Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons (30 page)
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Authors: Colleen Rush,Gary Wiviott
BOOK: Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons
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WHEN MEAT “PLATEAUS”MEAT BEGINS TO SHRINK AND BREAK DOWN
as soon as it hits the grate. When the meat’s internal temperature hits the 160°F to 170°F range, the streaks of fat and connective tissue inside the meat begin to liquefy and run out, which has a cooling effect on the meat. At this point the meat enters a sort of limbo: the temperature can stall in this range for several hours while the connective tissue continues to break down.When the cell structure in the meat has shrunk as much as possible and most of the fat has been rendered, the internal temperature of the meat will start to rise again. At some point in the last hours of the cook, when you check the internal temperature of the meat, you will notice the temperature slowly increasing. It will break away from the plateau and start creeping past 175°F. This is your cue to start checking the meat for doneness every twenty to thirty minutes. (See The Wabba Wabba, page 186.)
IN BARBECUE, IT’S CALLED THE “WABBA
wabba”—the point when the tough connective tissue, fat, and meat in a pork shoulder finally surrenders. It wabbas. The pork slumps under its own weight, and the meat looks as if it is pulling itself apart, particularly in the area around the blade bone. There are various general indicators of doneness, but the shoulder is only truly done when you observe all three of these signs in the meat.
wabba”—the point when the tough connective tissue, fat, and meat in a pork shoulder finally surrenders. It wabbas. The pork slumps under its own weight, and the meat looks as if it is pulling itself apart, particularly in the area around the blade bone. There are various general indicators of doneness, but the shoulder is only truly done when you observe all three of these signs in the meat.
EASY PIERCING
Insert a meat fork into the shoulder. Does the fork glide easily into the meat?
Insert a meat fork into the shoulder. Does the fork glide easily into the meat?
PULLING AWAY
Check the blade bone. Is the meat pulling away from the bone? Is the bone loose when you wiggle it with a pair of tongs?
Check the blade bone. Is the meat pulling away from the bone? Is the bone loose when you wiggle it with a pair of tongs?
RIGHT TEMPERATURE
Poke an instant-read thermometer into a meaty (not fatty) section of the shoulder. Is the temperature 197°F to 200°F?
Poke an instant-read thermometer into a meaty (not fatty) section of the shoulder. Is the temperature 197°F to 200°F?
If you can say “yes” unequivocally to all three questions, the pork is done.
POINTERS FOR SERVING PORK SHOULDERCHOPPED BARBECUE HAS A SOFTER TEX
ture. It’s the typical method of serving whole barbecued pig because chopping allows mixing in of pieces of skin and different parts of the pig. Since you’re only cooking a shoulder, chopping is a matter of personal preference.
ture. It’s the typical method of serving whole barbecued pig because chopping allows mixing in of pieces of skin and different parts of the pig. Since you’re only cooking a shoulder, chopping is a matter of personal preference.
PULL THE MEAT WHEN IT IS STILL WARM.
If the meat is allowed to cool completely, the fat in the meat hardens and you lose the fall-apart-tender pull-ability. Use two forks to pull the meat apart in threads.
If the meat is allowed to cool completely, the fat in the meat hardens and you lose the fall-apart-tender pull-ability. Use two forks to pull the meat apart in threads.
SLICE IT
when practicality and personal safety dictate pulling the meat off the cooker before the wabba wabba happens. Or when the meat just isn’t giving it up after ten hours. If you’ve got hungry, angry guests who are going cannibal on you, slice the meat like you would any roast. You should also slice it if you’re starting from a cold, cooked shoulder.
when practicality and personal safety dictate pulling the meat off the cooker before the wabba wabba happens. Or when the meat just isn’t giving it up after ten hours. If you’ve got hungry, angry guests who are going cannibal on you, slice the meat like you would any roast. You should also slice it if you’re starting from a cold, cooked shoulder.
MIX MRS. WHITE
(see opposite page)—the pockets of rendered fat—with the rest of the meat. You can also save a hunk of her to throw in any barbecue sauce.
CONTINUING EDUCATION(see opposite page)—the pockets of rendered fat—with the rest of the meat. You can also save a hunk of her to throw in any barbecue sauce.
PORK SHOULDER IS ONE OF THE MEATIEST, TOUGHEST, AND FATTIEST
cuts on a pig, which is what makes it ideal for low and slow cookery. Under the proper care, this burly piece of meat turns into fall-apart-tender pork, and can change even the most effete eater into a slobbering carnivore.
cuts on a pig, which is what makes it ideal for low and slow cookery. Under the proper care, this burly piece of meat turns into fall-apart-tender pork, and can change even the most effete eater into a slobbering carnivore.
Pork shoulder goes by a few aliases, including Boston butt, pork butt, and pork shoulder roast. There are two sections to a pork shoulder: the top portion, called the “butt,” and the “picnic ham” or “picnic roast” from the bottom, leg section of the shoulder. Skilled barbecue cooks might do a whole shoulder, but for this lesson, use the butt section only. The instructions are specific to the top portion of the shoulder, and the cook would go differently for the tougher and less forgiving picnic portion.
MEET MR. BROWN
AND
MRS. WHITEPLEASE REFER TO THE CRUSTY,
caramelized bark on a pork shoulder as Mr. Brown. The fatty bit that runs through the meat is Mrs. White. Both are so delicious, you have to be formal. No doubt many fistfights have started over these coveted pieces, and they deserve the utmost respect.
BEFRIEND A BUTCHER .
Meat counter staff can help you pick the right piece of meat if you have good rapport.
Meat counter staff can help you pick the right piece of meat if you have good rapport.
AIM FOR UNIFORMITY.
For the WSM or offset cooks, the butts don’t have to be exactly seven pounds, but try to get two shoulders of approximately the same weight.
For the WSM or offset cooks, the butts don’t have to be exactly seven pounds, but try to get two shoulders of approximately the same weight.
FAT IS GOOD.
Look for cuts with a good, solid surface fat cap and even marbling throughout.
Look for cuts with a good, solid surface fat cap and even marbling throughout.
SHAKE (YES , SHAKE) THE MEAT.
Fat hardens when it’s cold, so at refrigerator temperature, the shoulder should be firm. This indicates good marbling. It should not be floppy—a sign that it’s too lean.
Fat hardens when it’s cold, so at refrigerator temperature, the shoulder should be firm. This indicates good marbling. It should not be floppy—a sign that it’s too lean.
CHECK THE BLADE BONE.
Ideally, it should be smack in the middle of the roast. A well-centered bone will help conduct heat more evenly through the meat.
RUBS AND WASHESIdeally, it should be smack in the middle of the roast. A well-centered bone will help conduct heat more evenly through the meat.
AFTER EIGHT TO TWELVE HOURS ON
a cooker, the herbs and spices in a rub mellow and lose some bite. For a more assertive flavor, rubs built for a long low and slow cook should be considerably more aggressive than rubs you use for quick grilling. A wash or mop—like the Tart Wash (page 115)—spiked with your rub of choice is another way to layer flavors and reinforce the punch of the rub at the end of the cook.
a cooker, the herbs and spices in a rub mellow and lose some bite. For a more assertive flavor, rubs built for a long low and slow cook should be considerably more aggressive than rubs you use for quick grilling. A wash or mop—like the Tart Wash (page 115)—spiked with your rub of choice is another way to layer flavors and reinforce the punch of the rub at the end of the cook.
A warning on “mops”: most people use them incorrectly and with the wrong intentions. A mop should not be applied throughout the cook, and it does not make pork shoulder or other barbecued meat juicy. It is physiologically impossible for a thin coat of liquid—no matter how tasty it is—to penetrate an eight-pound hunk of meat. Opening the cooker 703 times to douse the meat is also a good way to guarantee a longer cook and, possibly, a plate full of mediocre barbecue.
To minimize temperature fluctuations in the cooker and maximize the flavor in the rub, the seasoned liquid should be used only in the last half hour of the cook and only when you are already opening the lid of the cooker to check for doneness or the level in the water pan.
ROSEMARY-
SAGE RUB
SAGE RUB
The combination of rosemary and sage can be overpowering, but this strong blend turns sublime when rubbed on a pork butt and cooked low and slow for hours. It’s very different from the paprika and pepper rubs common in barbecue—and that’s the point. Backed by the Rosemary-Sage Wash, this is the rub you go to when you want to fancy-up pulled pork or other barbecued pork to serve to barbecue dilettantes.
MAKES ABOUT ¾ CUP
3 tablespoons crumbled dried rosemary
1½ tablespoons crumbled dried sage
or ½ tablespoon ground sage
3 tablespoons Morton kosher salt
3 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons onion powder
1½ tablespoons crumbled dried sage
or ½ tablespoon ground sage
3 tablespoons Morton kosher salt
3 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons onion powder
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
Sprinkle each pork shoulder with about ¼ cup of rub, reserving 2 tablespoons to use in the Rosemary-Sage Wash.
TIP:
Cracking peppercorns is a good way to get a bold, aggressive pepper flavor in a rub. To crack, place the peppercorns in a zip-top bag and lightly crush with a rolling pin or the flat side of a cleaver. Peppercorns can also be cracked using a mortar and pestle.
ROSEMARY-SAGE WASH
Apple, rosemary, and sage are classic flavor matches for pork, and this wash brings them all together in perfect harmony. The contrast of the savory and herbal seasonings with the sweetness of the apple juice creates an incredible bark on a pork shoulder layered with the Rosemary-Sage Rub.
MAKES 1 CUP
¾ cup apple juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Rosemary-Sage Rub
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Rosemary-Sage Rub
Pour the juice, oil and rub into a plastic condiment squirt bottle. Shake vigorously until the rub is dissolved and the mixture is blended, like vinaigrette, about 1 minute.
Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The oil in the wash will thicken when it is cold. Allow the wash to reach room temperature before using, and shake vigorously to re-blend.
To use, spritz a light coat of the wash—enough to moisten, but not soak—over pork shoulder or ribs when you check for doneness during the last 30 minutes of the cook.
SOUTHWEST RUB
Cumin is a familiar flavor in Southwest cuisine. Paired with the distinct, smoky and spicy Mexican pepper blend, this rub holds up very well over a long, slow pork shoulder cook.
MAKES ABOUT ¾ CUP
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup Toasted Mexican Pepper Blend (page 18)
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
(see tip, page 189)
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ cup Toasted Mexican Pepper Blend (page 18)
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
(see tip, page 189)
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
Store in an airtight container for up to two months.
SOUTHWEST WASH
Cumin and I have something in common: an affinity for beer. The big, bold spice is a natural companion for the strong chile pepper blend, too. Blended with beer and oil, the rub makes a fine wash for ribs or pork shoulder.
MAKES 1¼ CUPS
8 ounces (1 cup) beer
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Southwest Rub
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Southwest Rub
Pour the beer, oil, and rub into a plastic condiment squirt bottle. Shake vigorously until the rub is dissolved and the mixture is blended, like a vinaigrette, about 1 minute.
Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The oil in the wash will thicken when it is cold. Allow the wash to reach room temperature before using, and shake vigorously to re-blend.
To use, spritz a light coat of the wash—enough to moisten, but not soak—over pork shoulder or ribs when you check for doneness during the last 30 minutes of the cook.
HERBES DE PROVENCE RUB
French cuisine and wine are not the first things that come to mind with low and slow cookery, but the classic blend of herbes de Provence is a good match for pork. Lavender enhanced by a chorus of aromatic herbs creates a subtle flavor—at least by barbecue standards—but coriander gives it bite. The crisp, clean, fruit-forward French rosé in the wash is a natural pairing with rich, fatty pork, and it really picks up the flavor of the rub.
MAKES ABOUT
½
CUP
½
CUP
4 tablespoons Morton kosher salt
4 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
Store in an airtight container for up to two months.
HERBES DE PROVENCE WASH
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
12 ounces (1½ cups) French rosé wine
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence Rub
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence Rub
Pour the wine, oil, and rub into a plastic condiment squirt bottle. Shake vigorously until the rub is dissolved and the mixture is blended, like a vinaigrette, about 1 minute.
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