![]() ![]() The bark was amazing, nice and thick with cracks exposing the juicy meat below. Although I had been mopping them, it wasn't until they were done that I took a good long stare and marveled at their beauty. The mop sauce is a simple mixture of vinegar, cayenne, salt, and lemon slices, and according to his book, was kept a secret until recently.Īlmost like clockwork, the pork hit 195 degrees and was ready to come out of the smoker 16 hours later. This represented a 180 to my usual apple juice spray with a spicy rub, turning it over and using a spicy mop on a sweet rub instead. ![]() In the last few hours of the cook, Chris Lilly applies a vinegar sauce to the pork every hour. It only took about an hour for the smoker to reach 225, and there it stayed, steady for the entire cook, emitting the sweet smell produced by a combination of oak and apple woods. So a few dozen coals were lit around 9:30pm and, using the minion method on my Weber bullet, I had the pork in right on time. The next day couldn't have come soon enough-it was finally to cook! Needing the butts done at 2pm for Carne-val, I had to get them into the smoker by 10pm the night before. I foiled up my two beautiful butts and gave them a rest to absorb some of the flavors of the rub. I went with it and prayed for the best in the end, also knowing that the chili powder I make packs way more heat than what you get off the shelf.Īlthough the original recipe called for the pork going straight onto the smoker, and there's great worth in a pork butt prep that only takes a few minutes, I have not had a piece of rubbed meat that hasn't improved with an overnight stay in the fridge. I definitely didn't want a pork that was overly sweet, but I also wanted to follow the recipe as closely as possible. I tend to like my rubs on the spicy side, so the recipe for a more sugary one gave me pause. With the pork thoroughly injected, the rub can be applied right away. Although I found something satisfying with my original recipe taking nearly two days from start to finish due to the 12 hour brine, there was something even more satisfying about taking a big needle to a massive hunk of meat-like payback for all those doctors visits. Where I start with a molasses-based brine for my pulled pork, Chris Lilly takes to an injection method-he said to think of it as a "quicky brine." Flavored primarily with apple juice, the liquid gets injected all over the pork butt, filling it with as much juice as it can take. ![]() After this resolve, was there any place else to start except for the recipe that I aspire to? Having a chance to sit down and talk swine with Chris Lilly the day prior to this year's Block Party, then getting some pork making tips the following day, and having eaten another one of his fantastic sandwiches, I thought I really should be shooting for the stars and decided to amp up my pulled pork game. ![]() I figured that I could never match such a seasoned pro, and was perfectly fine with my own pork, so never bothered trying to match it. To this day, I have not eaten a barbecued pork shoulder that is as juicy, tender, and flavorful as the ones that pitmaster Chris Lilly churns out. I actually preferred my homemade pork to most I got in restaurants and at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party, with one big exception, Big Bob Gibson's. In just about one and half Meatwave seasons, I felt my recipe for a smoked pork butt was pretty top notch. Compared to ribs, pulled pork didn't take me long to get it to a place I was happy with. ![]()
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