A smokehouse used to be a small building usually built of cinder block or wood, used to cure meat with smoke. More modern smokehouses are usually electric, and are designed to slow cook at a controlled temperature. Smoked pork shoulder can be kept for long periods of time without refrigeration and also has a pleasant flavor. Using a smokehouse is very straightforward and is a money-saver, allowing you to prepare your own meats to your specific tastes. Use the flavors you enjoy, choosing seasonings you prefer for the pork and different hardwoods for the smokehouse fire.
Instructions
1. Open the damper on the smokehouse roof and preheat it by turning the temperature control to low. The desired starting heat is 130 degrees; turn the control up a little at a time as desired to reach that temperature.
2. Dampen your chosen hardwood sawdust for creating the smoke. Use sawdust recommended by your model of smokehouse. It can usually be purchased directly from the smokehouse manufacturer. The amount of water determines the amount of smoke, and too much smoke can ruin your meat. You should not be able to squeeze water out of the sawdust if you pinch it between your finger and thumb.
3. Place your prepared -- dressed with any rubs or other seasonings to your taste and with thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat without touching bone or fat -- into the smoke house. Any size shoulder is good, as long as the weight does not exceed the smokehouse limit, and cooking time is adjusted for the weight.
4. Pack the damp sawdust firmly into the provided pan, and create a small hole with your finger in the center of it to promote smoldering by allowing air into the sawdust. Smoldering is desirable to create smoke. Place the pan inside the smokehouse, close the door and turn the control to high.
5. Lower the temperature gradually when smoke begins to belch steadily from the smokestack. Ideal smoking temperature is between 140 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Close off the smokestack, leaving it open about a fourth of the way.
7. Turn up the temperature on the smokehouse slightly every hour and a half until the smokehouse temperature reaches 225 to 240 degrees. This is the desired maximum temperature for smoking , and it should remain here until the smoked pork meat reaches at least 190 degrees internally. This often takes 12 hours or more depending on the weight of the pork shoulder.
8. Remove the meat from the smokehouse. Pull the pork with two forks and enjoy.
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