Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [65]
Serve with the rolls.
WHAT IS LIQUID SMOKE?
Liquid smoke, which is basically smoke-flavored water, is a convenient way to enhance the smoky flavor of smoke-grilled ingredients. Smoke consists of two main components known as phases: the first phase is made up of microscopic oily particles, which appear as a haze. These oily particles are dispersed in the second phase, which is an invisible gas made up of aromatic, water-soluble molecules. Liquid smoke is largely made of trapped smoke vapor from the gaseous phase. Since many of the toxic components of smoke (including most tars and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs) are in the oily phase, liquid smoke is relatively safe to use. The smoke flavor in liquid smoke is quite concentrated, so the product should be used judiciously.
SHOULDER HAM/SHOULDER
Picnic Ham Smoke-Braised with Hard Cider Mop
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Picnic ham, the bottom half of the shoulder, is a tough, flavorful cut, riddled with pockets of fat and built for long, slow smoking. Infusing the meat with smoke and grilling the pork slowly enough to melt its tough tissue into gloriously gelatinous globs requires the lowest possible heat. That usually means that the fire is built away from the cooking chamber in a smoker rig. When smoking this cut on a grill you will need to use a form of indirect grilling that uses a small, hot fire able to generate lots of smoke and moderate ambient heat. This means you will use just one burner on a three- or four-burner gas grill, or only half a charcoal chimney’s worth of charcoal or wood for a live fire. The trick is to keep the area of the fire so small that the amount of heat it throws out into the interior of the grill is kept at around 225°F.
INGREDIENTS:
4 to 6 cups hickory or fruitwood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes
3 cups Bourbon Brine
1 bone-in picnic ham (3 to 4 pounds)
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Smokin’ Rub
2⅓ cups Bourbon-Cider Mop
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the brine and pork in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out the air, seal, and refrigerate at least 6 hours or as long as overnight.
Light a grill for indirect low heat, about 225°F, with smoke. Brush the grill grate and coat with oil.
Remove the meat from the brine, and discard the brine. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season all over with ¼ cup of the rub.
Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of rub into the mop in a small bowl.
Drain 1 cup of the wood chips and add to the grill. When you see smoke, put the ham on the grill as far away from the fire as possible. Close the grill lid and cook until the internal temperature of the meat is 160°F and the meat is easily pierced with a fork, 3½ to 4 hours. Baste with the mop every 20 minutes after the first hour of cooking. Add another cup of wood chips to grill whenever the old ones burn out and you no longer see smoke coming from the grill.
Transfer the ham to a cutting board and set aside for 10 minutes before serving. Carve against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices.
COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS/SHOULDER
Apple-Brined Country-Style Pork Ribs
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Country-style ribs come from the shoulder and are the meatiest of all pork ribs. This is mostly because they are not really ribs. They are butterflied shoulder blade chops, which is why they look different from spareribs or baby backs. Country-style ribs are a great buy, with more meat and less bone per pound than other rib cuts, but because of the placement of the bone, they are not good for picking up and eating with your fingers.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Apple-Thyme Brine
6 country-style pork ribs (about 3 pounds total), about 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons Poultry Rub
⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such