This recipe was inspired by my friend Scottie Johnson from Chicago. We first met via The BBQ Forum on the Internet and realized we were almost neighbors. I wish you could see his adorable little girls. It was first created for deep-fried turkeys, but works just great in the BBQ for all poultry and it makes a great fish marinade too.
Many people like to cook their turkey on those upright stands, so I thought I’d try it. I liked it so much I’m calling it The Ultimate Turkey. I use a pan underneath the whole thing so the juices can accumulate and steam underneath the turkey. You can reserve the juice then and use it in Dave’s Chipotle Gravy, below. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.
This recipe takes a lot of time but the end result is well worth it. Pork shoulder roasts go on sale at the supermarket all the time, so you get maximum bang for your buck. I cold smoke the pork while the beans are soaking and cooking.
2-3 lb pork shoulder roast
1 lb bag of dried red beans
Cinnamon BBQ Sauce:
8 oz cans tomato paste
8 oz water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Worcester sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon thyme
Soak the beans in water overnight, per the instructions on the package.
Cold smoke the pork shoulder for 2 hours over 1 cup of water-soaked apple wood chips, changing the chips every 20-30 minutes.
While the pork is smoking, rinse the beans and place on a low heat for 90 minutes, partially covered. Place the beans in a crock pot.
Blend all other ingredients except the sauce until smooth, then add to the pot and mix with the beans. Set the pork atop the beans, turn the crock pot on low, and let cook on low for 8-10 hours.
About an hour before completion, the pork should be fork-tender. Place it on a cutting board, shred it, and mix it back into the pot for the last hour of cooking.
Heat scale: Mild
For as simple as this rub is, it goes great with red meat, especially tri-tip.
One 3 1/2-5-pound tri-tip roast
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Mix all the spices in a bowl and spread the mixture evenly on a cutting board. Gently coat both sides of the tri-tip in the mixture.
When using my trash can, I cold smoke it for two hours and transfer it to a heated charcoal grill to finish cooking. You want to grill the tri-tip until it reaches 145 degrees F at its thickest point.
If you have a higher-burning hot plate, you can hot smoke the tri-tip for 2 hours or until the meat reaches 145 degrees F at its thickest point instead of grilling it. Hot smoke for 2 hours or until the meat reaches 145 degrees F at its thickest point.
Let it rest for 20 minutes, then slice against the grain and serve. Black cherry wood chips complement beef wonderfully. If you want a deeper flavor, you can cold smoke it for 3 hours instead and finish it off on a hot grill.
While you’ve got the smoker going, why not throw on dessert after the main course? Apples smoke in 45-90 minutes. They should be ready just about the time dinner has settled and guests are ready for the final round.
6 large tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups vanilla ice cream
6 wooden skewers
Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes. Place the apple slices on the skewers and smoke for 45-60 minutes. I cold smoke them but you could hot smoke them for 30-45 minutes instead if you want the apples to be cooked.
Remove, then mix with the remaining ingredients (except for the ice cream). Spoon the apple mixture over the vanilla ice cream scoops.
