I keep seeing people swear by bone-in for flavor but I tried going boneless on pork shoulder and it worked better for me

Been doing pork shoulders for my Saturday barbecue now for about 2 years. Everyone online says keep the bone in for moisture but I got tired of fighting around it. Last month I deboned a 10 pound shoulder before smoking it and the meat came out just as juicy and I saved myself 20 minutes of pulling. Has anyone else tried this or am I missing something?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella_murray19d agoMost Upvoted

My cousin actually works in meat science and she told me the bone acts more like a heat sink than a flavor source. It slows down cooking right around the bone so that area can end up slightly underdone while the rest is perfect. Going boneless lets everything cook evenly.

milestaylor19d ago

Your cousin knows her stuff. I tried the bone-in route for years because I figured it was some kind of flavor cheat code. But honestly I think I was just being lazy and not wanting to learn how to debone a shoulder. First time I tried it I basically butchered it so bad the bone looked like a dog had been chewing on it for a week. But once I got the hang of it the meat turned out way more consistent. Now I feel like a fool for all those years of wrestling around a hot bone while everyone's waiting to eat.

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