I could really use some advice on cooking a whole pork shoulder for comp

BlackDogBBQ

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We are entering the Big Pig Jig this coming up November which will be our first time doing an MBN event. This requires of us cooking a whole pork shoulder as I understand it as opposed to a boston butt. This will be my first time doing a whole shoulder and we could use some advice. How big are they on average ? How do you trim them if at all? How long do you cook it typically (I usually go with the hour and half per pound for a boston butt when planing my start times but I don't know if that math holds up with the whole shoulder)? Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Have a good one.

Heath
 
come in about 10-20 lb shoulders I like to tak the skin off

now find you a great quality rub id try EAT Zero to Hero, Wild bunch butt burners, BPS Sweet Money, Oakridge rubs and Simply Marvelous rubs.

next I would inject search chris lily pork injection.
rub down thoroughly with said rub and I would let the pork rest for min 5-10 hours
smoke till you get a great looking mahogany color and wrap with 1/4 c left over injection
cook till 198-202 pull off smoker uncover to steam off then glaze with a sauce which complement the rub and the meat et sauce put in cambro
 
That was a very very informative thread. I appreciate the heads up. How long do you typically cook your pork shoulders? with a smaller cut like a boston butt I estimate an 1.5 hours per pound at 225 degrees. Does that math hold up with a larger cut like a shoulder? I typically do not wrap in tin foil when doing a boston butt but maybe I should with a larger cut ? Unfortunately I do not have time to experiment with a whole shoulder before the Big Pig jig so I have bum all the info I can. Thanks again!

Heath
 
225 low and slow just like boston butt. I know people that cook them at 210 to keep em below the boiling point.

Yall are gonna need to cook at least 5 whole shoulders for mbn...
1 blind
3 onsite
1 finals

I probe them and pull them when they hit 197...but that's me.
 
One other comment - make sure you practice a 10-12 minute narrative for the on-site presentation portion of the judging!

I judged Michael Character last year at the Big Pig Jig and he took about two minutes to tell me how he cooked and about the smoker he used and that was it. He took a hit in the "presentation" category on the score card and it cost him dearly since he was one of the four individuals/teams up for the "Pit Master - Pit Wars" television show money!
 
One other comment - make sure you practice a 10-12 minute narrative for the on-site presentation portion of the judging!

I judged Michael Character last year at the Big Pig Jig and he took about two minutes to tell me how he cooked and about the smoker he used and that was it. He took a hit in the "presentation" category on the score card and it cost him dearly since he was one of the four individuals/teams up for the "Pit Master - Pit Wars" television show money!

TOM is totally right. Blind is 60% of your score, but onsite is 40%.

You have to nail blind and do good on presentation to place.
To win you have to nail blind AND presentation.

How many team members do you have, I will help you make a plan.
 
Wow that is really generous of you. There are 5 of us. We are only doing the ribs and shoulder category since it is our first MBN we want to step our toes in first. I have to admit I do worry about space I have to cook more of everything then I counted on. Can you buy 10- 12 lbs shoulders are they all the 18-22 pound monsters I have been seeing?
 
Wow that is really generous of you. There are 5 of us. We are only doing the ribs and shoulder category since it is our first MBN we want to step our toes in first. I have to admit I do worry about space I have to cook more of everything then I counted on. Can you buy 10- 12 lbs shoulders are they all the 18-22 pound monsters I have been seeing?

Ribs too huh? I will post tonight when I am at home...there is A LOT to type and my phone won't cut it :becky:
 
5 members
Member 3 starts a stopwatch and tucks it under their shirt
1st member greet judges at door, shakes hand, gets judge name, introduces judge to team members who are all lined up in a row. – REMEMBER THE JUDGES FIRST NAME AND USE IT.
Member 1 explains the team history to the judge and *re-introduces, and hands off judge to team member 2
Member 2 explains the meat process from start to finish. Where it is from, how it is prepped, what goes on and in it, temperatures…basically your cook process from start to finish
Member 1 then leads judge to Member 3, re-introduces, and then #3 gives tour of the cooker
Member 2 then goes and prepares meat tray to bring to table.
Member 3 then hands judge back to Member 1
Member 1 leads judge to Member 4 and 5 who are at the presentation table
Judge is seated at Presentation table across from 4 and 5, and meat is brought out by member 2 and 3 and set in front of the judge
Member 1, 2, 3 stand 5-7 feet behind judge, #3 in middle and keeps time
4 and 5 go through what the judge should be tasting, explaining why their BBQ is the best.
Member 3 tells Member 4 and 5 when 10 minutes is up by holding five fingers against their chest
This is repeated down to 3 minutes
3 minutes should be the cut off of the presentation, the remaining time is question and answer for the judge
*
Presentation should be a total of 11-12 minutes.
NEVER LESS THAN 10
NEVER MORE THAN 15
*
Questions?* HAHAHA
 
Holy crap. I am going to have to draw a diagram. Ha. That is awesome. Thanks a lot for the advice. I like your route a lot better than mine which was shouldering all of the talking which would get boring for not only me but the my cook team which would have to watch me do that 6 different times. Thanks again for all of the advice. You have been more then helpful. If you make it down to the Jig look out for Skydog BBQ. We owe you a couple of beers.

Heath
 
No prob brother, it is the route we use for Memphis in May. We placed 6th so if you nail the blind box the presentation flow is a good one. It helps take pressure off of one person as each has a small part that is easier to remember.

Good luck, may your name be called last.

Oh and don't forget to Cadillac cut the ribs. Single ribs won't do well in MBN
 
Will do on the cadillac cut I guess that one ups the hollywood cut. Well, I put my meat order in Friday directly to a hog processor who is going to trim me some smaller then usual shoulders that still fall within the MBN regulations. But lets say they end up being 18 or 19 pounds how long and at what temperature would you cook them at? Thanks again for all of your time on this.
 
And yet another question: When serving an onsite judge pork shoulder about how much do you give him and what part(s) of said shoulder do you typically pull from ?
 
And yet another question: When serving an onsite judge pork shoulder about how much do you give him and what part(s) of said shoulder do you typically pull from ?

You put the entire, untouched shoulder in front of him or her. You then, reaching with a heat protected and food safe gloved hand, pull the shank bone out first; showing the tenderness and ease of bone pull. You then serve them chunks of smoke ring, money muscle, spatgetti, and barq...and then whatever else they want...you talk throughout the entire judging process, explaining what they should be seeing and tasting, only stopping for their questions.

I cook at 225 and pull at 197

Caddy is the same cut... Meat bone meat bone meat
 
Once again very helpful. One more and I will try to leave you alone: About how long does typically take you to cook your shoulders at 225? I know its done when its done but I'm just wondering how much time I should plan for for about a 18 pound shoulder.
 
an 18 to 20# shoulder takes us the same time to cook as a 9# butt. It's just longer; no more dense... Pull at 197. Like they said, one for each judge on-site. If you make finals, you'll need a minimum of 6, probably 7 or 8 of them.
 
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