Sub-zero Picnic Shoulder

The great thing about the Cookshack Smokette is that it's a twelve month per year smoker. This is important in the place where I live, Maine. The rig is highly insulated and works well at all temperatures. To prove it, I decided to smoke a 9 pound picnic shoulder at sub-zero temperatures with 10-20 mile per hour winds. 		MainelyDave
MainelyDave

Got a nice pork picnic shoulder at B.J.'s Wholesale club. $1.29/pound is a pretty decent price around here.

Click image to enlarge

 

 

I mixed up a variation of the "Perfect Picnic" rub listed in the Smoke and Spice Book. Missing from the picture is Kosher Salt.

5 tablespoons black pepper
1/4 cup Splenda
3 tablespoons Hungarian Papricka
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon onion powder
a couple shakes of Cayenne

 

 

I didn't bother to take the skin off. I placed rub all over, and lifted the skin a bit and tossed some rub in there as well.

Pros of this approach - No hassle trying to remove it. Helps keep the meat moist.

Cons - Potentially less of a "smoky" flavor and less bark.

I put the bag in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.

 

 

At 8:00 p.m. I place the Shoulder in the Smokette and put the temperature at 225 degrees. In the woodbox is 2 ounces of Apple, 2 ounces of Hickory, 2 ounces of Cherry and 3 Kingsford Briquettes.

 

By 6:00 a.m., the temperature has plummeted to -6.3 degrees below zero.

Cold weather smoking can create some hardships. I move the Smokette over a foot or so to release this "stalagmite" of pork grease which had frozen and plugged the drain hole. By the end of the smoke, another similar one would be created. It's almost a piece of art!

I come home from work at 4:00 p.m. and find the internal temp is 195 degrees.

All done! The bone wiggles easily.
I let it sit for 20 minutes, then attack it with a couple forks. It falls apart with very little effort on my part. I toss a mixture of cider vinegar, Splenda, Red Pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Final Conclusions - The cold weather was no problem for the Smokette. No way could I have done this on my El Cheapo Brinkman.

A great tasting picnic shoulder. It has become my favorite - much preferred over pork butt. There seems to be more flavor, and more variety of flavor.

 

If you have any questions or comments, send me a message.

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