keeperofsecrets
Full Fledged Farker
I was asked to put my money where my mouth is and bring BBQ in for a work event. Because I don't like seeing any smoke go to waste, I put some stuff on for me.
For the work event, I cooked two pork butts and 12 or so chicken quarters, cheez-its, and "Hunter Mix" nuts and other stuff. For me, I added unsmoked ham hocks, a monster prime brisket, st. Louis Ribs, and beef shanks. I also put a second smoke to some salt. Here it is the morning of:
For those interested, it took FOREVER to find beef shanks that hadn't already been sliced into osso bucco slices - I wanted the whole thing. I finally found what I was looking for in the butcher's freezer at the Nam dae mun Farmer's Market in Norcross, GA. They laughed at me when I asked for it whole...
Having never smoked a whole shank, I looked for advice from many places. There isn't, ahem, a bounty of helpful advice. For Osso Bucco - yes. For the big bone...and smoked? Not so much. Not to say there wasn't any, but I generally like to look at multiple sources to get a feel for the similarities in ingredients and approaches. Couldn't this time, so I winged it. I just used my brisket rub (a slight modification from Dalmatian) and added it to the smoker at or in the neighborhood of 225.
Oh, here's a sexy shot of the brisket:
My first time smoking ham hocks as well. Found them at the same Farmers Market. Brined them in a basic brine overnight. They turned out just fine.
I smoked everything with a mix of white oak and hickory and started at about 0600:
Here's about halfway through after I took the chicken off:
I took everything but the brisket off at about 7:00. Brisket came in at midnight. After trimming, the packer was about 15 lbs, so 18 hours was about right. But this posting is about the shanks. Here they are after I brought them in:
For context, that pan is a full-size hotel pan which measures 12 inches X 20 inches.
The meat was pot roast tender. As tender and as flavorful as the best steak you have ever eaten. It was a transformative experience.
It is a meal that you could use to feed a large family. It's more than a meal, it's a statement. I'll probably cook another pair for thanksgiving, and I bet that more people go for the shank than go for the turkey.
For the work event, I cooked two pork butts and 12 or so chicken quarters, cheez-its, and "Hunter Mix" nuts and other stuff. For me, I added unsmoked ham hocks, a monster prime brisket, st. Louis Ribs, and beef shanks. I also put a second smoke to some salt. Here it is the morning of:
For those interested, it took FOREVER to find beef shanks that hadn't already been sliced into osso bucco slices - I wanted the whole thing. I finally found what I was looking for in the butcher's freezer at the Nam dae mun Farmer's Market in Norcross, GA. They laughed at me when I asked for it whole...
Having never smoked a whole shank, I looked for advice from many places. There isn't, ahem, a bounty of helpful advice. For Osso Bucco - yes. For the big bone...and smoked? Not so much. Not to say there wasn't any, but I generally like to look at multiple sources to get a feel for the similarities in ingredients and approaches. Couldn't this time, so I winged it. I just used my brisket rub (a slight modification from Dalmatian) and added it to the smoker at or in the neighborhood of 225.
Oh, here's a sexy shot of the brisket:
My first time smoking ham hocks as well. Found them at the same Farmers Market. Brined them in a basic brine overnight. They turned out just fine.
I smoked everything with a mix of white oak and hickory and started at about 0600:
Here's about halfway through after I took the chicken off:
I took everything but the brisket off at about 7:00. Brisket came in at midnight. After trimming, the packer was about 15 lbs, so 18 hours was about right. But this posting is about the shanks. Here they are after I brought them in:
For context, that pan is a full-size hotel pan which measures 12 inches X 20 inches.
The meat was pot roast tender. As tender and as flavorful as the best steak you have ever eaten. It was a transformative experience.
It is a meal that you could use to feed a large family. It's more than a meal, it's a statement. I'll probably cook another pair for thanksgiving, and I bet that more people go for the shank than go for the turkey.
