In Reply to: Pork Shoulder posted by Bostonbob57 on 2007/10/07 10:44:56
Bostonbob57,That's a bit hot if you are aiming at pulled pork, but O.K. if you just want to roast the shoulder. Pulled pork requires a lo-n-slo cook, with the meat sitting at no hotter than 225. On the Egg, this usually means the dome thermometer will read about 250. See the posts just below about brisket for examples about how the dome temperature and the grill temperature can vary.If you cook at 330 dome, the moisture in the meat will be driven out before the fat renders, and the collagen turns to gel. So, the trick is to get the meat just hot enough that the fat renders, which starts at about 140, and collagen starts breaking down at about 160. This can take hours, during which the water in the protein is being driven out. But the surface of the meat needs to be above 200, so that the Maillard reactions, the browning that gives the meaty flavor, can occur. So the target for the grate area where the meat is resting should be about 210-225.gdenby