I'm roasting a whole pig on July 28th-should be an interesting experience, never done it before, but seems simple enough.
get yourself a couple bottles of Goya Mojo, and a bunch of garlic. Night before you cook it, jam a knife into the pig, and stick pieces of garlic into the meat. Put the pig on its back, and fill the chest cavity with the Mojo. Keep the pig iced down overnight. I hate the fact that I feel the need to say this, but THROW THE ICE OUT.
I need to get a meat smoker (start your jokes here) and learn to use it well.
don't get one of the round vertical ones... huge pain to add fuel. The horizontal ones they sell at HD and Lowes are good. I prefer the Lowes one... it is slightly larger, is made of heavier gauge metal, has ash-trays, and you can raise/lower the coal grate in the main chamber (in case you decide to use it as a regular grill). The Lowes model ends up costing about $20 more, because the main chamber and the firebox are sold seperately, but I have used both and it is well worth it.
Also, use solid lump charcoal... you can find Royal Oak at Walmart most of the year. Some grocery stores also sell "Cowboy Brand"... I don't like it as much... there is too much variation in the size of the pieces.
[threadjack]6lb Beef Brisket /[threadjack]
2 racks of pork ribs
best thiong to do when smoking meat is to fill it up. No sense spending a whole day on 1 serving. Usually I'll do 2-3 pork butts for pulling, and a brisket to eat that night, or sometimes a pork tenderloin.
My personal preference with the pulled pork is to NOT eat it the day it is smoked. I pull it on smoke day, but then I usually freeze some for famioly, and the rest I put in a crock pot for the next day. I like giving it time for the smoke / pork/ vinegar/ BBQ flavors to mix.
for Ribs I usually only use a dry rub, and a meat tenderizer. DONT USE MCCORMICK. It has all kinds of chemicals that supposedly get nasty when smoked. Lawry's is pretty good... basically all you want in it is Papain (papaya extract) some salt, and an anti-caking agent. Ribs go about 4 hrs, then I lightly brush them with sauce, and a few minutes per side on the grill.
for brisket I brine and then use a dry rub, and smoke about 10-12hrs
typical brine:
1 gallon water
1C Kosher Salt
1C Raw Sugar (turbinado sugar, sugar in the raw, etc)
heat water to dissolve salt and sugar. Cool brine before adding meat. Brine 24-36 hours.
If you want to make Irish Bacon, use the standard brine recipe, but cut out 2C of water. After the brine has cooled, add 2C of Micheal Collins or other Irish Whiskey. Brine a Pork Loin for 24-36 hrs. Smoke for about 2hrs.
Home
Help
Search
Login
Register
Send this topic
Print
Topic: Pork (Read 4962 times)
