Earlier this year we bought a Green Egg. We used it frequently all summer but hadn’t done a really long cook. The holiday weekend seemed like a good opportunity to get a crowd to eat a big pork shoulder. Here’s the menu, and some notes (mostly to myself):
Sides Etc.
Kenji’s Classic Potato Salad
This is the go-to potato salad recipe around here. It is flavorful and tangy.
Red Cabbage Slaw
A quick, easy and non-creamy slaw. Some friends brought this over years ago, and I continue to make it.
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Another quick and easy recipe that yields a delicious product.
The Meats
Update 2020-07-05: I’ve made these a few more times now. I now use this Smoked Gochujang Ribs Recipe.
This is the second time I’ve made these, they are delicious. Some comments about this recipe say it is too salty, so I go really light on the rub. I also skip the smoked paprika in the sauce. There’s probably no need for extra smoke flavor since I add some hardwood (cherry in this case) while cooking. I also cook for longer than specified in the recipe: 4.5 – 6 hours.
The internet has a lot of advice on cooking pork butts. I read a lot, but relied on these instructions Jared sent over:
Night before:
Inject with apple juice
Apply Rub (used Jeff’s Naked Rib Rub)
Wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridgeDay of:
Apply yellow mustard then add more rubSmoke at 250 about 1.5 hrs per pound (edit, closer to 2 hrs to be on the safe side)
Smoke until internal temp 195-205
A vinegar sauce (a.k.a dip) was served on the side.
This butt was about 10 pounds and took a little over 18 hours to cook. I used apple wood chunks for smoke flavor. The pork was absolutely delicious–a real crowd pleaser.
I started the pork the night before, in the pouring rain. I doubt that affected the food, but it was a wet evening for the cook. After about 17 or so hours, the meat was at around 180 or 185º, and I had some hungry people around. I finished it in the oven at 290º. Mostly because increasing the temperature in the egg was creating a lot of smoke.
Notes for next time:
- Get a drip pan that fits better
- Start the cook way earlier. The pork can rest for a couple hours if it’s done early. Also, don’t forget that it will take some time to get to temp, and you’re not going to feel comfortable going to sleep unless the egg has been holding the temperature for 45 minutes or an hour.
- Don’t be stingy on the rub, this could have used just a bit more.
Unfortunately, not many pictures this time. Here are the few I took:
Update 2020-07-05: Here’s an updated recipe with some delicious tweaks.
I’ve cooked these gochujang ribs couple times. They’ve always been delicious, but I’m really trying to nail down the technique here.
The recipe is from the NY Times. As before, I went light on the rub. I might try tweaking that recipe next time by reducing the salt. I don’t have enough rub on these to create any sort of crust. The ribs were left overnight in the fridge. An hour or so before they went on, I put them in the freezer to cool them more in an effort to encourage a smoke ring.
The heat was indirect and I made a custom drip pan out of tin foil to keep the grease from dripping into the fire. For smoke, two large and three little chunks of cherry wood were used. The lid was closed for two hours so that the ribs have some time to get smoke on them. After that, I glazed them every hour. There was no glaze immediately before serving as they had a nice lacquer. I also skipped the peanut and scallion garnish, it looks nice, but I don’t think those extra flavors are needed.
The results were very flavorful and tender. The smoke ring was one of the better ones I’ve produced on the Green Egg. In the future, I think it would be good to let these rest for 10 or 20 minutes before serving. They seem to be more tender and the smoke flavor comes through after they’ve cooled a bit.
Photos by Angela Lin
Below is a log I kept of the cook. It is mostly here to remind me not to mess with the vents too much, just let the cooker cook.
Time
Temp.
Notes
11:40
220
Ribs on. Temperature was rising a bit before opening, bumped both vents down just a bit. Lots of smoke, perhaps too much.
12:18
215
No adjustments. Light blue smoke.
12:30
220
No adjustments. No smoke.
13:12
230
No adjustments. Light blue smoke.
13:20
235
Bumped both vents down just a hair. Will glaze in about 20 minutes. Light blue smoke.
13:50
230
Glazed ribs. By the time I was done, the temperature was at 250 and there was a lot of smoke. No adjustments.
14:05
250
Temperature got up to around 258 or so, but has been coming down. No adjustments. 258 is just about where I would normally get concerned and start messing with the vents. I’m going keep my hands off this time.
14:45
250
Glazed ribs again. No smoke to speak of. Temperature popped up again after having the lid open a bit. No adjustments.
15:40
248
Glazed ribs again. No smoke to speak of. No adjustments.
16:40
255
Glazed ribs again. No smoke to speak of. Tapped vents closed a bit more.
17:15
255
Took ribs off.