No, not meaning the seasonal haze from fires in the various areas around where we live.
No, also not meaning (quite thankfully) anything having to do with any residual smells of smoke in the house.
This weekend was a return to smoked meat, which I have not done in quite some time!
Okay, to be fair, I have grilled a few things that got to the point of dripped, dropping, or otherwise coming into contact with coals in a way that produced smoke, but I’m talking about the INTENTIONAL production of PLEASANT smoke, for the flavoring of meat.
And, again to be fair, when I say “…grilled a few things that got to the point…” I don’t just mean a couple of times. Things, you know, jump into the fire. Like, on their own. Really. It’s a thing.
I started out by trying to source a good quantity of pork butt, as I knew the end goal was enough for up to 60 fairly filled sliders. Unfortunately, the stores I checked, locally, had no large enough cuts unless I went boneless, which is clearly not ideal.
Sad, but one works with what one can find, right? So, boneless it was.
Friday was prep day, so I mixed a rub of coarse kosher salt, course ground pepper, and a small portion of paprika, and got the butts (yes, four of them!), ready by coating each in a very thin layer of yellow mustard then shaking on the rub, heavy and thick.
That done, I tightly wrapped each in cling wrap and stashed them in the fridge, overnight. They didn’t get a full 24 hours, but a solid 12-13 before warming back up gives a good bit of flavor.
Next day, prepping the smoker was kicked off around 06:30. Good to be getting the rig set up for smoking, again!
Having lived about 3.5 years in Texas, I guess the need to use an offset fire box is ingrained in me. Adds to the complexity a bit, but that’s a nice challenge, too. Went with hardwood lump (as usual) and dry lump Apple wood for the smoke.
Roughly 7:45, the pork was warmed up to ambient temp, and introduced to it’s new, temporary, home…
Yes, I use a probe thermometer, and a surface/ambient thermometer at the farther point from the heat source, and another ambient (built in) at about the halfway point (both lengthwise and in height above the grates) in the grill hood. Can never know “too much” about what’s happening in the smoking chamber…
I looked up ideas from several sources, before undertaking this, as I don’t cook much pork and I wanted to get some baseline information. As with most grilling or smoking projects, the input was widely varied, sometimes conflicted, and occasionally just plain weird.
Go figure. Tastes are very personal and everyone’s take is “their own ideal,” so it will never be universal, will it?
In the end, I took some advice from a Masterclass, a bit from a book on rubs, and some from the internet, and came up with the following plan:
3 hours at roughly 250°, untouched once you close the lid. After this, hourly checks, spritzing with Apple Cider Vinegar and water to maintain moisture, and reposition as needed if the cuts on the right are getting too much heat from the single vent/source.
Once the cuts get to roughly 193° at the core and the fat caps start to crack, remove them, wrap them tightly in foil, and return them to the smoker.
Bump up the heat to 275°
Go for an hour, at least. At the end of that hour, poke an instant-read thermometer through the foil (if you have not already inserted the probe for continuous monitoring), and check for BOTH of the following: Is it at least at 205° and can the probe end freely pass through the meat in 3 or 4 different directions (use the same hole in the foil, to avoid steam loss!).
Once the foil-wrapped meat hits these targets, take them out, let them rest for an hour in the foil, then unwrap, pull apart, and eat hungrily.
Running lump charcoal in an offset box, especially on what turned into a windy day, I was monitoring the temperature and adding charcoal perhaps every 15 minutes. Each time, I also threw in at least 2 or three of the small fragments of apple wood, to keep a constant flow of smoke going. About once an hour, the fire box got one of the large chunks of apple, up to the size of my palm, to really push the smokiness.
The end result…
As far as volume, the four pieces managed to fill a roasting pan with the pork, once pulled.
I have to say….I think it turned out well.
Next time…ribs or brisket? Might end up a coin toss.
Tight lines…