Yesterday was 40F and breezy, and I was on the patio with a pork butt, the Chop-Rite #10, and the 22-inch Weber. I had two plans: One was to grind most of the pork for breakfast sausage, and the other was to smoke some of the pork to cube into a batch of chili. I had originally intended to buy smoked hocks for the chili, but nothing looked too tempting so I decided to go the DIY route. I used the Weber because of the breeze, since it can ignore wind.
First, cutting boards and my boning knife. As soon as I sliced into the meat I knew I had a good piece for sausage. I cut a few nice thick steaks before boning the rest for the grinder.
First I ran most of the meat through the coarse plate under the close supervision of a beverage and the radio playing NPR. I've been using those steel bowls for about 25 years. The Masterbuilt offset and Lin's big propane grill photobomb the shot.
This is the coarse plate for a first grind. Later, I switched to the "hamburger" plate for the second grind but the cold air made the fat too firm to go through the plate well, so I moved that part of the operation back indoors. The sausage seasoning was the basic sage-salt-pepper with a kiss of rosemary. The herbs were grown last year right there at the edge of the patio.
The steaks got a rub which turned out to be more peppery than I expected. :rolleyes:
Then a modest load of charcoal with some maple splits for flavor. I deliberately set up the fire so part of the grill would be hotter. I did not intend to completely cook the meat, just put some smoke and char on it. The cooking would be completed either in a batch of chili, or when frying the sausage.
I used the top vent to control the air flow, an old habit of mine. I let it run a bit fast and smoky since this wasn't going to be a long slow cook with a big piece.
This is what I mean when I say there is a blurred area between smoking and grilling when using a direct setup. The charred piece was in the center before this shot; it was diced up to go into the chili. The other pieces are just picking up some golden color. I did not want to cook them completely because they were going into the grinder. This is the first time I've tried grinding partially-cooked meat.
The jalapenos are there because jalapeno.
So here we are. Some charred for the chili, some just smoked and lightly cooked for the sausage, and some just for snacking on the spot.
Wheeee!
First, cutting boards and my boning knife. As soon as I sliced into the meat I knew I had a good piece for sausage. I cut a few nice thick steaks before boning the rest for the grinder.
First I ran most of the meat through the coarse plate under the close supervision of a beverage and the radio playing NPR. I've been using those steel bowls for about 25 years. The Masterbuilt offset and Lin's big propane grill photobomb the shot.
This is the coarse plate for a first grind. Later, I switched to the "hamburger" plate for the second grind but the cold air made the fat too firm to go through the plate well, so I moved that part of the operation back indoors. The sausage seasoning was the basic sage-salt-pepper with a kiss of rosemary. The herbs were grown last year right there at the edge of the patio.
The steaks got a rub which turned out to be more peppery than I expected. :rolleyes:
Then a modest load of charcoal with some maple splits for flavor. I deliberately set up the fire so part of the grill would be hotter. I did not intend to completely cook the meat, just put some smoke and char on it. The cooking would be completed either in a batch of chili, or when frying the sausage.
I used the top vent to control the air flow, an old habit of mine. I let it run a bit fast and smoky since this wasn't going to be a long slow cook with a big piece.
This is what I mean when I say there is a blurred area between smoking and grilling when using a direct setup. The charred piece was in the center before this shot; it was diced up to go into the chili. The other pieces are just picking up some golden color. I did not want to cook them completely because they were going into the grinder. This is the first time I've tried grinding partially-cooked meat.
The jalapenos are there because jalapeno.
So here we are. Some charred for the chili, some just smoked and lightly cooked for the sausage, and some just for snacking on the spot.
Wheeee!
