First smoke attempt, pulled pork

[swebbo]

Hi all

This is my first post outside the introduce yourself section and first attempt at pulled pork or any smoking, only had success with beer can chicken so far, ribs have been a disaster due to problems keeping temps low. If I learned something this time it was how to keep the temp steady with the vents, it was 300F for the full 9 hours. adding extra lumpwood maybe 3 times.
Any tips for improvement appreciated.

cheap shoulder from tesco 1.5kg. did not want to over spend too much on an experiment, other half still thinks bbq should be sausages only

simple rub, salt, sugar, sweet paprika, garlic powder, chilli powder. ( just what i found spare cupboard )

Had a crack at minion method, unlit restaurant grade charcoal from makro on first (thank allweathergriller for recomendation) and half a chimney of heatbeads on top. soaked hickory flakes in tin foil. the smoke didnt seem to last long before I had to refill, maybe blocks would be better, Jewsons?

My bbq party is tomorrow, gonna do 2 bc chickens (regae ragae) with burgers (home made) and sausages and ribs not on the rack. Should i serve cold pulled pork or do people usually warm it up??? also any tips for ribs not on a rack appreciated

heres a few pics (in reverse order)



Look slike lumpwood!!

[JEC]

Well done looks like a nice first go. 300 is normally a little high for pulled pork with most aiming for 225 but if it worked for you then that's cool. For a 9 hour smoke I wouldn't normally add any charcoal, I pack the ring tightly with lump and either a quarter chimney of briquettes or just place 4 fire lighters on top cover with some of the lump and wait for it to get going, assemble the WSM with a clay saucer adjust vents to get a 225 temp and run for 12 hours before adding more fuel. Personally I would reheat the pulled pork on your smoker in a foil tray before serving. Have a good party, I've got 14 tomorrow for a birthday party.