Pork Picnic with crispy skin

[WayneT]

When Food Lion was having their recent sale on Pork Butts for $1.99/lb I opted for this 9.4 lb bone-in, skin-on picnic for $2.79/lb instead. I want to smoke it like eastern NC style pulled pork with a crispy, crunchy skin. (I fondly remember the crispy pork skins from Scott's and Wilbur's BBQ back in Goldsboro in the 1960s.)


I'm thinking of making this the centerpiece of the family Christmas 11:00 am brunch this coming Friday using the J. Kenji Lopez-Alt recipe found here. I do plan to smoke it on the Copperhead 5 at 250F using hickory pellets for the roasting part. Then, I'll crisp the skin on my Weber gasser. Following this method should provide the ultra-crispy skin and if I serve it whole, will make a great presentation.

Anyone having experience with crisping the skin and any potential pitfalls, please share any pearls of wisdom with me.

[LA Pork Butt]

If you are open to it they make great Cubano sandwiches!

[WayneT]

I actually make a pretty darn good pan Cubano and my wife makes killer mojo sauce for the pork. So, for leftovers, you can bet that option is on the table.

[WayneT]

Ol’ Man Winter is throwing me a curve for my pork picnic cook. I was originally planning on smoking it overnight Thursday-Friday but it’s going to be cold and rainy then so that’s a non-starter for me. Since the meal is late Friday morning, I could smoke it Wednesday, the last day with decent weather before the meal. If I do this, then refrigerate it fully cooked, what would be the best way to reheat it and still achieve a crispy skin on Friday morning without overcooking or drying out the meat? I really wanted to serve it whole for a mini-pig pickin’ style presentation but I’m not sure that’s still possible. Sous vide is a reheat option but I question how that method would affect the skin with all the extracted juices in the bag. Anyone ever separated the skin from a pork roast and cooked it separately? Any advice is welcome and encouraged.

[CHNeal]

Following along hoping to learn something!

[WayneT]

Four and one half hours into this cook. Should hit the stall pretty soon.


No rub. No bark. Just spritzing every 45 minutes with ACV/red pepper sauce. That’s the way they roll in eastern NC.

[Jerod Broussard]

Pour hot oil over the skin before serving.

[texastweeter]

Yep

[WayneT]

7+ hours into the cook.



Nice bone pull-back.

[WayneT]

After 11.5 hours at 250F, this picnic was just shy of 195F and probing tender. The bone was extremely loose also.


Out of the smoker and into the cooler for a rest before refrigeration until Friday morning.