Ok Who Is A-Smokin' What This Weekend - The Cat Is Back.

[asa]

Tomorrow it's a venison hind-quarter roast, two pork shoulders, and a rack of ribs. I'm behind on my chopped and sliced with none in the freezer for emergencies so I'm hoping to get ahead on this count at least, and at last. Reminded me of the Red Clay Ramblers song about the same problem so I had to get out their "Rambler" CD and listen to it again. Had some ribs from the freezer tonight and what a treat it was. Love that FoodSaver almost as much as the BS. Had this thang almost a month now and kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

Regards to all, happy smoking this weekend -

So it goes  . . . .

[tsquared]

14 lbs of piggy butt started 2 hours ago for a staff party next weekend. Figure 24 hours or so of smoking, drinking a few cool ones and working on the boat. Weekends....
T2

[asa]

So for those who like to do their pulled/chopped ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it, do you save the whole cooked shoulder or do you chop/pull and sauce it first, and then package that final product? What seems to work best?

[Habanero Smoker]

So for those who like to do their pulled/chopped ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it, do you save the whole cooked shoulder or do you chop/pull and sauce it first, and then package that final product? What seems to work best?

I can't tell you what works best, because I only do it one way. I finely chop the bark, and then pull. Next I mix the bark, pulled meat and sauce together; then package. If I am freezing I vacuum pack, if just refrigerating I'll use sealable containers or freezer type sealable bags (I feel the freezer type seal in the smell better then regular bags, and you are less likely to have smoked flavored milk). If I have time I place the unsealed bags in the freezer for about 20 minutes, this semi-freezes the sauce and it is less likely to be suck up into the drip tray, but this step is not necessary.

[asa]

Thanks. I figured that might be the best technique - to let the flavors blend etc.

[tsquared]

I pull it, food saver it and freeze it. Then I add some apple juice/whiskey/maplesyrup when I'm heating with sauce on the side.
T2

[Habanero Smoker]

If the weather in the North East every clears up, I plan to smoke some turkey legs and make pulled turkey. May also do a few chickens and pulled that also. I could not find any kosher chickens, so I'm going to try dry brining the poultry.

[asa]

Sounds good, and raises a question I've had - are turkey legs cured before smoking?

[Habanero Smoker]

Sounds good, and raises a question I've had - are turkey legs cured before smoking?

I'm not going to cure, as in the traditional sense. I am going to brine for flavor and to retain more moisture. The last batch I did were not brined, and the finished product was bordering on the dry side. I don't have much refrigerator room to wet brine, but I was reading the latest Cook's Illustrated. They had good success dry brining poultry as a way to deliver flavor and retain moisture; so I thought I would give it a try. According to their test, just apply 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt per pound of in-bone chicken, and let it brine for at least 6.5 hours. The salt and any water soluble spices were draw in and evenly distributed throughout the meat.

[asa]

Thanks. Haven't read my current issue yet. Sounds like a good plan - let us know how they turn out.

The dry rub won't add any moisture, which is nice to do with poultry. I don't have much fridge space either, but have found that brining in plastic bags works well. You can get away with less brine, add some flavor and moisture, have less of a mess, and don't have to deal with a huge vat of liquid in your ice box.

Now where is my current issue of CI . .? . . . .

[Habanero Smoker]

I did not state that dry brining adds moisture, dry brining help poultry retain moisture during the cooking process.  Once you read the article you will see that. That is why I always look for, and willing to pay more for kosher chickens; they are dry brined.

I often use sealable bags to brine smaller, and fewer pieces, but sealable bags have their own problems. If you don't place them in a container and set them upright often not all parts are submerged, and there is always the possibility that the seal in the bag will come undone during handling; which has happened (even after double bagging). I have recently noticed that Ziploc makes a dual seal bag which might work better, but I haven't seen them on the two gallon bags yet. Also they make what they call brining bag, I saw them about a year ago around Thanksgiving, but I think they were just larger bags with the same seal.

If I have a lot of chickens to do, I will brine in a cooler, using bags of ice (in sealable bags), to keep the brine and meat below 40F, but the cooler is a pain to clean afterwards.

[whitetailfan]

Pork shoulder to be weighed tonight for timing.  Rub overnight on into the smoker she goes.  Food, friends, and game 6 Saturday.  Leftovers, more beer and the US Open on Sunday.

[MWS]

Food, friends, and game 6 Saturday.  Leftovers, more beer and the US Open on Sunday.

Sounds like you have your Fathers Day weekend all planned out. As for game six Whitetail........I sure have a hard time cheering for the Oil.....but......you got to admire the heart and determination. I think their going to win it... I have that feeling.    NOTE: I'm a disgruntled Canuck fan used to dissapointment at the hands of the Oilers.  

[MRH]

2 more beef roasts in as I speak one more of the arm and a chuck. Have friends coming over tonight last time it took 3 hours so I hould be just right.

Mark

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

owrstrich,

Seems like a lot of food for just you and the little lady.

Arcs_n_Sparks