Curing and smoking beef, pork, fish and chicken is a great past time. But pork is my favorite. I make pork belly bacon, pork loin bacon and coppa bacon. I bought a pork shoulder to cut out the coppa muscle for bacon but decided to cure and smoke the entire shoulder. I wasn't sure if I would get a bacon flavored meat or a ham. I followed my bacon cure process. I use 1 tablespoon of Morton tender quick per pound of meat, I also added 1/4 teaspoon of pink salt to give the meat a "cured look". I like using Morton tender quick, the final product always comes out the same.
Before adding the curing salts, I deboned the pork shoulder and removed the pork skin. I put curing salt on the meat, bone and skin. The bone and skin are good for soup or eating. After adding the curing salt, it all goes into the frig for 10 days. After 10 days out comes a cured looking pork shoulder. I let the pork shoulder, bone and skin soak in cool water about 2 hours. This gets a lot of the salt out.
Here is a first for me - I used meat glue to reshape the pork roast into a roll, tied it into shape and put it back into the frig for 24 hours.
On to the smoker. I smoked the pork shoulder 6 hours, the IT was 160. I used apple and alder wood. Both apple and alder give a mild smoky flavor. The meat glue worked, and I have a ham flavored pork roast. Check out the pictures below.
10 pound pork shoulder
Deboned and the skin removed
After curing.
Meat glue added, rolled and tied
Ready for the smoke, note pork skin above the roast. They drip fat during the smoke process
6 hours later
Some good looking eats
The glue worked and it looks like ham, tasted like ham, it must be ham.
The bacon skin turned out to be pork skin chews. Like a smoked pork jerky
This will make a great pot of soup. Nothing wasted.
Before adding the curing salts, I deboned the pork shoulder and removed the pork skin. I put curing salt on the meat, bone and skin. The bone and skin are good for soup or eating. After adding the curing salt, it all goes into the frig for 10 days. After 10 days out comes a cured looking pork shoulder. I let the pork shoulder, bone and skin soak in cool water about 2 hours. This gets a lot of the salt out.
Here is a first for me - I used meat glue to reshape the pork roast into a roll, tied it into shape and put it back into the frig for 24 hours.
On to the smoker. I smoked the pork shoulder 6 hours, the IT was 160. I used apple and alder wood. Both apple and alder give a mild smoky flavor. The meat glue worked, and I have a ham flavored pork roast. Check out the pictures below.
10 pound pork shoulder
Deboned and the skin removed
After curing.
Meat glue added, rolled and tied
Ready for the smoke, note pork skin above the roast. They drip fat during the smoke process
6 hours later
Some good looking eats
The glue worked and it looks like ham, tasted like ham, it must be ham.
The bacon skin turned out to be pork skin chews. Like a smoked pork jerky
This will make a great pot of soup. Nothing wasted.
