bloke barbecue - supercedes previous (OLD) thread

[Michael Bush]

I learned from friends who compete to go ahead and wrap it in foil after two hours even if you're staying with the smoker the whole time. It's not going to take up more smoke flavor once a bark forms anyway, and this keeps the meat from drying out.

[Michael Bush]

They don't sauce their pulled pork for competitions.

I guess it's pretty hard to run a BBQ place without sauce, though. I imagine some (most?) customers pretty much insist on it.

[alfredr]

I have another question too. Is there something that is traditional to do with the skin & fat on the shoulder, or do I fry it up to make chicharrones because we are multi-cultural?

And for everyone's information, Kroger has some pork ribs on sale this weekend for $1.49 / pound. Gotta get me some.

[Michael Bush]

I have another question too. Is there something that is traditional to do with the skin & fat on the shoulder, or do I fry it up to make chicharrones because we are multi-cultural?

And for everyone's information, Kroger has some pork ribs on sale this weekend for $1.49 / pound. Gotta get me some.

I don't know about traditional, but trim it off. There is no shortage of fat in a shoulder to bring flavor, and the blanket of fat keeps the meat underneath from forming a bark. If you leave it, you're likely to end up throwing away the smoke flavor from that whole side of the shoulder.

[If you use a rub (not me, and I'm guessing not bloke either) that's another reason for cutting it off, because it will protect the meat from the rub.]

Ribs are different, more complicated, less forgiving but also less time consuming. But well worth learning to do. First decision: dry or wet?

[alfredr]

Oh, not to worry, ribs I can deal with. Smoke, grill, both, whatever.

I don't season with anything much more than sprinkling with garlic powder and grinding black pepper on .

When my wife has our daughter prepare the meat, I don't know what they may put on. I just cook it.

Thanks for the advice on removing the skin before cooking. Under my wife's guidance, it will become chicharrones, since that side of our multi-culturalism is hers. Unless she says not to. But I have a shoulder already cooked with the skin on that I was wondering what to do with. I think it could still become chicharrones, but need her input.