Smokin'

Once again, I must return to preparation for the pig as a topic.  This time, I'm thinking about how I am going to cook some of the proceeds.

Last month I did a little post about a tenderloin recipe I did for Christmas dinner - something that turned out well enough that Mary said, "We could serve this to company."  So for some of the roast cuts, smoking them is just what I have in mind for preparation.

In fact, here's a photo of my little smoker - I bought this on clearance from Tractor Supply last year and have done a few meals on it so far.  I have more in mind, of course.

There's no shortage of inspiration on the topic.  I get comments and suggestions all the time on things to try.  I've even been given some excellent pieces of wood - in particular a big section of white oak - from friends.  And we have a couple of hickories on the property that I use whenever I can.

The second photo is a small pile of red oak I gathered from a neighbor's tree-trimming effort back in Alexandria.  Our friends at Rocklands use red oak exclusively for their ribs and pork.

Yes, that'll do.