorite is soft sesame seed buns or potato bread buns. But even plain ol' white sandwich bread is fine. At this point the "hard" part is done. So just make yourself a samich any way you like it and eat!!
Bon Appetite!
*(Photo of pork shoulder butt courtesy of The National Pork Board and PorkBeInspired.com.)
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