phil-c > wrote in news:gntqgv$7m9$5
@news.motzarella.org:

> What do you use before you smoke your pork ?
>
> 2 what wood do you smoke with ?
>
> 3 hot or cold smoke ?
>
>

I use a spice rub, the night before the hot smoke using crab apple wood.
I rub the roast with a garlic powder, black pepper, brown mustard seed,
brown sugar, salt , dried orange zest, and chipotle rub; which changes
for very roast as I don't use set measurements or fixed spices. Ask any
here who know me...I am very fickle when I cook changing many things on a
whim. The roast rests overnight in the fridge of course. I also smoke
using cheapie aluminum foill pans. Less clean up that way. I don't use a
brine or marinade. I just don't see the point and feel the smoke defeats
the purpose. And I use a homemade apple butter BBQ suace only at the
table.

I set the smoker up at around 225 - 240 F (it's a natural gas smoker). I
forget the name but is a water container type. It looks like a bar fridge
on tall legs. I let the roast smoke replenishing the wood for the first 2
hours, till an internal temp of 185-190 F...say 6-10 hours or so. I find
too much smoke leaves a bitter taste and for my preferences 2 hours of
smoke works well. I am way too lazy to attempt cold smoking. The natural
gas smoker is a lazy man's smoker as all you need do is check on it every
hour or so after the temp is stable.

If I think the meat needs it, when I check on it, I have been know to
mopp it with a apple juice, fish sauce and hot sauce mix. I mopp using a
mister type spray bottle.

This spring I am going to try smoking using birch. I like the smell of a
birch fire. Many people up here use birch in their fireplaces and you can
smell it when you walk around this time of year.

I have found that smoked red bell peppers taste very nice, so when I do a
roast I will chuck in 5 or 6 on a different shelf and in a different pan
than the meat. These I use later in salads, sanndwiches, soups, scrambled
eggs and stews. Heck I use them in any recipe I think they'd be tasty. I
am thinking smoked bell peppers in a cornbread might be nice as well.

If you are just starting out smoking may I suggest practising on chicken.
Take one or 2 chickens turn them into chicken parts, invent your rub, and
smoke them. A cheap and easy way to experiment. And only takes about 2
hours for the parts to be cooked.

My daughter pruned a large crab apple tree last year so I have a mess of
crab apple wood.

I like smoked pork shoulder more than smoked brisket. Either is nice but
to me the pork is tastier.

--

The beet goes on -Alan