Saturday Night Shoulder

How did I get "Stayin' Alive" stuck in my head? I respect the BeeGees, but I'm not truly a fan.

Oh yeah. I pondered a re-write of the song for a spoof of "Saturday Night Fever" as I got a pork butt in the smoker.

My new barbecue revelation? Hunger is the enemy.

I used to think the only good reason to set an alarm and get up early was to put meat in the smoker.

Now I realize not even that is a good reason. I have a new strategy.

Load the Q at night and go to bed.

(If we had lawyers, this is when they'd advise you not to turn your back on a fire and go to sleep. You might wake up in the middle of a ginormous fire. We'll leave that decision to you. A smoker at a steady 225-ish should cause no threat of burning anything other than charcoal. If you want to be cautious, get a Bluetooth thermometer that will send you an alarm message if the temperature gets too high.)

Legal disclaimer done.

Barbecue takes time. Nothing tests your patience like a hungry family asking: "Is it done yet?"

The first time I did a pork shoulder, I brined it for about a day then smoked it for 8 hours before letting it rest for 45 minutes.

It was great. We ate it a number of ways, including tacos and finally soup. Yet I think it could have cooked for a couple more hours.

So this Saturday, I'm putting it in at night.

Once the temp is cruising at 225º, I'm closing the vents down to a minimum and going to sleep.

Ten or twelve hours later, the Easter Bunny is delivering me a perfectly cooked chunk of pork ready to be shredded. From a Big Green Egg, no less. Appropriate, eh?

That's long enough for one post. I'll get you pictures, recipe and more soon.

[Well you can tell by the way I smoke
My butt is nice and it ain't no joke
I'm a barbecue man, no time to waste
So Easter morning, enjoy the taste
Now it's okay, and it's alright
To smoke a shoulder overnight
We can try to understand
The slow and low effect on a man]