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.