Pork Shoulder Picnic - How do I smoke it?

fweck

fweck

is one Smokin' Farker
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First time I have seen a picnic shoulder, and the price was too good, so I had to get it.

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Do I do it like a pork butt, just longer?

Injection?

Tried searching the Brethren site, pork - not gonna happen, picnic - same thing, shoulder - nope, combinations of the three - all of the above.

Anything special I should do?

Not smokin' till Sunday
Approx. time to cook?

Am I over thinking it?

Thanks Brothers
 
^^^^ What he said... its just a lower shoulder (whole shoulder = butt + picnic).

Cook like a butt!
 
I smoke em just like a butt. I like to brine em for 36 hours or so, smoke to around 160, foil with a little apple juice, then pull at around 200. Last two I did (9 lbs each) took around 13 hours at 225.
 
I did one last summer just like a butt. I left the skin on the one side and it turned out good. Others remove it to get more bark.

Price is cheaper than butt because it has more waste per pound with a bigger bone and skin on. But, after cooking it is about the same.

Should be good.
 
Read what it says below "Pork Picnic Shoulder" on the label. It says "Tenderness and juiciness improved with up to 12% of a patented solution"

That means that Hormel has injected it with up to 12% of it's weight with what is basically a brine. They do this because pork is being bred so lean that most folks will dry it out because they don't know how to cook it. Unfortunately, for those of us who do, the result after a long cook is very close to ham.

There's really nothing you can do about it now, but look closely at the label of any pork product. If you see things like "Always Tender" that generally means that the pork is enhanced. That doesn't mean that it will be bad, but it won't be the same as a non-enhanced butt or picnic where you add your own flavors.

I would still cook it like a butt, but if you have a rub that is lower in salt use that.
 
agree with all....I prefer a regular, non juiced butt....but I have also smoked that exact same Hormel Picnic and it still came out pretty good!

Enjoy!
 
Smoke it till the bone pulls out easily. It will be up past 190 before that happens though
 
I find picnic shoulders take longer than butts. the first one I did took 18 hrs and it was roughly 9 lbs. I don't foil butts or picnics. I wrap when I pull them off and into a cooler for at least an hour rest. I also like to inject with cherry dr pepper.
As the previous posted stated, you can leave the skin on or remove it. I've done it both ways and really no difference. If I remove the skin, I will either fry it for cracklins or place it on the rack above the picnic and let the fat base the meat below.
 
Yep, Ron and Bo have it. Just like a butt, but with less salt in the rub and/or injection because it's in a brine that has some sodium already.

An injection heavy on the apple juice may help offset some of the sodium.
 
I think that a myth if inject it will taste like ham , if that was so wouldn't a butterball turkey taste like ham , I have done rib and butts that have been inject didn't taste hammy too me. The only thing when you buying one you are paying for water
 
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