Tonights cooking projects, need some advice from a pork master

nolaegghead · December 2012

I picked up 3 steelhead filets and one salmon. Around 7 pounds total. I mixed up some cure and started curing them for a cold smoke in a couple of days. The last batch came out so good, I figure it's a good gift food for x-mas I can distribute to friends and eat, of course.

Here's what I need advice on - I've never done one of these, but I picked up a pork picnic - around 8 pounds. I'm about to fire up the egg, it'll probably be ready to go around 10PM. I want to bring pulled pork to work tomorrow for some co-workers. What temp do I need to set the GRATE to have this sucker in the ballpark around 7AM - that's a 9 hour cook. Ideally I'll get up around 6:30 and the temp will be right in the sweet spot. I have a DigiQ DX2, so I can set the temp reliably. I'm thinking around 300.

nolaegghead · December 2012

The salmon is on top...this is before applying the dry cure.

Mighty_Quinn · December 2012

i think you'll be good in the 275-300 range

nolaegghead · December 2012

Thanks - I've done 4 or 5 butts, but never a picnic. I'm guessing it's about the same, but I'm not nearly experienced than most of you guys with pulled pork. So temp for 8 pound pork to 200 in 9 hours is around 275-300.

travisstrick · December 2012

nolaegghead said:

Thanks - I've done 4 or 5 butts, but never a picnic. I'm guessing it's about the same, but I'm not nearly experienced than most of you guys with pulled pork. So temp for 8 pound pork to 200 in 9 hours is around 275-300.

Yes. You can always crank the heat up for the last few hours too. 9hrs is just right though.

nolaegghead · December 2012

Sweet. Thanks. Anyone know if the skin will be good after it gets a nice bark? - something I guess I'll figure out.

Doc_Eggerton · December 2012

Leave a little jigger of Jameson near the Egg before retiring, so the Nac Mac Feegles will tend it through the stall.

The Wee Free Men will see you through.

"Nac Mac Feegle! The Wee Free Men! Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willna' be fooled again!"

Skiddymarker · December 2012

Not much help, other than the 275-300 should do, but I find the picnic cut to have more fat, so if you cool and reheat, think about that, you could be up to your elbows in congealed spooge. (one of your words - hope I used it right) We do picnics regularly they are great if pulled and kept warm, very juicy vs a shoulder/butt. The bark is also much heavier than a butt (I just use rub, no mustard, but that is just a personal choice)

Mighty_Quinn · December 2012

RE the skin, i would cut it off now...more bark that way.

nolaegghead · December 2012

Thanks skiddy, I plan on eating for lunch tomorrow so it'll be FTC through the morning. So the skin is good, but heavier bark.

Doc, I'll do that - but not before I have a little jigger meself. I have some 12 yo special reserve that I haven't touched in months. I'll probably have to chase a hoard of alcoholic neighborhood leprechauns off my back deck in the morning, but I've dealt with worse.

nolaegghead · December 2012

oh, just read your post quinn - ok, I'll circumcise it first. (OWCH!)

nolaegghead · December 2012

hap - yeah, I got dem friends at work. I've already been asked to cook my buddy's turkey for xmas. Love cookin', don't mind it at all.

Mighty_Quinn · December 2012

you probably wont want to eat the skin on a low and slow. sure, it'll protect the meat underneath it and help it stay juicy, but there is enough internal fat,collagen to keep moist. I always have to remove the skin and re-season the meat under it....no bark...all washed away by rendering fat.

Mighty_Quinn · December 2012

fry skin up for cracklins! or roast with skin on and no smoke so the skin can crisp up.....that's good eats.

FlashkaBob · December 2012

I misread the title of your post. I thought you were asking for some advise from a porker. :-??

Skiddymarker · December 2012

Our picnic are "skinned" just like a butt, as I reread if you have skin, leave it on and either make crackling, or take it off before serving, it is crunchy as hell. It will keep it juicy. If the cut looks fatty, you can take the skin off before the cook and treat it like a butt, create a rub bark. As I said, ours comes from the butcher "skinned" most of the time.

If you leave the skin on, you can score it like the edge of a strip loin, expose more to the heat and makes better crackling or as Quinn says, fry em up or roast em.

Skiddymarker · December 2012

Doc_Eggerton said:

Leave a little jigger of Jameson near the Egg before retiring, so the Nac Mac Feegles will tend it through the stall.

The Wee Free Men will see you through.

"Nac Mac Feegle! The Wee Free Men! Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willna' be fooled again!"

Doc - do your Nac Mac Feegles help after you drink an Irish whisky? Seems to me Nola had the right idea, a nice scotch will appease the wee ones.

nolaegghead · December 2012

Been out talking with my neighbor, and some weird inter-species animal fight that sounds like a monkey and a macaw in a blood battle to the bitter end is being waged in the trees in the back yard of some house nearby. Probably just a prelude to end-of-days, nothing to worry about. Thanks for all the advice, my brothers.

nolaegghead · December 2012

FlashkaBob said:

I misread the title of your post. I thought you were asking for some advise from a porker. :-??

I was hoping Kermit the Frog would chime in - he's been the object of Miss Piggy's desires since I was young. No such luck (sad face).

Eggcelsior · December 2012

He was probably the one in the tree getting killed!

It's not easy being green.

nolaegghead · December 2012

...or wearin' a cave-man doily around your neck made of green felt.

nolaegghead · December 2012

Update. I finally got the Picnic on around midnight. Set the temp to 310 - connected the probe to the V-rack. Woke up at 7:00 AM. Internal temp was 201. Probe was spot on. Gotta love stokers. Pulled it off, taste tested - (yum), FTC'd (really just foil and into a soft cooler). Made some NC BBQ sauce, brought it in to work. I'm here just waiting for lunch. Bought a big thing o buns yesterday, so I think we're ready to go.

FlashkaBob · December 2012

Do you not have any work to do when you go to work?

nolaegghead · December 2012

yeah, I'm working on a tool that runs statistics and validation on all the data our analysts upload from their analytical instruments (environmental testing). It looks for screwups - give them feedback so they can go back and fix the problems so they don't snowball on the back end.

FlashkaBob · December 2012

Perhaps you should consider retiring so that you can spend more time on the forum. :))

Environmental testing? Sounds like a government job. Why would you

=))

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Tonights cooking projects, need some advice from a pork master

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