Looking back at my posts, I didn’t realize it had been so long since my last post. Anyways, a few weeks ago we smoked a pork shoulder, chicken legs and Mac and cheese.
The Mac & Cheese we cooked most of it on the stove, put it in a foil pan with the cheese and some additional milk. We cooked it at 225˚ until the cheese was melted. I was able to taste and smell the smoke, but it was subtle. I had used the large chunks of hickory wood, most of which was soaked in water over night.
The pulled pork was seasoned with salt and pepper and smoked for about 13.5 hours. This was a much longer smoke than normal, as it usually takes 6-8 hours to smoke. The crust had a slight smoke flavor but it didn’t seem to penetrate the meat well. The smoke usually penetrates the meat well and I don’t think anything was done different this time. The final temp was about 190˚ when I pulled it off. Normally U want it about 195˚ to 200˚.
The chicken was seasoned with chicken seasoning, I believe, and smoked for 2-3 hours. When I checked the temp, it was reading between 165˚ and 175˚. Once rested and we began to eat the meat there were a couple pieces that were still pink and had blood coming out. Again, the chicken didn’t have a real strong smoke flavor.
I am not sure if the lack of smoke flavor in this meal is due to having to clean the smoker or something else I am missing. It is frustrating and looks like a I need to do more research on this.
Smoking Meats and Recipies 