26th Q: Two Lemon Peppered Low-Sodium Pork Shoulder Roasts [w/ pr0n]

[This is not your pork!]

You may ask "Low-Sodium?", and yes, that happens if you pretty much forget to add salt to a salt & pepper rub.

After last week's huge success with self-made lemon pepper I had to recreate it, the wife demanded more.

So here we go with two boneless pork shoulder roasts without speck with a total weight of 19.21 lbs:



I had a small portion of last weeks lemon pepper rub in the freezer, to which I added about 1/2 cup four peppers blend + 1/2 cup black pepper + 1/2 cup red berries (should have been all four peppers blend, but I forgot to buy a new batch, and there was only about 1/2 cup left, so I had to improvise with black pepper and red berries). After grinding that mixture down to medium coarse and adding the zest of four fresh organic lemons there should have been the point to add about 1/2 to 1 cup of medium coarse sea salt, but I totally forgot it, so the whole mixture only contained the amount of salt which already was in the left over batch from last week.

Fired up my lemon lump with six small pieces of apple wood buried in the charcoal ring



One pork went to the lower grate of my WSM



The other to the upper grate



The upper one after about 4 hours and 20 minutes at IT ~175°F ready for foiling in apple juice



And the lower one



What is this? An Oven-"Schweinsbraten"?

Yes, after foiling it somehow went sideways, I had to reload charcoal and with just reaching about 300°F I decided to finish them in the oven at 400°F because it was already way too late and it was supposed to be ready for dinner.



Once it reached IT 203°F I turned down the oven to 200°F and let them rest for about half an hour, and this is the glorious result:



The smell of the lemon pepper alone is totally mind-blowing, and the resulting product was nothing short of heavenly. The low-sodium by accident did not cause any harm, except that it (again) was too hot for the wife and way too hot for the kids. Have a look at the closeup shots:















And this is the most amazing pulled pork sandwich I ever had! Each component was just made to perfection: the pork, the sauce based on limited edition apple cidar vinegar, the coleslaw based on yogurt without mayonnaise and the self-made pita bread. Something to dream about!



My wife staying on the low-carb side had it without the pita on a plate



Now the second pork was pulled later that evening for going straight into the container, but we had to taste it a lot, because somehow the apple juice vanished due to improper foiling (looks like the steam could escape through a hole at the top), resulting in an interesting effect with a slightly burnt pork candy like crust, which had a quite addictive flavor.





What can I say, ADDICTED TO PORK WE ARE!

Another two pork shoulder roasts are already scheduled for next Saturday, this time I'll fire up in the evening and let them cook SNL through the night without foiling, because when I tried a piece of it before foiling it had such an amazing crunchy bark, and I want to have more of that.

[Phubar]

You pork lover you!

[bluetang]

Way fine!

[aawa]

Looks great!

[This is not your pork!]

If the specialists are reading this:

Anything to be aware of if doing the same SNL and without foiling? If not foiling, do I still take it to IT ~203°F?

I am terrible at determining doneness by sticking a probe into the meat, so I am more comfortable checking temps with my Thermapen.

[code3rrt]

That is some great looking pork! Thanks for sharing your process.

[aawa]

I have done it both foiled and not foiled. If you do not foil, the stall will last a bit longer and I have found that it is normally about 195ish when the meat gets done. When foiling it normally takes me past 200ish before the meat gets done.

However the meat is done when it is done. If you probe the meat and it slides in like it slid into a stick of warm butter, with little to no resistance that means it is done.

Temperatures for doneness in BBQ are nothing more than guidelines because each piece of meat is different. Hone your touch to know when the meat is done.

[Clayfish]

Great pork pr0n, lemon seems like the way forward...

[This is not your pork!]

Originally Posted by Clayfish

Great pork pr0n, lemon seems like the way forward...

Yes, the lemon zest adds a whole new flavor world, I really had no idea before it has been mentioned in the pepper thread. And I never even liked lemon zest, especially in desserts.

When I finished those pork shoulder roasts in the oven, the lemony peppery odor filled the whole house, it has such a distinctive mouth-watering flavor.

Right now I am wondering if orange zest works as well, but that's once more something for the pepper thread.

[Shooter1]

Looks delicious, great looking sandwich! Orange zest will definitely work as well.