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Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 01 Sep 2010, 14:48
by LondonBBQ
Hi,

I cooked my first ever pork butt at the weekend - and it worked.

I have a few questions around how to make it better - but mainly - if the outside dark 'bark' bits of the pork are the nicest, why dont BBQ'ers cut the but into the smaller pieces before smoking them. That way there'll be more of the lovely 'outer' pork?

Would this not work and cook the meet too quickly?

Thanks in advance,

Tony.

P.s. Any lovely BBQ sauce recipes much appreciated!

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 01 Sep 2010, 15:20
by lakemirror
LondonBBQ wrote:Hi,

I cooked my first ever pork butt at the weekend - and it worked.

I have a few questions around how to make it better - but mainly - if the outside dark 'bark' bits of the pork are the nicest, why dont BBQ'ers cut the but into the smaller pieces before smoking them. That way there'll be more of the lovely 'outer' pork?



The bark is good but not "best", the interior parts of the butt joint are nice tender juicy meat. I like the skin on a fried chicken, too, but without the inside meat it's just crunch fried bits.

In my opinion, for what my opinion is worth, the bark is a special treat mixed in with the rest of the meat. If it was all bark, it would be BORING.

Glad your first pork pig turned out well!

Tom

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 01 Sep 2010, 18:07
by Spice
Flavor of your pork can be inhanced in a couple of ways. One way is to inject. I use a combination of pineapple juice, salt , pepper and rub injected throughout the pork and 2. I always cover the whole outside of the pork with turbinado sugar before I put it on the smoker. It makes for a much nicer bark.

Just my .02

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 01 Sep 2010, 20:07
by lakemirror
Swindon_Ed posted this link for sauce recipes, it's a virtual cornucopia. Maybe a bonanza. Certainly a plethora. http://bbq.about.com/od/barbecuesaucere ... _sauce.htm

Some are too weird to try, others might just be weird enough to be delicious. Say, doesn't "Swindon" mean "swine town?" Just wondering. My wife is from Kingswinford which I always assumed meant the place where the King's pigs cross the river. But I digress.


Spice wrote:Flavor of your pork can be inhanced in a couple of ways. One way is to inject. I use a combination of pineapple juice, salt , pepper and rub injected throughout the pork and 2. I always cover the whole outside of the pork with turbinado sugar before I put it on the smoker. It makes for a much nicer bark.

Just my .02


Never underestimate the power of apple juice in an pork injection recipe. Now that I'm moving to the mother country I can try cider too....not available (in the same form) in the US. Hmmmm....maybe scrumpy has possibilities.....

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 01 Sep 2010, 22:20
by Swindon_Ed
"Swindon" actually mean "Swine Hill" Tom, but sadly the pig farming left here a long time ago.

Going onto your point about cider injections. I was driving through Somerset which is quite a famous cider region in the UK and saw an number producers selling old oak barrels and thinking this could be an interesting wood for smoking with.

what do you think?

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 02 Sep 2010, 00:30
by joker smoker
I'd like to give it a try.

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 02 Sep 2010, 06:48
by Steve
Yeah I think many of us have used whiskey barrel staves in the past, cider barrels would be good to try.

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 02 Sep 2010, 10:21
by Banjo
lakemirror wrote: My wife is from Kingswinford which I always assumed meant the place where the King's pigs cross the river.

You are correct. The area was once part of a Royal Estate.

Many moons ago I worked (and drank) in the area.

Nice to know that your wife is a good Blackcountry wench :D

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 02 Sep 2010, 12:32
by lakemirror
Banjo wrote:
lakemirror wrote: My wife is from Kingswinford which I always assumed meant the place where the King's pigs cross the river.


Nice to know that your wife is a good Blackcountry wench :D


Warning, warning....don't stand within arm's length of her and say that! And don't let her 5'3" frame fool you, either, she can smack me upside the head from across the Atlantic! :D

Re: Beginners Pork

PostPosted: 02 Sep 2010, 12:37
by lakemirror
Swindon_Ed wrote:"Swindon" actually mean "Swine Hill" Tom, but sadly the pig farming left here a long time ago.


Didn't know that....thanks! Always looking for new info about my new country.

Swindon_Ed wrote:Going onto your point about cider injections. I was driving through Somerset which is quite a famous cider region in the UK and saw an number producers selling old oak barrels and thinking this could be an interesting wood for smoking with.

what do you think?


I think that sounds a bang-up idea. Let's give it a try.