Smoked Pork Weekend

**Tahyo** · 05-04-2008, 04:02 PM

***** Not sure how comfortable you are with cayenne pepper, so do that one to taste****** Start out with 1/2 teaspoon. Most will come off during smoking, but don't want you to cuss me later if it don't.

**Rick** · 05-04-2008, 06:29 PM

I've got a 5.8 lb. Pork Shoulder Blade Boston Whole (bone in). I have a gas smoker and just picked up a Poulan thermometer so I should be able to control the smoker temp. as closely as I want.

I like the hickory flavor as well and will be using it.

I appreciate the help!

**Tahyo** · 05-04-2008, 06:50 PM

A Note on purchasing Pork.
Read the labels carefully. Hormel brand pork usually injects their pork with a salt solution. Ribs especially.
Also, Walmart or Super Walmart has been known to sell pork shoulders/butts that are "enhanced", meaning injected. You'd figure that WW, SW and Sam's Club meats would all be the same, but apparently the may not be. I usually buy bulk meat for smoking from Sam's Club and so far I have never known any of it to be enhanced. When in doubt, read the labels. I'm pretty sure that by law if they inject crap in the meat, they have to put it on the label.

I had a neighbor that wanted me to smoke some ribs for him last year and brought me about 6 packs of Hormel brand baby back ribs. They said on the label they where enhanced. After I finished smoking them and when I was doing the taste test, they were about as nasty salty as you could possibly imagine. I wouldn't have fed that cr@p to my dog.

**Alpine_Sapper** · 05-04-2008, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by Tahyo

A Note on purchasing Pork.
Read the labels carefully. Hormel brand pork usually injects their pork with a salt solution. Ribs especially.
Also, Walmart or Super Walmart has been known to sell pork shoulders/butts that are "enhanced", meaning injected. You'd figure that WW, SW and Sam's Club meats would all be the same, but apparently the may not be. I usually buy bulk meat for smoking from Sam's Club and so far I have never known any of it to be enhanced. When in doubt, read the labels. I'm pretty sure that by law if they inject crap in the meat, they have to put it on the label.

I had a neighbor that wanted me to smoke some ribs for him last year and brought me about 6 packs of Hormel brand baby back ribs. They said on the label they where enhanced. After I finished smoking them and when I was doing the taste test, they were about as nasty salty as you could possibly imagine. I wouldn't have fed that cr@p to my dog.

I get the best deals here at Culebra Meat Market. I know they are only a local chain with like six stores, but I think every city on earth probably has a butcher shop/meat market where you can get deals that beat the "MegaLoMarts" hands down on price and most definitely on quality.

**Tahyo** · 05-04-2008, 07:35 PM

We have a local butcher here, but he's the only one with in miles and he knows it.... prices are just crazy.
Sam's Club has the cryo packed pork butts, brisket and baby back ribs without the additives. They come two to the package and that's the way I buy them.
Other than that we have the major grocery store chains and they never have big cuts of meat other than steaks and the like. Their prices are also too high.

**Rick** · 05-04-2008, 07:54 PM

I get my meat at Kroger or Costco. I like them both and have never had bad meat from either one. Prices are pretty reasonable and Kroger often has some great sales.

**Tahyo** · 05-04-2008, 07:58 PM

I don't think we have any Krogers close by and I think there is a Costco, but it's too far away.
Now... just over the border in Kenosha, Wisconsin is a huge grocery store called Woodman's. Man... they put grocery stores everywhere to shame. If you can't find it there, you don't need it. Name brand, off brand.. you name it...they probably have it and fairly low priced as well. I go there for "bulking up" on variety of things.

**Rick** · 05-04-2008, 08:05 PM

Across the border in Kenosha? Man, you live in Chicago!! They have to have a Krogers.

Illinois is really two states you know. Illinois and Cook County. You have no idea how much time I've spent in Deerfield. I had a vendor located there. Forever and a day.

**Tahyo** · 05-04-2008, 08:08 PM

Bite your tongue man!!!! I don't think I've been to Chicago in 10 years if not more. I'm up in Grayslake. Lake County. Kenosha is maybe 20 minutes from where I live.

We do have a Piggly Wiggly in Grayslake, but man... their stuff sucks.

**Tahyo** · 05-04-2008, 08:12 PM

Just looked up Krogers and the closest one is around 80 something miles south of me. I guess you could say I won't be patronizing their stores anytime soon.

**Rick** · 05-04-2008, 08:17 PM

Lake county, Cook county. tomato tomahto. You got 94 running up there sucking all that human pollution right out of the city.

**Tahyo** · 05-04-2008, 08:19 PM

Yea, you got that right, but at least I don't have that kerosene film all over everything like they do in Cook county close to the flight paths of those jets coming in and out of O'Hare.