More barbecue - and taking it a step further

[JAB]

Last Friday, I started with these:

 

 

and these:

 

 

and after applying eight hours worth of smoke and heat to the ribs and seventeen hours worth of smoke and heat to the pork butts, I ended up with these:

 

 

and these:

 

 

I also smoked about seven large, bone-in and skin on chicken breasts but who wants to see pictures of boring, old yard bird (okay, so I didn't get any pictures of the chicken.)

 

I pulled a good bit of the pork for a specific application I had in mind:

 

 

but also sliced part of it as I actually prefer sliced pork barbecue to pulled:

 

 

 

So, what was this 'specific application' I had in mind for the pulled pork?  Well, I'll give you a hint.  It involved this piece of equipment (an old warhorse which belonged to my late grandmother, has been in use probably as long as I have been alive and now belongs to me):

 

 

 

Yep, I canned some of the smoked pork.  I used a slightly thinned-down version (thinned it partly with orange juice) of my home-made barbecue sauce for the liquid to add to the jars.  I used pint jars and ended up getting eight jars.  In the oncoming weeks, I will see how well it works out and if I end up liking the finished product I might do more in the future.

 

While I was at it, I also canned four jars of smoked chicken.  After pulling/shredding the chicken I used the bones and skin to make a broth which I then used as the liquid in the jars for canning the chicken.  I then ended up canning five jars of broth with just 'bits' of chicken.  In a few weeks, I will begin using these items to see how well it worked out.  I suspect the chicken will yield the absolute best (and most versatile) results and that I will likely be doing more chicken in the future - probably the next time I find chicken breasts on sale at a great price.  Below is a picture showing example jars of each.  The pork is on the left, the chicken in the middle and the broth with 'bits' of chicken on the right.  I had just finished up when I took the pic - the broth (the last thing I canned) was literally still bubbling a little inside the jar where it hadn't quite stopped 'boiling' yet.

 

Edited September 3, 2013 by JAB

[UncleJak]

Holy smoke! That's awesome!
Will you use the broth as soup starters?

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[JAB]

Holy smoke! That's awesome!
Will you use the broth as soup starters?

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

 

Yep.  I actually put some herbs/spices that I have used in home-made chicken noodle soup that I have canned, before, in the broth.  It will have plenty of flavor without needing to add any more seasoning.  In fact, I had a little left after canning and ended up cooking some rice in it.  The rice absorbed all of the liquid, was perfectly cooked and was delicious.  In a pinch, a person could just heat the canned broth, toss in some rice or noodles and have a pretty decent soup.  Of course, adding carrots, celery and more chicken along with the rice or noodles would only make it that much better.

 

I forgot to say that a good bit of the sliced pork and ribs (what I didn't share with family/friends) came to work with me today and went in the work fridge to be my lunch for most of the week.  I ate sliced pork sandwiches today but for the days I have the ribs I also brought a jar of the corn I canned about this time last year:

 

 

I know that some folks are leery of home-canned goods after about a year but I once canned some Brunswick stew that was just as good when I ate the last jar two years later as it was the day I canned it.

[peejman]

Sounds yummy.  I need to get my smoker fired up again.  I think all that's left from the last round is half a pork loin. 

[JAB]

Sounds yummy.  I need to get my smoker fired up again.  I think all that's left from the last round is half a pork loin. 

 

Smoked pork loin is wonderful stuff.  I considered smoking one this time instead of the ribs but couldn't find a whole loin at what I considered a reasonable price.

[peejman]

Smoked pork loin is wonderful stuff.  I considered smoking one this time instead of the ribs but couldn't find a whole loin at what I considered a reasonable price.

 

 

Yep.  I usually buy 3 - 4 when I find them on sale and throw them in the freezer.  I've got 1 or 2 left from the last sale.

 

Did you do anything special to keep the ribs from drying out?  I've only tried ribs once and the results weren't real good.  Edible, but kinda dry. 

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That looks wonderful. Don't forget to keep the black powder away from your grandmother's fine utensil. :D

 

My wife has two of those fine pressure cookers and has canned plenty of good meat. I'll have to smoke something

and let her have a go at your masterpiece, though. Pulled or cut never made a difference to me, either. Cut is every

bit as good for BBQ.

[Mark A]

Man, I just finished canning up about 8 gallons of chicken stock. We use it in everything.

 

I can raw chicken. Have thought about canning smoked chicken but have not gotten around to it. I usually can legs and thighs. The first couple of cans were experiments then I did a bunch to put away.

 

After I let the chicken sit around I finally opened it to see how it did. Surprisingly it tasted like... canned chicken. And by that I mean exactly like canned chicken you buy in the store. My wife was skeptical and wouldn't try it for about 3 days until she saw I didn't die...

 

Probably the most experimental I've gotten is canning ground turkey. I cooked it with taco seasoning. It is really good and an easy way to have mexican for dinner during the week.

 

I'm curious to see how the pork works out. The nervous nellies that live in our world today get all flustered when you talk about canning pork. I think it should work.

 

Mark

[JAB]

Yep.  I usually buy 3 - 4 when I find them on sale and throw them in the freezer.  I've got 1 or 2 left from the last sale.

 

Did you do anything special to keep the ribs from drying out?  I've only tried ribs once and the results weren't real good.  Edible, but kinda dry. 

 

I'm gonna share a great tip with you that will keep your smoked meats from drying out, prevent having too much char on the outside (a little char/bark is good, too much is not) and generally raise your results to a whole, new level - a tip that I didn't come up with entirely on my own but that another smoked meat devotee shared with me.  In a word, cheesecloth.

 

Cut a length of cheesecloth that will be long enough to wrap around the meat a time or two.  Cheesecloth is generally folded and then 'rolled' up.  Once unrolled and cut, unfold the length of cheesecloth.  For ribs, I generally leave it folded in half so that one pass at wrapping makes two layers of wrap.  Leave the cheesecloth wrapped around the meat until time to take it off the smoker.  Keep the cheesecloth moist with the liquid of your choice.  With some experimentation, I have found that I like a mix of vinegar and water.  The vinegar gives a nice 'tang' that works especially well if you are doing dry rub with no sauce but is also good if you are using a sauce.  Now, you don't want too much vinegar - maybe 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water - and things like apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar are best although white vinegar will work.  Re-wet the cheesecloth every so often while the meat smokes

 

When the meat is done, remove the cheesecloth.  Now, this can be a little tricky until you get used to it and may remind you of articles in National Geographic or shows on Discovery where they are unwrapping a mummy.  One thing I will say is that it is generally best to remove the cheesecloth as quickly as possible - it gets harder to remove as the meat and cheesecloth cool.  You will probably need shears to help remove the cheesecloth as the heat/smoke will sometimes cause it to 'fuse' together a little.  Don't worry, though, at smoking temps it does not melt or fuse to the meat although it will 'stick' in places, sometimes.  For instance, on the pork butts most of the fat layer on the bottom pulled away from the meat with the cheesecloth.  That isn't a problem, though, and is kind of a bonus because it saved me having to cut that fat layer off.

 

Another good thing the damp cheesecloth does is that if you use a dry rub you can put it on before wrapping the meat - right at the very beginning - and the spices won't burn.  The pork butts I did this time got no sauce or seasoning beforehand or while smoking other than the vinegar (I made a 'table' sauce for it.)  The same goes for the chicken.  With a good smoke and the hint of 'tang' from the vinegar, it almost doesn't need any more seasoning (plus I didn't want to get too many spices going because of my intent to can it.)  The ribs got a pretty heavy dose of a rib rub of my own devising.

[JAB]

Man, I just finished canning up about 8 gallons of chicken stock. We use it in everything.

 

I can raw chicken. Have thought about canning smoked chicken but have not gotten around to it. I usually can legs and thighs. The first couple of cans were experiments then I did a bunch to put away.

 

After I let the chicken sit around I finally opened it to see how it did. Surprisingly it tasted like... canned chicken. And by that I mean exactly like canned chicken you buy in the store. My wife was skeptical and wouldn't try it for about 3 days until she saw I didn't die...

 

Probably the most experimental I've gotten is canning ground turkey. I cooked it with taco seasoning. It is really good and an easy way to have mexican for dinner during the week.

 

I'm curious to see how the pork works out. The nervous nellies that live in our world today get all flustered when you talk about canning pork. I think it should work.

 

Mark

 

Heh, people used to 'can' duck in earthenware jars with a cork stuck in the jar opening and maybe a little wax to seal them.  Of course, they did it confit style where the fat was rendered and then used to encase and preserve the lean.  That seems kind of odd to me, though, as fat generally goes rancid more quickly.  In fact, I have read some advice stating you should remove as much fat as possible before canning meat to keep it from tasting 'funny' after it sits for a while.

 

For that matter, people used to 'can' pork sausage and, to my understanding at least, they didn't even process the jars.  They would just fry the sausage in patties or balls, pack them still hot into jars, pour in the rendered fat/grease from cooking the sausage and put on the lid.  I think many folks would then turn the jars upside down until the fat cooled and solidified.

 

This barbecue pork was processed for 75 minutes at 12 to 14 pounds of pressure ( which is roughly 250 degrees - I had to keep adjusting it.)  My only concern is that the canning process might negatively impact the flavor.  Like you, I am sure it will be plenty safe to eat.

 

You might find the following, linked article interesting:

 

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay105.html

[Mark A]

Good reading there JAB.

Speaking of smoking things, ever smoke veggies? I quarter a bunch of tomatoes and onions and anything else I want to be in salsa and smoke it real low for a couple of hours and then make salsa and can it. I just have to remember to control the amount of peppers in it. If I make it just for me it ends up kind of nuclear hot...

Mark

[peejman]

I'm gonna share a great tip with you that will keep your smoked meats from drying out, prevent having too much char on the outside (a little char/bark is good, too much is not) and generally raise your results to a whole, new level - a tip that I didn't come up with entirely on my own but that another smoked meat devotee shared with me.  In a word, cheesecloth.

 

Cheesecloth.  I've heard that before.  Perhaps even here, perhaps even from you.  One of these days I'll remember to get some and try it.

[JAB]

Good reading there JAB.

Speaking of smoking things, ever smoke veggies? I quarter a bunch of tomatoes and onions and anything else I want to be in salsa and smoke it real low for a couple of hours and then make salsa and can it. I just have to remember to control the amount of peppers in it. If I make it just for me it ends up kind of nuclear hot...

Mark

 

I have never really 'smoked' a lot of vegetables.  I have grilled plenty, though.

 

That salsa idea sounds really good and is along the lines of something I have done in the past.  As I said, I used the grill instead of the smoker but the idea is the same.  I was getting ready to can some tomatoes/homemade tomato sauce and decided that rather than blanching the tomatoes to remove the skins I would give them a quick char on the grill.  Worked great, the skins came off easily and I got a nice, smoky/roasted flavor in the canned tomatoes.  I have also grilled tomatoes and sliced onions to make fresh (eat it right then) salsa.

 

One thing I have done is smoked chile peppers.  Chipotle are, of course, smoked (and, usually, dried) jalapenos.  I decided to try doing some of my own (with pecan which is apparently a traditional wood for chipolte, as is mesquite.)  Well, that year I had an overabundance of habaneros and, never content to leave well enough alone, I decided to smoke some of them, too.  That first time, I kept the smoker going extremely low and slow for a couple of days and actually used the smoker to dry the peppers.  Since then, I have changed my method to smoking the peppers, first then putting them in the electric dehydrator to completely dry.  In fact, I haven't taken any pics but I have some ghost peppers, serranos and a few hot cherry peppers that I smoked after the above meats came off and just finished dehydrating.  I go a lot more dry than some so that I can crush the peppers into powder to be added just like any other seasoning to things I am cooking or used in my spice blends.

 

In the past, I did well growing peppers every year and would generally have a huge surplus to smoke and/or dry.  Where I live, now, nothing I plant does all that well (soil sucks) so I buy peppers and don't work with such large volumes but I still have to smoke some each year.

Edited September 5, 2013 by JAB