Project Smoke

wood if you soaked it. Add the wood

as specified by the manufacturer.

WHAT ELSE: If you start with

good pork, season it like you

mean it. and smoke it with

hardwoods. You don’t really

need more flavor. But. some

people—especially on the

competition barbecue circuit-

like to inject shoulders with

melted butter, stock, and/or

cider or bourbon. Note that

soaking the wood in vinegar

is optional, but definitely

separates you from the crowd.

Soak the wood for at least 4 hours or

as long as overnight. If using wood

chunks or chips, place in a large bowl

or bucket with the onion, garlic, and

1 cup of vinegar. Add water to cover

and soak for at least 1 hour.

4. Place the pork shoulder in the
   smoker, fat side up. Smoke the pork
   shoulder until darkly browned and
   crusty on the outside and the meat
   reaches an internal temperature of
   200°F. (Check it with an instant-
   read thermometer or remote digital
   thermometer.) Another test for
   doneness is to pull on the ends of
   any protruding bones—they should
   come out easily. The total smoking
   time will be 6 to 8 hours. Replenish
   the wood as needed.


5. Make the rub: Place the salt, black
   pepper, garlic powder, onion powder,
   and cayenne in a small bowl and mix
   well. Sprinkle the rub on the pork
   shoulder on all sides, rubbing it into
   the meat with your fingers.

.

3. Set up your smoker following the
   manufacturer’s instructions and
   preheat to 225° to 250°F. Drain the

ANATOMY OF A RIB (AND OTHER SMOKED FOODS)

!

G

reat smoked foods are built on layers of flavor.

Each layer has its own texture, aroma, and taste.

Consider that archetype of great barbecue, the

baby back rib.

Meat: The meat below the smoke ring will be

grayish in color for uncured meats (like brisket and

pork shoulder) and crimson-pink in color (for meats

cured with sodium nitrate, like ham and pastrami).

The meat should be tender, but not soft or mushy—

it should have just a little chew to it. Think al dente

for ribs.

Fat: Many smoked and barbecued foods start with

abundantly marbled meats with visible striations

of fat, like brisket or pork belly. Some of this fat

will melt out during cooking, but a portion of it will

remain, becoming cooked and gelatinized. This is in

part responsible for the lusciousness you associate

with great barbecue.

Bark: The dark brown crust consisting of smoke,

spice, fat, and caramelized (browned) meat. This

is the first thing you taste when you bite into a rib,

brisket, or pork shoulder. Good bark will be smoky,

salty, spicy, and firmer than the rest of the meat

(ideally, somewhat crisp).

Smoke ring: The subcutaneous layer of pinkish-red

found just below the crust—the result of a naturally

occurring chemical reaction between the carbon

monoxide and nitrogen dioxide in the smoke and

myoglobin in the muscle tissue of the meats. The

smoke ring is a visual sign that that the smoke

flavor has penetrated into the meat.

Bone: No. you can't eat it. but you sure can gnaw

on it. With a properly cooked rib, the meat will just

barely stick to the bone. If you can pull the bone

out without resistance, the rib is overcooked.

90 | PORK