It was too beautiful this weekend in Atlanta NOT to fire up the smoker. First smoke of the new year! Did a shoulder (butt) and two whole chickens today; started the pork at around 8:20 and threw the chickens on around 10:30. Pork was a little over 8.5 lbs and the birds were about 5 lbs each. Rubbed some mustard on the butt, but otherwise left it alone. Brined the chickens overnight in a salt and brown sugar solution, then rubbed them down with a brown sugar/salt/black pepper/paprika/garlic powder mix and drizzled them with olive oil. Slathered on some maple syrup about fifteen minutes before pulling them off. Pork took 10 hours and 20 minutes and the chickens took 4+ hours. Kept the heat in the 220-250 range most of the time. Had one major temperature plunge (to about 150!) that forced me to throw some charcoal on, and one flare-up to 315 or so that died down within 5 minutes.
I usually like to use oak with a little hickory thrown in--say 3/1 or 4/1 oak to hickory--but today I didn't have any oak at my disposal. Ended up using a 50/50 mix of apple and hickory--first time smoking with apple. It gave off a great smell and helped neutralize the strong taste that a 100% hickory smoke will give your meat--really mellowed out both the pork and the chicken. Oak is still my wood of choice, but I'm really pleased with how the apple did today as a stand-in.
Anyway, on to the pictures. Normally I chronicle my smokes as they happen, but today there was too much good basketball on to take more than a few pictures.
Here's everything about 3 hours into the pork smoke and 1 hour into the chicken smoke:
Here are the chickens after I took them out of the smoker, and then how the meat looked after I pulled it. Man, is it tasty. The brine made it super moist and tender. Got about 50/50 white and dark meat, slapped it between two slices of bread with some a couple slices of Swiss cheese and some mustard, and grilled the sucker. Best lunch I've had in a while. Only disappointment is that the skin didn't stay one very well when I pulled the meat.
Last two pictures are of the pork resting once I took it off the smoker and then of the pulled meat. Love the smoke ring I got, and the bark, I think, is my best ever. Really pleased with how this one went. Once I pulled the meat, I tossed it in some Lexington-style sauce. Just had some for dinner and it was delicious. Wish I wasn't so full from lunch so I could've eaten more or it. Gonna portion out both the pork and the chicken tomorrow and freeze a good chunk of it for later.
I usually like to use oak with a little hickory thrown in--say 3/1 or 4/1 oak to hickory--but today I didn't have any oak at my disposal. Ended up using a 50/50 mix of apple and hickory--first time smoking with apple. It gave off a great smell and helped neutralize the strong taste that a 100% hickory smoke will give your meat--really mellowed out both the pork and the chicken. Oak is still my wood of choice, but I'm really pleased with how the apple did today as a stand-in.
Anyway, on to the pictures. Normally I chronicle my smokes as they happen, but today there was too much good basketball on to take more than a few pictures.
Here's everything about 3 hours into the pork smoke and 1 hour into the chicken smoke:
Here are the chickens after I took them out of the smoker, and then how the meat looked after I pulled it. Man, is it tasty. The brine made it super moist and tender. Got about 50/50 white and dark meat, slapped it between two slices of bread with some a couple slices of Swiss cheese and some mustard, and grilled the sucker. Best lunch I've had in a while. Only disappointment is that the skin didn't stay one very well when I pulled the meat.
Last two pictures are of the pork resting once I took it off the smoker and then of the pulled meat. Love the smoke ring I got, and the bark, I think, is my best ever. Really pleased with how this one went. Once I pulled the meat, I tossed it in some Lexington-style sauce. Just had some for dinner and it was delicious. Wish I wasn't so full from lunch so I could've eaten more or it. Gonna portion out both the pork and the chicken tomorrow and freeze a good chunk of it for later.
