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Cured Smoked Braised Pork Shoulder
Well as I wrote elsewhere freshwater fishing for us is sad at the moment so I'm cooking freezer meals. Our local grocery put pork shoulders on sale for 99 cents a pound so I grabbed the largest package in the case to buy.
It was still partial frozen so in the chiller for 2 days to fully thaw before the fillet knife comes out. I make a brine using Morton's Tender Quick and light brown sugar, equal amounts, melted in distilled water on the stove. The Tender Quick has the brine amounts on the back of the bag. After ice is used to chill the brine down I pour it over the pork in the pickling tub.
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So if you know the difference in Pork Roast and Ham please don't be offended here but you would be surprised how many people don't know. So all of it is Pork, what we call "Ham" is just cured Pork. The curing process changes the color of the meat before and after cooking and properly done imparts the "Ham" flavor we all love. Since we have made our own specialty meats here for the last 30 years or so this is "Dialed In". You can see the raw Pork has taken on a grayish tint, that's the curing process completed. 3 days in the chiller and 4in cubes are fully cured. The brown sugar helps give the meat a classic Ham taste.
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After draining and running a little water over the Pork in the sink I pat it dry and put one of my classic rubs on it. I make this one with Green Onion Sausage Seasoning and Light Brown Sugar. If you have heard of "Cajun Land" seasonings, Crab Boil, Fish Fry, etc it is Deep South Blenders who makes all that wonderful stuff. I personally have made custom specialty sausages for 40 plus years and Deep South Blenders owner has put a "Will Call" office there for us Sausage Lovers. I really don't think the kids now adults that own it really like waiting on the public but they have kept their father's idea alive. For that reason I buy all I can from them. So they make this Green Onion Sausage Seasoning, I buy a case at a time, and use for lots of different dishes here. The Rub, 1/2 & 1/2 by Volume, it's potent, don't crust the Pork with it. I use one bowl to dust in another to collect the meat. The Shoulder Bones are saved and left on the smoker till the fire goes out. These gems are tossed into my Red Beans for a Secret Ingredient so to speak.
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My smoker is 30 years old, been scrapped down on the inside a couple of times but still well "Seasoned"! I fire it with all dry Pecan wood, the dampeners rusted in place many moons ago, with dry wood it sits at 225-250 degrees without any attention but feed the fire.
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When smoked I bring the Pork inside, pour Sushi Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar, 2 cans Dr Pepper, and 2 cans distilled water into the sheet pan then cover with Saran Wrap. If you don't cover with Saran Wrap the Pork & Seasonings will eat holes in the lid depositing Aluminum on the meat. Yuck. Alzheimer's I think Aluminum is a source for. So covered into the Convection Oven at 225 degrees for 4 more hours. After cooling I throw the whole pan in the Blast Chiller to solidify the fat to be removed tomorrow. The balance is pulled by hand, mixed with the remaining juices, portioned off, vacuum packed, then frozen. When on The Rez Ross Barnett this we make the Infamous Pulled Pork Tacos with.
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