Cooking a picnic shoulder

I would trim the skin because then all the tasty bark you worked hard on would be gone when you remove the skin to pull it.

trim and make cracklins separately.

I separate the skin from the meat with as much fat as possible while still leaving enough to render on the meat. I pull it back like a sleeve inside out to the top. I leave the portion of the thinning leg still skinned. Imagine pulling a sweatshirt off inside out and stopping when just the elastic band at the wrist is still right side out. This way you cook the picnic and the skin at the same time. The fat you leave in slowly melts and causes the dehydrating skin to fill its voids with rendered fat. The other good part of this technique is to turn the picnic. As a butt cooker I don't turn but the picnic is a different set of muscles and its fat distribution different. When you finish the butt strip the skin split it and lay it flat on a grill. It will bubble and pop like crackle.

Edit: You want to keep the skin from laying together. The smoke and heat needs to get to the skin surface. Sometimes I would use a skewer.

ButtBurner said:

trim and make cracklins separately.

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^ +1 . I agree, enjoy the pork and make cracklins at seperatly.

Cooked my first 15 lb. picnic on the Vision Kamado, 230 degrees. Took 15 hours to get to 190. Never got probe tender. I had to pull it so I could sleep at 2 am. Ruthless 6 hour stall, it actually lost 6 degrees! I never foiled it. Start early and good luck.

Skin on
Score it
Salt skin heavily

Smokeat said:

Cooked my first 15 lb. picnic on the Vision Kamado, 230 degrees. Took 15 hours to get to 190. Never got probe tender. I had to pull it so I could sleep at 2 am. Ruthless 6 hour stall, it actually lost 6 degrees! I never foiled it. Start early and good luck.

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The problem with temps that low is that if your actual temp is off even 15* of what you think your warming it to death.

I cooked a 8lb (trimmed weight) at 270 and it was DONE in 8 hours.

Then I let it rest a long time. It was great... might do another this weekend.

I pulled the skin off completely and make the 'cracklins" separate.

Smokeat said:

Cooked my first 15 lb. picnic on the Vision Kamado, 230 degrees. Took 15 hours to get to 190. Never got probe tender. I had to pull it so I could sleep at 2 am. Ruthless 6 hour stall, it actually lost 6 degrees! I never foiled it. Start early and good luck.

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:laugh::laugh:I did a 13 lb Picnic 2 weeks ago put it on at 8 am and it was resting in the oven by 2Pm, and in a PP samich by 5. Turn up the heat! Cracklins is easy Skin out the shoulder (Hone your Skills Deer season is commin soon) I use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut it into 1X1.5" pieces put them into a DO NO LID and add a cup of water to it set temp on Med- med low and let 'em cook By the time the water is gone there will be enough rendered lard to finish the job as they make their on lard as then cook. go slow as you don't want to scorch the fat. Once the Cracklins are done Bottle the lard and use in for a Pie dough or some Biscuits.

For me skin off and Low and Slow! Remember I love the black meteor look!




IMG_7483 di BBQness, su Flickr

Enrico said:

For me skin off and Low and Slow! Remember I love the black meteor look!




IMG_7483 di BBQness, su Flickr

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Very good looking eats!!:clap2: