Adventures in BBQ: Pork Shoulder

For my birthday this year, my wife got me a compact vertical charcoal smoker/grill. I finally got a chance to try it out when I smoked a pork shoulder roast recently. Here are some observations on how it all came together:

• Like my favourite Arlen, Texas resident, I've always used propane and propane accessories, this is the first time I've ever used a charcoal grill to cook.
• I wasn't crazy about having to assemble my birthday present, this grill definitely has more moving parts than the box smoker I made a few years ago. The build went OK, took about a half-hour. I can't stress enough - always read and re-read the instructions when putting something together. If I hadn't, I would have put the charcoal in the ash pan instead of on one of the grills - oops.
• This smoker uses a water pan to prevent any fat from dripping onto the coals and helps regulate the temperature by adding some humidity. Hopefully, I don't douse my coals by accident during the cook.
• Getting a charcoal chimney to light my briquettes was a smart move on my part. 
• According to Jaime Purvuiance's "Weber's Way To Grill", the roast needed to be cooked with indirect heat, so around lunchtime, I got my briquettes lit, spread the coals on one side of the grill, and put the pork shoulder with the rub I applied to it earlier on the other. I wish I had grabbed some wood chips when I bought the briquettes; hickory or oak seems to be good all-purpose choices.
• It was threatening to rain all afternoon, with it spitting from the sky intermittently. Today's beer of choice: Pabst Blue Ribbon 5.9%,  a fine utility beer, one of the few cheap American beers that taste like actual beer.
• About 30 minutes in, I noticed my temperature was dropping because I didn't use enough charcoal. Keeping this grill at the 200-250 degree sweet spot on the temperature gauge will be the constant challenge, I had no idea how much I took the ease of propane for granted.
• Mental note, I need to buy a bucket for the ashes and something to move around the coals. A pair of heat-resistant gloves would also be nice in hindsight; no burns but why take the chance, right? 
• You know you're on the right track when your wife and your neighbour ask where that great aroma is coming from.
• Even though I let a 2 kg roast cook all afternoon,  I still checked to see if it was at temperature. The end result had a nice colour on it, and while the meat wasn't fall off the bone tender, it still made some damn tasty sandwiches.
• Overall, not bad for a first attempt. With the goal of smoking a beef brisket by the start of fall, it looks like I'm going to be spending the rest of the summer getting to know my new smoker.  This is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
  
  

  

  Pork shoulder