After last weekends brisket I was anxious to run the smoker again. the brisket was good, but I wanted to try out my new temp probes, charcoal and make an attempt at thin blue smoke.
I found a local outfit that sells Ozark Oak lump (10# for $5), and since I've read good reviews, I decided to give it a try. I like the way it burns... pretty consistent, and I didn't have to babysit nearly as much as I did with wood. I burnt through a whole bag in 8 hours, but I used very little wood. Just enough to keep the smoke thin. Actually, I will admit to having thin smoke about 70-80% of the time... there were times when I let it get a little thick, but I'm getting the hang of it and the next time will be better. Does that amount of charcoal seem about right for my type of smoker (Brinkmann Smoke'n Pit)? I was hoping it would be a little more conservative than that, but I probably need to work on it a bit more... and I need to try the "dryer duct" mod for sure. Ok... I'm getting to the pork...
I bought 2 shoulders from my local butcher... they were packaged together (18 pounds total), but one was smaller than the other so I just planned to put the bigger one closer to the fire.
Here they are all rubbed down with my favorite rub, which I also get from my butcher.
Much less smoke than last weekend, eh? Check out they dual probes and my fancy schmancy little shelf. LOL
I didn't get any pics of the hunks right off the smoker, but here are a few of the yield. I vacuum packed 6 packs for freezing (~1.5 pounds each) and left a couple of pounds out for the family to eat for dinner/lunch.
Mmmmm, ready to eat with some homemade Carolina Red.
I found a local outfit that sells Ozark Oak lump (10# for $5), and since I've read good reviews, I decided to give it a try. I like the way it burns... pretty consistent, and I didn't have to babysit nearly as much as I did with wood. I burnt through a whole bag in 8 hours, but I used very little wood. Just enough to keep the smoke thin. Actually, I will admit to having thin smoke about 70-80% of the time... there were times when I let it get a little thick, but I'm getting the hang of it and the next time will be better. Does that amount of charcoal seem about right for my type of smoker (Brinkmann Smoke'n Pit)? I was hoping it would be a little more conservative than that, but I probably need to work on it a bit more... and I need to try the "dryer duct" mod for sure. Ok... I'm getting to the pork...
I bought 2 shoulders from my local butcher... they were packaged together (18 pounds total), but one was smaller than the other so I just planned to put the bigger one closer to the fire.
Here they are all rubbed down with my favorite rub, which I also get from my butcher.
Much less smoke than last weekend, eh? Check out they dual probes and my fancy schmancy little shelf. LOL
I didn't get any pics of the hunks right off the smoker, but here are a few of the yield. I vacuum packed 6 packs for freezing (~1.5 pounds each) and left a couple of pounds out for the family to eat for dinner/lunch.
Mmmmm, ready to eat with some homemade Carolina Red.