As per my many recent posts, I keep enjoying the pork & beef cuts I get in my monthly subscription box from Sonrise Ranch. (I'm not affiliated other than as a happy customer, and I highly recommend Sonrise.)
Today I was just cooking for 2, so a little 2.3 lb piece of pork shoulder was perfect. I dry brined it overnight. Fired up the PK this morning to about 230-240. The pork got my homemade dry rub, which is a pretty standard recipe kinda like the Memphis Dust and thousand others.
I had it on and cooking around 8 a.m. with a couple chunks of avocado wood. Since it's such a small cut, I figured it would be done by mid-afternoon and I could rest it in a cambro while I cooked the veggies. (Spoiler - that's not what happened.)
It was up to 160 and hit the stall by early afternoon, then things took a bad turn. I added more charcoal and got sidetracked on doing some other things, then the fire burned down and airflow got choked with ash. The grill temperature dropped way down. I cleared out the ash, restarted the fire, and hoped for the best. By 4 p.m. internal temp was still only about 170, and I was hoping to eat at 5. I started the sweet potatoes (brushed with butter and S&P) and brussels sprouts (with chopped bacon, garlic, onion, red peppers), and kept hoping for the best. When 5 p.m. rolled around, the pork felt probe tender but was only at 177 internal temp.
I pulled it, cut it open and...
It was perfect. Ridiculously perfect. Pork-candy, melt-in-your-mouth perfect. Not bragging - it was excellent meat and a lot of hoping for the best. Not much of a smoke ring visibly, but good smoky flavor.
And I remembered to take pictures.
Today I was just cooking for 2, so a little 2.3 lb piece of pork shoulder was perfect. I dry brined it overnight. Fired up the PK this morning to about 230-240. The pork got my homemade dry rub, which is a pretty standard recipe kinda like the Memphis Dust and thousand others.
I had it on and cooking around 8 a.m. with a couple chunks of avocado wood. Since it's such a small cut, I figured it would be done by mid-afternoon and I could rest it in a cambro while I cooked the veggies. (Spoiler - that's not what happened.)
It was up to 160 and hit the stall by early afternoon, then things took a bad turn. I added more charcoal and got sidetracked on doing some other things, then the fire burned down and airflow got choked with ash. The grill temperature dropped way down. I cleared out the ash, restarted the fire, and hoped for the best. By 4 p.m. internal temp was still only about 170, and I was hoping to eat at 5. I started the sweet potatoes (brushed with butter and S&P) and brussels sprouts (with chopped bacon, garlic, onion, red peppers), and kept hoping for the best. When 5 p.m. rolled around, the pork felt probe tender but was only at 177 internal temp.
I pulled it, cut it open and...
It was perfect. Ridiculously perfect. Pork-candy, melt-in-your-mouth perfect. Not bragging - it was excellent meat and a lot of hoping for the best. Not much of a smoke ring visibly, but good smoky flavor.
And I remembered to take pictures.
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