What are you guys cooking? Berkshire Kurobuta shoulder in right now....can't wait!

[JohnDS]

In the RT700 right now is a Berkshire Kurobuta pork shoulder. I'm thinking 30 hours for this 18.5 pounder. I know people say 2hrs per pound but that just seems like a lot to me. Usually a 10-12Lb ill get done in 15hrs. We'll see. I'm really excited to see how it turns out since I never had Kurobuta.

What are you guys cooking?

 

[MikeyB]

Oh man, you have to give us the blow by blow on this cook. I bet it’s going to be a Fantastic feast.

 

[JohnDS]

Oh man, you have to give us the blow by blow on this cook. I bet it’s going to be a Fantastic feast.

I will. I am prepping the smoker now on full mode to burn off any grease. After it cools, i will vacuum out all the ash and old pellets and add fresh LJ pellets. I should have done all this earlier lmao. Can you believe the last two 40Lb bags of cookin pellets from Amazon were not the usual quality? They didnt have that shine and that snap, and also looked like the pellets were all broken into halves. At least they gave my money back though, but its time to dump them. I think thats one thing I wish the 700 had, a door for quick dump of the pellets. I'll report back.

 

[JohnDS]

Here is the Kurobuta beast, 18.5Lbs. I dry-brined with honey rib rub for 33hrs.

Looks like a giant boxing glove lol!

Yes, I couldn't help myself and I re-rubbed it.

I use a lot of rub. The $100 plus piece of meat deserves it.

On 5/28/21 at 6:15am, set at 225F. I hope it's done at a decent hour. Thinking 30hrs plus rest. It almost looks like a mini pig now lol.

 

[Awsomedmd]

Explain Like I’m Five what a Kurobuta beast is? It looks amazing. I’m a newbie.

 

[JohnDS]

Explain Like I’m Five what a Kurobuta beast is? It looks amazing. I’m a newbie.

Oh. Kurobuta pork is a heritage breed of pig. Supposed to be more marbling and a better overall taste. I never tried yet, but from what I hear is that it's a big difference from what you buy in the regular store. This one is a test for me because I have another one in the freezer for 4th of July. I want to get a feel for how long it will take to cook and also if it will be too salty or not. I think it will be ok because the rib rub doesnt taste too salty to me. I guess I would say Kurobuta is the Wagyu of pork? In a sense?

 

[JohnDS]

5/28/21, 7:49am. Just sprayed with water because all I have is apple cider vinegar. Should I mix 50/50 with the water or just continue with the straight water?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Just to add a bit more, Kurobota is a heritage breed, meaning they are not the same as the commodity pork you normally buy in the grocery store. The alternate breed name is Berkshire, becoming very popular with folks who want more flavorful pork. One difference you might see in the first picture up above is the color is more reddish than the washed out pinkish color most store bought pork is.

I have Berkshire chops regularly and will attest they are more flavorful even without a brine, and likewise more moist if cooked properly.

 

[mooncusser2k]

5/28/21, 7:49am. Just sprayed with water because all I have is apple cider vinegar. Should I mix 50/50 with the water or just continue with the straight water?View attachment 10553

You can use straight ACV or cut it with water. Apple juice is another good option if you have any.

 

[JohnDS]

5/28/21, 9:00am mop.

You can use straight ACV or cut it with water. Apple juice is another good option if you have any.

Thanks.

 

[JohnDS]

5/28/21, 10:00am mop
That little split in the fat is bothering me.

 

[JohnDS]

5/28/21, 11:50am mop.

 

[Roberto 007]

What time is dinner and I'll bring the wine!!!

 

[JohnDS]

5/28/21, 1:00pm mop. I dont like how it's cracking on top, but i guess no big deal.
View attachment 10565

What time is dinner and I'll bring the wine!!!

Idk yet . Could be today, could be tomorrow. It's 147F internal now, since 6:00am. It looks like its moving along.

I'm at a dilemma now. If I power through the stall, its possible it might get done at a weird hour. If I just let it continue to cook at 225F, it might push it into tomorrow but Im not sure what time as I havent cooked one where I just left it cook without wrapping or turning up the heat in a long time, over a year or two. The thing is, this one is no thicker than a 10-12Lb normal store-bought shoulder. Its longer, but definitely not thicker, maybe slightly thinner. This tells me it may happen to just cook in 15hrs if I power through the stall like previous shoulders I've done, I could be wrong. That means it would be done at 9pm tonight which isn't the worst hour.

So judging by the current internal 149F, and it being 1:30pm at the time of posting this. Should I power through the stall? Or just let it take its time cooking at 225F with no wrap?

 

[Roberto 007]

You have a great piece of pig on you smoker. I'm a believer in wrapping it in butcher paper along with several pads of butter, brown sugar and some honey. Place it in a tin with a little bit of apple juice. Have a second temperature gauge (Thermapen?) and measure the center or the thickest part of the pig through out your cook.
Listen you sound like you know what you're doing and I'm sure whatever you decide it'll come out great.
White or red wine?

 

[JohnDS]

5/28/21, 4:26pm, internal 173F.
Honestly I'm not happy about the bark splitting, but it smells delicious.

You have a great piece of pig on you smoker. I'm a believer in wrapping it in butcher paper along with several pads of butter, brown sugar and some honey. Place it in a tin with a little bit of apple juice. Have a second temperature gauge (Thermapen?) and measure the center or the thickest part of the pig through out your cook.
Listen you sound like you know what you're doing and I'm sure whatever you decide it'll come out great.
White or red wine?

Your method sounds pretty awesome. I assume you finish it off in the tin like that until the end, and pull it right in the tin in its own juices along with those toppings? Man, that's gotta be good!!! I think I might give that a shot next time. This one I'm going naked and I'm past the stall at this point. I am always weary of wrapping it cause I'm worried it wont be crispy anymore on the outside. But I guess if you're pulling it, it really doesn't matter right, cause everything gets soft anyway from all the moisture of the mix? Everytime I do a shoulder I always think to my myself that maybe I should pull it so that the outside flavor is all mixed throughout the rest of the meat. I never follow through lol.

Thank you for sharing your method. Red.

 

[JohnDS]

5/28/21, 6:55pm mop, 173F. Yea I'm slacking on the houry mopping and its raining. I powered through the 160F - 170F range and thought I was through the stall when it hit 170F. Guess not, cause this thing has been stuck on 173F for 2.5 hours. Aren't we past the stall? Would the probe being too close to the bone throw the temperature off 10F?

 

[fullhouse32]

I need an update

 

[JohnDS]

I need an update

Lmao. Its pouring outside so haven't been out there, but it's on 19.5 hours so far and it's at 198F. Almost there. It's 1:21pm here. I'm debating whether to hold it in cooler for the next 4 hours and have an early breakfast, or tear into it after it cools down when it comes off smoker.

 

[JohnDS]

Hey guys, I wish I had a better pic to show you without the bark splitting, but here it is. 20.5hrs. The meat was actually deflating in between the grates slightly it was so tender. I actually had a hard time getting it off the grill. I had to use a spatula to slide under it to separate because my hands(with heat gloves) just couldn't get under it to lift without it falling apart and destroying it. Maybe next time I'll cook on the rec tec mats unless of course I wrap it, won't need to. Overall, it was good, but I'm sorry that I used the rectec rib rub. It was too mild and didnt have enough punch to it and was looking for something a little different. I thought it would be great because it's pretty damn good on pork ribs. Idk, maybe that's why its called "rib" rub hahaha. Anyway, it was so tender and moist and when you grab a piece of this crust mixed with the meat, it was delicious, but again, do not recommend the Rossarooski's Honey Rib Rub on this piece of meat.