SMOKING PORK BUTT: THE PROCESS

Wood choices: anything will do but the better wood are the fruit ones. Fruit wood isn't that strong when compared to hickory, mesquite, and alder. Pork doesn't require strong smoke for a good taste as beef would.

This time I decide to use peach wood just like Myron Mixon. 

I have really enjoyed using apple wood, but after using peach wood I have a new favorite. 

After smoking the pork for 6 hrs in a pan with peach wood, I quickly transferred the meat into a clean pan and fill it about half way and cover with foil. If you have an electric smoker then you won't need to keep putting more wood chips. For the remaining time the meat should be cooked covered up. To monitor the internal temp, its nice to use a probe thermometer.

Cook meat until it hits an internal temp of 205 F. Near the end I uncover the meat take get more "bark" on the meat for 20-30 min and turn off the smoker allowing for the temp to fall. 

The meat is then removed from the smoker and I use insulted gloves to pull the meat. If its been properly cooked the bone practically comes out on its own. Then it's ready to be eaten. 

PULLED PORK RECIPE

The easy part is choosing the pork butt. Although size can be decieving. I did some research to make sure that I wasn't going to be eating pulled pork for 2 months. A reasonable size for a family of 3-4 people can be a 6-8 lbs slab of meat. TIP: Look for marbled meat= layers of fat between meat through the whole piece.I have been getting my meat from local grocery store but I have thought about looking for a butcher shop to see if the meat is better and less expensive.

Next step is to trim off as much fat from around the cut of meat. Try not dig into the meat itself. 

I tried something different this time around. Instead of putting on the rub just prior to smoking it I put the rub on 24 hrs before, wrapping it in clear plastic wrap and setting into the fridge. 

Rub ingredients: light brown sugar, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, ground black pepper. (for details see Myron Mixon's Smokin' book)

Also the night before I like to prepare the injection marinade. Any extras can be kept in the fridge for up to one year. 

Injection marinade ingredients: apple juice, distilled white vinegar, sugar, salt (for details see Myron Mixons Smokin' book)

The following morning, early in the morning 5 am, I get the meat out to let it sit in room temperature while I to inject the meat with a marinade. It's also a good idea to get the smoker started so that it can reach the goal temperature of 250 F. 

Inject the meat generously, it's ok if the meat looks like its about to bust. Using a stainless injector is the way to do it very well and quickly. 

With the meat injected, the smoker temp at 250, I place the meat into a aluminum single use pan and set into the smoker. 

Cooking is a ratio of 1.5 hrs per pound of meat. So that can be a long day. But the reward is great!

COOKING PORK SHOULDER!

A year ago when I started smoking meat, if you mentioned pork butt I literally would have understood that it was the rear of the pig. Today, not only do I know what kind of meat it is but I also learned how to cook it. 

I did a little research and have a good combo recipe and technique approach to making some mouth watering pulled pork which comes from pork shoulder. I am grateful for some great tips from a coworker, Ken C. as well as Myron Mixon and a variety of little suggestions that I picked up from online  resources. 

I will use 8 lb pork butt piece of meat to smoke. I am very excited on using a new wood flavor-PEACH! I will share the recipe and process in the posts to follow. 

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!

Looking through my own blog, I came to the realization that I have been posting FOOD related topics and not much of anything else. 

The reason being is I like to cook food. And there are certain times of the year when that happens a little more than usual and this is that time of the year. 

The weather is getting better and better so I'm anticipating on doing more mountain biking and kayaking. And from time to time there will be some hiking involved. 

Fishing happens occasionally as well as the different seasons open for fish. I would like to do some more Lake Ontario salmon fishing. I haven't really done any serious bass fishing in the past couple years so that is something to consider a little more this year. 

NEW ADK EXPLORER ISSUE

Received the new May/June issue for the Adirondack Explorer several days ago but just had the opportunity to read through some of the articles.

Overall on the dryer side of things with a few of the same topics as seen in the previous issues such as School issues in the ADK Park because of the small student pool and lack of enough funds; fixing the APA; local movie theaters will need to upgrade to digital or go out of business.

Good article for padders who are willing to take some risky trips through posted waterways. But the bottom line is that the owners may press charges against you if they catch you hangout in "their waterway." Stay strong and go exploring is what I say!!!

FINAL VENISON JERKY PRODUCT!

It is always a good feeling when the final product tastes well to you but it's a good confirmation when other people sample it as well and give you some feedback.

Personal critique: I wish I had added a little less pork. I like jerky that is a little more firmer. I enjoy chewing the meat for a bit before final digestion.

Family critique: they actually prefer the softer version, therefore it was a good turn out for them.

MAKING JERKY

After making venison jerky before, I learned that its not very time consuming therefore I began to combine making jerky and sausage together because the meat prep is essentially the same.

The venison meat should be trimmed nicely after the butchering process and ground in a meat grinder. I also mix in a little pork shoulder that I also like to get already ground. If firmer and leaner jerky strips are desired then add less pork but there should be at least 10% pork fat added for better flavor and quality. Vise versa if softer and more fat content desired. It's important to keep in mind that the more pork added the more of the fat will drip during the drying process. Try it out! 

Using the jerky shooter makes the process easier. Filling it takes a minute but its worth it. It come out in a great shape. 

Temperature: settings are preset on the dehydrator for jerky at 160 *F. Usually takes around 5 hrs. May take longer if more pork used in the meat. 

Half way through the process I like to flip the jerky and rotate the trays for better dehydrating. I noticed that the lower trays dry quicker even though the top tray is warmer. If there a lot of fat in liquid form on the meat, I like to pat the meat with a paper towel. 

JERKY RECIPE

There are very few people who don't like beef jerky. Venison jerky on the other hand is great tasting and very expensive if purchased online or retails stores (there is jerky store in Lake Placid, NY). But the nice thing about making your own is that it's relatively inexpensive and a very simple making process.

People have been making jerky for years and there are many available jerky recipes online and stores like Bass Pro Shop, Gander Mountain, and Dicks Sporting Goods. These stores sell premixed ingredients for many flavors and they can last for several times. So my theory is if the jerky tastes good then why go through the prep. I've tried a recipe that I had to do from scratch and the premixed one tasted a lot better. 

Cure: is provided in the premixed boxes. Should the cure be used in the making of jerky? The reason for using the cure is to help preserve the meat for a longer period of time. When I make jerky I usually make at least 10lbs at once and therefore I can't eat that much prior to it spoiling. And people that you share it with won't mind having it around for a few days to enjoy. 

The Hi Mountain seasoning that I have tried are: Mesquite, Cajun, and Original. My favorite so far is Mesquite. I am looking forward to trying out some new flavors after this coming fall hunting season. 

TOOLS FOR MAKING JERKY

Dehydrator: Nesco Food Dehydrator & Jerky Maker 4 tier.

Shooter: Gander Mountain Jerky Meat Shooter

These tools are essential and inexpensive in making good jerky. I have only used the dehydrator for making jerky and not other foods. The dehydrator doesn't have a timer and meat has to be watched in order to make sure its processed well.

The shooter is very good because it shapes the meat into a nice form that can be easily handled after its dehydrated. I like to use the flat "slim Jim" style and not the round one.

SMOKE HOLLOW SMOKER REVIEW

30" Electric Smoker
Model 30168E

 • 2 Chrome plated cooking grids with 3 adjustment levels
 • Porcelain coated steel water pan
 • High temperature painted steel wood chip box with lid
 • Removeable grease collection cup
 • Temperature gauge
 • Two side handles
 • Phenolic door handle with "Sure-Lock" latch system

I have used the above smoker 6 times and I feel like I am frustrated with it more and more.

It was a gift that my father received for his birthday and I have borrowed it to see how well it works. It is the least expensive model made by Smoke Hollow. However, the $200 investment was not worth it. Here are the reasons why:

1. Its a smaller size, only 16 x 14 on the inside. 
2. Doesn't hold temperature well, regardless of outside weather/temperature.
3. The juices of the meat leak through the seams of smoker, staining whatever it is standing on.
4. The wood chip box is inside the smoker and therefore you lose heat/smoke ever time you have to refill the chips and water.
5. The handle falls off after opening it 2-3 times. 

Positive things:
1. Light weight.
2. Easy assembly.
3. Temperature gauge is fairly accurate but no way to measure meat temperature unless a separate temp probe is used.

PRIOR-DURING-AFTER SMOKING SAUSAGE

PRIOR

I like to take out the sausage from the refrigerator about 30-45 min prior to smoking to allow the meat to get as close to room temp as possible. It also allows the casings to dry up a little and absorb more smoke during the smoking process.

It's always a good idea to pre-heat the smoker, how you do it depends on the smoker that you have. Based on previous experience and research, the recommended temperature for cooking sausage is 160-170. Make sure that your wood chips are already in the unit as well if that is what you are using. This also allows the wood chips to warm up and be that much closer to smoking at the very beginning.

In cooler weather the pre-heating process is vital to a timely smoking process.

DURING

After putting in the sausage, it's time to sit back and relax. Well the relaxing part depends on the type of smoker that you have. If you have a built in thermometer, that's good. If you have a built in internal meat thermometer that's best. Now if you have a little remote that tells you the temperature inside the smoker as well as inside the meat then you have a sweet deal.

Recommended internal temperature of sausage is around 150-155 *F.

My average smoking time is around 4 hrs. But with 30-40lbs of sausage it does take me all day and sometimes well into the night.

I refill the water pan and wood chip pan about 3-4 times.

AFTER

Immediately after taking the sausage out of the smoker I have a ice cold water bath standing near-by and I set the whole sausage in it for about 5 seconds. Then I set it on a kitchen towel or paper towels.

I let it sit for about 3-4 hrs before I wrap it and put it into the refrigerator. It can stay in the fridge for about 2 wks. If you know that you won't eat it in that time period, get it into the freezer as soon as possible. It will spoil at around 3 weeks if not stored in the freezer.

When freezing, using a vacuum-sealer or freezer paper and plastic bag for longer preservation.

SAUSAGE STUFFING PROCESS

This time around, I had all my hopes set on using the electric grinder/stuffer just because it would be quicker and easier on the hand. However after playing around with it for an hour, it didn't function well and we had to resort to the hand powered one.

I like to use the natural casings found at a local grocery store. They are preserved in a plastic tub of salt. There are 7-9 casings per package. They need to be soaked in ice cold water for about 15-30 min. Longer is better.

So the stuffing part depends on what method you are using. There is quite the workout of the elbow and biceps muscles if using the manual. After stuffing 38lbs of meat I was looking forward to the simple process of smoking which required little to no physical exertion. It also nice to get a helping hand if available.

Important thing to do during after the sausage had been stuffed is keeping it moist, covering up and immediately refrigerating unless it will be smoked in the next 1-2 hrs.

I usually smoke the meat the following day, breaking up the process into a few days if possible.

VENISON SAUSAGE RECIPE

Over the years my parents had made sausage before, but they never had a recipe written down. A couple years ago I began to research sausage recipes with the anticipation that one day I would like to make my own. I have to admit that I did find one that I like and it has been confirmed by my wife (most importantly) as well as other family members who sampled of the goodness.

All the credit goes to the recipe contributor on lets-make-sausage.com. The recipe title is King Deer Sausage. I did modify it ever so slightly to my palate's liking. I like the ratio of 3 lbs venison to 2 lbs pork shoulder. I prefer the shoulder to be ground as well because its easier to just mix in as opposed to grinding it up yourself.

Ingredients: kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, cayenne pepper, allspice, paprika, sage, ground mustard seed, cure, ice water. See website for specific ingredients.

Other recommended sausage recipes are: Summer Sausage and Maple Sausage.

After seasoning the meat I allow it to sit in the refrigerator for 24-48 hrs. It all depends how much time until I have to smoke it.

The next process is stuffing the meat into the casings.

SMOKING WOOD TYPES

I would like to talk about the types of wood that I have used in the past and those that I am excited about using in the future. All of the wood that I have used I have purchased in Bass Pro. You can purchase it many online places in bulk as well or you can go and chop it yourself.

My all time favorite so far is Apple Wood. I have smoked chicken, sausage and ribs with it an it pleases me very much. There is something about fruit wood that makes it taste well. Some say it's the sap in the wood and others say its something else. But it's good stuff.

Second favorite is Cherry Wood.

Third favorite is Hickory Wood.

I have even tried some interestingly flavored wood like Jack Daniel's; which is wood taken from barrels that contained Jack Daniel's.

I can't wait to use Peach Wood, because I have watched way too much of BBQ PIT MASTERS and the 3 time World BBQ Champion Myron Mixon uses it all the time. That's the only wood he uses for everything because he likes the taste and it's ready available in good ol' southern Georgia.

Also looking forward to using Mesquite Wood because it is commonly used for big meats like brisket, pulled pork, and others.

MEAT PREP FOR SAUSAGE & JERKY

When making sausage and jerky, I usually take a few days to do it because of the curing and seasoning process. There will be multiple posts following as I go through the prep and smoking process.

After the deer meat is butchered and packed into freezer paper and plastic bag, I keep it in the freezer for at least 2 months to kill off any lingering bacteria.

I allow at least 12-24 hrs for the meat to thaw out, but not waiting to long because then it will begin to spoil if it gets too warm. I like to trim off the some connective tissue left over from the butchering process and clean the meat up a little more. Then I cut up the meat into 1-2 inch cubes even if didn't thaw out completely.

If I'm doing the cutting and the grinding by myself, it's easier to get all the meat cut into cubes and then grind it all together. Cover it with plastic then set it back into the refrigerator. During this process it's important to quickly move through the cutting and grinding to prevent the meat from getting too warm. I then allow it to stay in the fridge for about 12 hrs before curing and seasoning.

This time I using 25 lbs of deer meat from the 2012 hunting season to make sausage and jerky.