Sacred Pig
Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:16 amWell, 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.
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.
