Sacred Pig

[vagreys]

Well, I have a guaranteed 5 days of clear skies and low humidity, so I committed and bought pork for a Sacred Pig barbeque. Sacred Pig is where I do a bunch of pork low and slow in my offset smoker at a minimum of 2 hrs per pound for the largest piece of meat, at around 220°F (104.4°C). I use a combination of oak and hickory. I'll be making up my Memphis-style rub and sauce, as usual (recipes located in our rubs and marinades forum), and I'll be doing a Piedmont NC-style and an eastern NC-style sauce, as well, for my guests. I'm also making a St. Louis/KC style sauce for my wife, who likes sweet ribs.

This time, I'm cooking 4 (about 37 lbs) skin-on picnic shoulders (the shank half of a whole shoulder - what is called in the UK a "hand" I think), three 3-lb slabs of spareribs (chine bone removed, but not St. Louis trim), and three 1.8-lb slabs of loin ribs. The spareribs will be dry-rubbed. The loin ribs will be sweet and glazed.

The shoulders will cook for about 20 hours, this time, with me tending the fire every 45 minutes or so. It's a labor of love and ritual I savor. Nothing like sitting through the night, watching the stars and listening to the smoker and wood coals sing quietly, and that constant perfume of smokey 'que.

[Vindii]

Sounds like a feast.

[DanMcG]

LOL, your smoker must be a lot bigger then mine! Sounds like you're going to be eating well, enjoy yourself and share a couple pic's if you get a chance.

[vagreys]

I decided to do something different with the loin ribs, and did a moderately spicy rub with a blackberry glaze. The fruit and spice did well. When I went to pull the picnics out of the smoker, the shank bone pulled right out of the first shoulder. I was more careful with the rest. Can you still call it "pulling" if you shake the meat off the bone? Having the last of the Memphis dry ribs, today. After what we ate and gave away, I still have 8 lbs of pulled pork vac-packed in the freezer.

[wheels]

Sounds fantastic.

Any photos?

(I don't know why I'm asking 'cos it'll only make me jealous!)

Phil

[vagreys]

Sorry, all. No photos. Not much on pics, but I'll have to do better about that.