Long smoker day

Sunday was smoke day for one of the two 7 pound pork shoulders. Here's how it went.

I took out the rubbed meat around 7:30 and preheated the grill. I had first removed the smoke and water pans. I put hickory in the smoke box and water in the water pan and put them back. Then I put the remote thermometer in then the shoulder and stuck in the thermometer, careful to avoid the bone.

I made sure the temperature was set properly then set off for the day's chores. I monitored the smoker and the meat temperature and watched it rise slowly through the day.

We headed out for some errands and lost track of time. By the time I got back to add more wood it was after 10AM, almost 2 hours later. Strangely the wood I added did not seem to burn off as well.

Around 4PM the temperature finally reached 190F so I removed the meat, basted it in apple juice then wrapped it in foil and put it back in the smoker. I watched the temperature slowly rise above 190 while I dropped the temperature in the smoker. It was clear that the meat was continuing to cook as the temperature in the meat continued to rise as the smoker temperature dropped. I turned off the smoker after 5PM and removed the meat. It was outstanding - tender and fell apart easily.

We chomped what we pulled off for dinner. I compared the two East Carolina sauces I had made. After dinner I pulled the rest and ended up with four bags of between 12 and 15 ounces by weight of pulled pork (now frozen.)

The new EC sauce I had simmered (true confession: boiled - ooops!) but deemed it too sharply spicey. I have to attribute that to the cayenne. But I like the base, particulary the use of the turbinado sugar and cider vinegar. I think switching to crushed red pepper instead of the cayenne will make a great sauce. I will try this next time.

Lessons learned: it will be time soon to clean the bottom of the smoker. That will not be a pleasant task. I need to learn to use tin foil to cover the top of the smoke box and line the water pan to ease cleanup. Maybe even craft a foil liner for the bottom.

Also, one of the legs is dripping grease, so the bolt must be loose. Left a puddle so I have to tend to that - maybe when I try to clean the bottom? errrr

On another note I ate another chunk of the ribs I smoked. Defrosted and heated in the microwave and it was tender and delicious, though only slightly dry. A little of Famous Dave's sauce and I was STILL impressed with it. Can't wait to cook the other batch in the freezer. Perhaps sometime in August?

One final note regarding the meat thermometer. The Oregon Scientific model I use has preset temperatures for different types of meats. So the top end I could find was 180F. But bringing the meat to 190F means I have to stop the alarm after it reaches and as it rises above 180F. Quite the pain and I will have to consider writing a review on Amazon to note this.

More Smoke

Could not resist the $1.50 a pound Boston Butt at Sam's today. It's almost 16 pounds of meat in two halves. I've got one rubbed and in the fridge now and the other in the freeze.

I made the AmazingRibs.com Memphis Dust rub recipe with one exception - I had no dark brown sugar and used light brown. Had a problem with clumping of the brown sugar, but let it roll off and it's done. I'm waiting for the mason jars to dry to store the rub in.

So tomorrow is smoke day. I'm going to go to 190F tomorrow as recommended in amazingribs.com. We'll see how much longer that takes for this butt.

Almost out of the E. Carolina sauce so I've got the make the next one on the list tomorrow. For that I'll have to run out for cider vinegar.

I'm down to my last bag of pull from last weekend's smoke. Still good but got another batch coming up. I'll have a report tomorrow on the smoke.

4th of July Pork Shoulder

Next time I'll pay attention to the weight....

So after reading how long it takes to cook a pork shoulder, I roll out of bed at 5:30 to start the smoker and get the pork on. (heh heh) First chance to try my new Oregon Scientific Wireless BBQ Thermometer AW129 wireless meath thermometer. Worked perfectly! Just jabbed it in the meat and the lead ran perfectly out the smoker's hole in the back.

Very glad I had it. I expected the should would take as much as 10 hours, instead it was done around 10AM. I put the temp down to hold it at 180F but decided, after consulting chef Kevin, to remove it and pull it.

Ended up with an outstanding batch of pulled pork. We ate most of it last night and I have a bit leftover.

Even better was the East Carolina sauce I made, which everyone loved. I used the AmazingRibs recipe and it wasn't as spicy as I thought. Tonight I warmed the pork up with some of the sauce then poured some on to eat! Nummy!!!

I'll try other variations on the sauce, but on to the next thing, and that includes a new rub, too, as the Bone Sucking Sauce is almost gone! Have to decide what to smoke next.

FoodNetwork.com E Carolina Sauce

Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Sauce:

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, red pepper, garlic, and salt over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-high. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes and then remove from the heat. Let cool then add the black pepper.

This one sounds a bit less hot and might be worth a shot.

TheGreatestBarbecueRecipes.com E N Carolina Sauce

Restaurant Style Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Sauce

•2 cups apple cider vinegar (white will work also)
•3 tblsp lemon juice (approx. 1 lemon)
•1 1/2 tblsp brown sugar (or Turbinado sugar)
•1 tblsp Cayenne pepper
•1 tblsp hot pepper sauce
•1 tsp salt
•1 tsp black pepper (fresh ground if you have it)

You don't have to cook this one! If you wish, just combine the ingredients, put in a jar with a tight lid (for occasional shaking), place in the refrigerator for a couple of days before the feast, and give it a vigorous shaking once in a while.

You may simmer the ingredients for about 25 minutes to serve immediately if you are in a hurry.

I think I'll try this one next time.

AmazingRibs.com East Carolina sauce

East Carolina Kiss & Vinegar Barbecue Sauce & Mop

Yield. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Preparation time. About 30 minutes.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons sugar (white, light brown, or dark brown)
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper

1) Pour all the ingredients into a jar and shake. Let it sit for at least 12 hours to allow the flavors to meld. A week is better. Mop it on the meat with this sauce with basting brush once every hour while cooking.

2) Take the remaining mop and boil it to sterilize it and give the meat one last splash before serving. To prevent contamination by uncooked meat, make sure to use a clean brush. Serve the sauce in a cruet on the side so your guests can drizzle more on if they wish. The remainder will keep for many months in the refrigerator.

I made this one today. I will try tomorrow with the pulled pork.