Pulled pork sandwiches today

[shaeff]

I was under the impression that you couldn't freeze a piece of pork that large. Do you do anything to special to freeze it (other than just putting it in a residential freezer?) How do you thaw it? Does this work the same way as a turkey?

I just throw it in the freezer, pull it out 2 days before I plan to smoke it. Nothing special, been doing it that way for years.

I do rinse before seasoning, as mentioned above. Sometimes they’re a bit of bone fragments stuck to them.

 

[goeduck]

Oh man, great thread.... looking to upgrade my smoker

:reading: :reading:

 

[shaeff]

Oh man, great thread.... looking to upgrade my smoker

:reading: :reading:

What are you looking to get? Electric, stick burner, charcoal/ceramic, pellet, UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker)?

I used my PK grill for years until the grates burned out of it. I haven't replaced them yet, but really should get on that. I miss charcoal cooking. I currently use my Grilla Silverbac for everything. It's a pellet smoker, I love the set-it-and-forget-it mentality of these things. Summer weekend, I'll season up a pork shoulder, throw it on at 225*, go for a nice hike with my wife and pup, eat lunch on the top of a mountain, hike back to the truck, come home to a nice smoked butt. Usually it's time to take it off the smoker, I'll wrap it in foil, drop it in a cooler, let it rest a bit while we shower up. Then it's dinner time.

It's so easy, and the food is delicious. Even just raw chicken tenders or breasts. Throw them on at 350* for a fast cook, they come out much more tender than on a propane grill. Great for pulled chicken sammiches, or brush on some BBQ sauce 30 minutes prior to finishing. I've forgotten about them and took them to 175* before (oops! usually take them off at 160*) and they were still tender.

The Grilla Facebook group is an awesome bunch of people, even if you don't have a Grilla product. It's called "My Grilla Grill Smoker"

The number one reason I went with it- customer service. Lots of times when you call, you get the owner/designer of the product. He's awesome, his staff are awesome, they stand behind their product.

 

[goeduck]

What are you looking to get? Electric, stick burner, charcoal/ceramic, pellet, UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker)? .

Well I am not sure, I was thinking pellet or electric but I am just starting to look into them.

 

[shaeff]

Well I am not sure, I was thinking pellet or electric but I am just starting to look into them.

I'd suggest finding a few Facebook groups. There's a learning curve to each. Example- when I first got my Grilla Silverbac pellet pooper, I cooked wings at 225* to get a smoky flavor. It worked, but it turned the skin into leather. Enough so that I just peeled it off and didn't eat it. Seems like most people that have pellet smokers will smoke for about 30-45minutes, then crank up the heat to 350-400* to crisp the skin. It also helps if you take the wings out and lay them on a cooking grate in the fridge overnight to get any excess moisture off them, maybe coat with a thin layer of oil, season, then put them on.

There's definitely a learning curve, so don't be afraid to experiment. As they say: "ya gotta burn to learn."

 

[Buggs67]

Well I am not sure, I was thinking pellet or electric but I am just starting to look into them.

I've been thinking the same. I have a Masterbuilt electric like this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Masterbuil...gkl724cQ6XWJMZAteHRoCc8kQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds.

I got it at a garage sale for $40 almost new. But it doesn't produce enough smoke except at high temps. An the electric controller doesn't seem to be keeping an even temp anymore. My friend bought a Masterbuilt with the electronic control and external wood feeder but when the electronics died in 2 years it was useless.

TSC has a small pellet smoker for $300, but then you are again a slave to the reliability of the electronic controls and a form of fuel you have to purchase.

A side-box stick burner makes most sense, especially if you retro fit it with a temp control fan. Then if the temp controller fails it's cheaper to replace.

And I agree with the 195-205 degrees to cook a pork butt. Smoke for 2-3 hrs and wrap it at about 165 to retain moisture. Also either brine it or at least dry rub brine it overnight.

 

[goeduck]

Anyone have experience with the residential Cookshack brand? They have a commercial line as well, so hoping the residential line has some good DNA

Smokers & Grills - Cookshack BBQ

 

[Buggs67]

Goeduck you are looking at some serious $$$.

 

[goeduck]

Goeduck you are looking at some serious $$$.

My expectation is that well built equipment lasts longer. Plus I like to cook.

 

[Molalla1]

My expectation is that well built equipment lasts longer. Plus I like to cook.

Right on Duck! :thumbsup:

 

[Tazz]

Wow, I lost track of this thread. When I smoke a big'ol pork butt I usually trim most of the fat off inside and out. The meat itself had enough fat to keep it moist and anything like the fat cap on the outside just melts and washes away any rub that's been applied.

For smoker temps I'll start at 140f only for safety reasons. The FDA has the saying "40f to 140f within 4 hours" to avoid the bacteria growth. Deep inside the meat is usually not a problem unless you inject it or really pry it apart to get rub in between the muscles. Once I get past the 140f mark I'll lower the temp to 225f for the duration. I always use the Texas Crutch foil wrap starting at 165 to power through the stall. Mostly to save time so it's not a 16+hour day. It can destroy the nice bark but there's still plenty there and I'll always save the juices in foil by pouring them into a cut and mixing it back in after the pork is shredded. I've also started adding some fresh rub to the pork after shredding it to give it an extra burst of flavor. I don't know what's going on with the breading but some pork is just plain bland and others are really sweet and great.

Personally, I don't add sauce to the pork, only the juices. Some people like the sauce mixed in while other like just the pork alone so I'll put it on the table and let them decide.

For pork ribs I tried something that seems more popular that I thought and that is to smoke them at 275 instead of 225. I found it cuts an hour off the time and the smoke, flavor and texture is all the same. I do use foil on ribs too because the family like them fallin' off the bone. I'll eat them either way.

The grocery store often has sales for the pork butts at $1 (US) a pound. I'll get two and freeze one.

Oh, yes to the high temps for chicken and turkey. I'll run the temp up to 375f or the skin becomes rubber. I haven't smoked a turkey in a while because it can take days for prep. The best way is to wet brine soak it in a bag for a day and then day for smoking with a bunch more steps in between. The best luck I had was to spatchcock the turkey by splitting the breast and laying it out flat to get the smoke inside and out. Takes up a lot of real estate on the grill.

Happy smoking and grilling!

 

[Buggs67]

Tazz

I like your take on Butts. They're always expensive here, rarely lower than $.40/lb. All meats seem more expensive here than North Jersey where I moved from. Maybe hidden taxes.

For Turkeys I do brine them for a day and I split them in half. They do right to the smoker after a short dry time; I do low and slow and the dogs get the skin.

I like to cook but it's just me and the wife most of the time and she doesn't care for smoked food (except turkey and pulled pork). SO my cooking is only when I have company. Which isn't often, especially now.

 

[Wakey]

I’m putting a butt on this morning. We have days of rain ahead of us. Last night I grilled salmon.

 

[Wakey]

The shoulder came out great. I bought some bear claws for the next cook, the 2 fork shred method would be a disaster on a large cut.

The sandwich was awesome on a heated torpedo roll and this classic Ga. sauce.

 

[Wakey]

I also made Malcom Reed’s chili on the grill. You smoke a sirloin roast and make the chili with it. This is my new go to recipe for chili.

I colored the vegetables on the grill while the coals were heating up.

Here are a couple shots of the roasts. I doubled the recipe so I can feed the freezer.

 

[Wakey]

2nd try, Had some trouble on the pics.

 

[Wakey]

Anyway, problems uploading pics aside, here is the recipe, it’s awesome!

Smoked Chili Recipe with Beef on the Big Green Egg

Beef Chili recipe cooked on the grill with a smoked chuck roast, ground sausage, roasted vegetables for the perfect smoked chili.

howtobbqright.com

 

[goeduck]

Anyway, problems uploading pics aside, here is the recipe, it’s awesome!

Smoked Chili Recipe with Beef on the Big Green Egg

Beef Chili recipe cooked on the grill with a smoked chuck roast, ground sausage, roasted vegetables for the perfect smoked chili.

howtobbqright.com

Thanks for the link

 

[goeduck]

My cup of yogurt for lunch never looked so unappetizing as it does now, compared to that!

At least it was HEALTHY.

 

[RobertN]

Yeah, I know the feeling. We just made some Kraft Mac & Cheese.........:stirthepot:

Smoked Mac and Cheese is really good...