Whole Smoked Pork Shoulder Recipe
Lots of times people say they are smoking a shoulder, but really they are only cooking the butt portion of the whole shoulder. A whole Smoked Pork Shoulder weights around 20lbs and takes about 18 hours to cook. It’s a big task… but it can produce some serious barbecue. I am cooking this whole Smoked Pork Shoulder on an Ole Hickory MM. You need a solid smoker that can hold temps steady for long cooks – so this is why I decided to go with my Ole Hickory. I start by trimming the whole shoulder from 20lb to around 18lbs. I remove most of the skin and fat and anything that is a barrier to the bbq meat.
To season this whole Smoked Pork Shoulder, I start with a simple AP season, apply a layer of mustard slather and finish with The BBQ Rub. Next I inject with a pork injection and allow the pork shoulder to sit out and come up to room temp for about 1 hour while the smoker comes up to temp.
I smoke this whole pork shoulder at 225-230 degrees. For a whole shoulder it takes 1hr per pound – so expect a 17-18 hour cook. I smoke the pork shoulder with hickory wood until it gets a nice bark on the outside and hits around 150-160 internal. At that point I wrap the pork shoulder and cook until it hits 192 internal.
Once the Smoked Pork Shoulder hits 192 internal, I unwrap it and apply The BBQ Sauce as a glaze. I allow the glaze to set on the bbq shoulder while it come on up to the 195-198 internal temp I’m shooting for.
Once the glaze has set on my Smoked Pork Shoulder, it’s time to pull it and serve the bbq pork.
Malcom Reed
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hello! i promised my family id make them a pork shoulder for christmas this week, and i had to oportunity to find a 10-12 pound pork shoulder with bone in and skin on, can you please help me?
i dont have a smoker, is it ok if I cook it in the oven? and for how long do you reccomend?
You can cook it in the oven, but it’s not going to have the same flavor.
Thanks for your time and knowledge and also sharing your passion!!
Love your written instructions and videos!!! Have learned so very much. I am knew at BBQing. Did a turkey over Thanksgiving and was awesome! Followed much of your recipe. Had done ribs Traeger style, and with added info from you. Recently did a brisket for the first time with your help!! Thank you so very much!! You guys rock!! I plan to place an order for a few things in the near future. Gonna sport a t-shirt for one of the items. Did a Rack of Pork on my own (low and slow like a pork butt…whoops!…but came out awesome!!), and then did the multi seasoning and injection similar to yours and very good as well. Went to 195 and 198 for brisket at same time on smoker (while cooking the rack of pork), covering each in foil after getting good color. Looking forward to trying this Pork Butt Recipe in the near future, along with a couple brisket flats (or perhaps will venture to do a whole brisket).. Using a Traeger Elite pellet smoker/grill. Thanks again and Blessings to you and yours! Wayne
Hey Malcom!
Its going to be my first try at a whole pork shoulder on the 4th of July this year. I was wondering do I have to leave the cap on the shank end of the shoulder?
No, that is just something we do for presentation. Feel free to remove it to build bark there instead.
Do you have to inject the pork shoulder?
What stage do you put the shoulder in the roasting pan?
Great video
you don’t have to inject at all.
Love your videos. Cooking a 20 lb bone in shoulder ( Cheshire). Have read many different opinions on cooking time. 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours per lb. what’s your opinion and if I wrap it, by putting in a aluminum pan will that not just steam the pork and make it soggy? 1.5 hr/lb can take 30 hrs. Your video shows 17/18 hours. Please help. I’m really confused
Thanks
Yeah – I would plan for 18-20 hours – especially when you are cooking at a lower temp of 225. But give yourself plenty of time, wrap it when it has the color you want and cook it until you 198-200 internal. Then take it off, place it in a dry cooler and let it rest until it’s time to serve (up to 6-8 hours).
Malcom, sorry I left some info off my original question. Cooking on a Yoder YS640 pellet smoker. Temp will be set at 225/230 degrees.
Thanks
Malcom,
I really enjoyed your video. I have my first whole shoulder on right now. Using a pellet smoker, for couple reasons. Ease at controlling the temp, easier to get the pellet of choice than to get the smoking wood here in Germany. Though I would recommend the German Booka (spelled phonetically) hardwood charcoal. It is a beech wood charcoal in big chunks you can even get some in burlap sacks. Anyway I wanted to say thanks for having a video that has easy instructions, not just your ingredients but explaining the main base so you can build your own. ( I am living in Germany via good Ole WV).
You are someone that I would invite over, because I know you would sit back relax, give pointers and enjoy the company and eats all without making a person feel like they don’t know what they are doing.
If you are ever in Germany give me a holla and I will introduce you to some of the best Airmen and Soldiers America has.
Hey Malcolm, I want to do this with a Snake River Farms bone-in shoulder. Will there be as much trimming on one of their shoulders as the one you did in this video? Your friend Scott
I would just remove any large fat, silverskin and anything you don’t want to eat. No need to go this aggressive.
Got a 20lbs Pork Shoulder and going to smoke it for a family dinner this Sunday. I’m using a new smoker, had a Traeger for years and ended up breaking down, wife surprised with a Pit Boss Pro, any ideas on how it smokes or any suggestions ?
Malcom
Big fan here in Pensacola and hate I missed you being at the Butcher Shop recently. Awesome video as always and meat looks great! My question is how often did you have to add charcoal to your Ace MM with that cook being so long? I just purchased the Ace MM and waiting for its arrival. Any tips on this smoker I should know about? Thanks again
Thanks. ????????
You do a great job and i have enjoyed all your cooking tips I’ve looked at most of yours
Will this work for a 20lbs boneless pork butt?????
Hey Malcom I’ll be following this cook but with a 22 lb pork leg, it should be generally the same steps correct?
What’s the bag and what does it do?
Is that a towel?
Hey Malcom, I have a huge smoke coming up for my daughter’s graduation party. I’m needing to smoke around 60lbs of pork shoulder for pulled pork. I have my Treager pellet smoker that I will be using, but I am not going to be able to get all three 20lb shoulders in the smoker at the same time. I will need to start a day or two prior to the party. I’m planning g on smoking 2 at once, and then the third by itself. What would you suggest as the best way for me to accomplish this task without the previous batch having to sit and wait on the third? Will it keep overnight in aluminum pans covered, and then take out the day of the party and reheat in the oven? Also should I cover it when reheating in the oven?