chipmeister
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2017
- Location
- Villa...
Hi All. Going to do a 10 lb. Shoulder Butt Saturday. I've been doing these for 15 years (yeah, I do want to upgrade to a better unit eventually 
) but it's what I have. Anyway, my shoulders always come out pretty decent. However, they're not exactly what I'm shooting for. I've been doing a lot of reading lately and of course when it comes to Q, finding lots of differing opinions. I thought I'd pick some brains here and see what you folks think. I've identified a couple main areas of concern:
- I'm not getting a good bark
- I may be oversmoking
As to the bark, after some research, I have read some theories. First the rub, and specifically using sugar. My homemade rub is paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, s&p and brown sugar (not a ton). I know the sugar should help a bit. I was initially concerned about it burning but since it's cooking at low temp, I think that's not a problem. I have also read that many do not mop or spritz shoulders at all. I was mopping but I always had a suspicion that the liquid was wrecking the bark. And along those lines, with the ECB, I was also concerned that the steam from the water pan was also inhibiting bark formation. I have read some people do not put any water in the pan. Is that an idea to try? I wonder though if that will affect the temp.
A side note with the rub, occasionally the shoulders have a slightly bitter taste on the outside. I was attributing that to possibly too much smoke (more on that next). But I have noticed that when I taste the rub before applying it, it does have a slight bitter taste. The only thing I can think that generates that is the paprika (I use Tones from GFS). I always thought it would cook out but I wonder if it does. It is the main part of the rub. I could cut it but I like the balance of the flavors. Ideas?
Smoke. Well, when I started, I thought more was better. I used soaked chips and chunks (hickory and apple). I eventually reached a point where I only added wood for the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the time, then no more. But, I was putting a lot on at a time (lots of white smoke). Then I recently discovered the revelation that is TBS. So, I'm going to try for that. But there seems to be disagreements about weather to soak the wood or use it dry. Supposedly wet wood smolders first which creates the strong white smoke. Also, I think I'm going to just use a couple chunks at a time vs. also using chips (to cut down on the amount of smoke)
So, those are basically the issues I want to tackle this time. I'm really wanting to up my game with the shoulder, even with the ECB. So, anyone have any ideas on this? Thanks
) but it's what I have. Anyway, my shoulders always come out pretty decent. However, they're not exactly what I'm shooting for. I've been doing a lot of reading lately and of course when it comes to Q, finding lots of differing opinions. I thought I'd pick some brains here and see what you folks think. I've identified a couple main areas of concern:- I'm not getting a good bark
- I may be oversmoking
As to the bark, after some research, I have read some theories. First the rub, and specifically using sugar. My homemade rub is paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, s&p and brown sugar (not a ton). I know the sugar should help a bit. I was initially concerned about it burning but since it's cooking at low temp, I think that's not a problem. I have also read that many do not mop or spritz shoulders at all. I was mopping but I always had a suspicion that the liquid was wrecking the bark. And along those lines, with the ECB, I was also concerned that the steam from the water pan was also inhibiting bark formation. I have read some people do not put any water in the pan. Is that an idea to try? I wonder though if that will affect the temp.
A side note with the rub, occasionally the shoulders have a slightly bitter taste on the outside. I was attributing that to possibly too much smoke (more on that next). But I have noticed that when I taste the rub before applying it, it does have a slight bitter taste. The only thing I can think that generates that is the paprika (I use Tones from GFS). I always thought it would cook out but I wonder if it does. It is the main part of the rub. I could cut it but I like the balance of the flavors. Ideas?
Smoke. Well, when I started, I thought more was better. I used soaked chips and chunks (hickory and apple). I eventually reached a point where I only added wood for the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the time, then no more. But, I was putting a lot on at a time (lots of white smoke). Then I recently discovered the revelation that is TBS. So, I'm going to try for that. But there seems to be disagreements about weather to soak the wood or use it dry. Supposedly wet wood smolders first which creates the strong white smoke. Also, I think I'm going to just use a couple chunks at a time vs. also using chips (to cut down on the amount of smoke)
So, those are basically the issues I want to tackle this time. I'm really wanting to up my game with the shoulder, even with the ECB. So, anyone have any ideas on this? Thanks
![Wr1FgNgl[img]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FWr1FgNgl%5Bimg%5D&hash=d9ecc990399546991e15fd61d1aa09f3)
