smoked pork neck bones

areallynicegirl

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May 21, 2015

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 13, 2015

• #1

So I saw these at Walmart tonight

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I thought maybe if I used Pop's cure with #1 powder, I could smoke these in the little chief. If this is a bad idea let me know. I am looking for a bacon/ham hock flavor to be used in beans in the future. I have both apple and hickory chips I could use. I would want to smoke them pretty aggressively I think. Any thoughts?

I only got one package cuz it was the only one marked down. I thought I could try this batch and not screw up a ton of meat if I mess it up.

 

daveomak

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• Jun 13, 2015

• #2

Pops curing brine would work nicely.... I'm gonna guess 4-5 days in the brine would be good due to the thickness of meat left on the bones... Probably about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch or so....
Dry the bones, maybe let them rest in the refer for a da on a wire rack, then in the smoker with no smoke for a couple hours, to finish drying the surface, the smoke away.... If you are using them in beans etc, a heavy smoke will do nicely also... maybe 3-6 hours, then get the temp up to 150 ish to finish the cook.... you don't have to worry about "fat out" with neck bones...
If your little chief is a stock unit, no mods, if you have the box, place it over the smoker to get it warmer for the finishing cook.... or finish in the oven.....

 

areallynicegirl

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May 21, 2015

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 13, 2015

• #3

Oooo I'm so excited now! I can't wait to get started!! Thank you, Dave, for your advice!

Yes my little chief is stock, no mods, and I do have the box. But yesterday at goodwill I got this....


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So if it works then maybe it won't be stock anymore! They have a couple more that are the coil type that if they are still there I might get. The one I got has a coil under the metal plate. Both are about 4 bucks also. I also wanted to have a burner so I could try to make bacon in a box. Which is probably a topic for a different thread :)

 

daveomak

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• Jun 13, 2015

• #4

Don't know if you saw this tutorial on the hot plate mod or not.... The over temp safety switch, that is inside the burner housing needs to be disabled so the hotplate can get to full heat....


http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/...r-element-for-colder-climates-and-hot-smoking

 

thackman

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May 21, 2015

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Trenton, New Jersey

• Jun 13, 2015

• #5

I've been thinking about doing Canadian Bacon in my Big Chief can I finish it in the oven if I don't hit 145*F IT?

 

daveomak

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• Jun 14, 2015

• #6

You bet.... apply the smoke you want.... Cold smoking would be perfect for Canadian Bacon ( CB ), then cook it.... probably at 160 -180 until an internal temp of 145 if you are going to fry it.... or maybe 160 if you will use it for sandwiches... It's all personal preference....

Dave

 

areallynicegirl

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May 21, 2015

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 14, 2015

• #7

DaveOmak said:

Don't know if you saw this tutorial on the hot plate mod or not.... The over temp safety switch, that is inside the burner housing needs to be disabled so the hotplate can get to full heat....


http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/...r-element-for-colder-climates-and-hot-smoking

Click to expand...

Oh cool, thank you! My hubby does electrical work so that will be his project! I'll have him read that thread.

 

sb59

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Dec 27, 2013

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New Jersey

• Jun 15, 2015

• #8

ThackMan said:

I've been thinking about doing Canadian Bacon in my Big Chief can I finish it in the oven if I don't hit 145*F IT?

Click to expand...

You guys with the Big & Little Chiefs can do everything the other smokers do. You just have to bring the foods up to finished temp. in another heat source after applying smoke for a few hrs. That's the down side, you have to transfer all that food into your home oven & fill your home with the horrible smell of smoked meat,fish,or fowl!

 

Last edited: Jun 15, 2015

areallynicegirl

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 15, 2015

• #9

SB59 said:

You guys with the Big & Little Chiefs can do everything the other smokers do. You just have to bring the foods up to finished temp. in another heat source after applying smoke for a few hrs. That's the down side, you have to transfer all that food into your home oven & fill your home with the horrible smell of smoked meat,fish,or fowl!

Click to expand...

Oh geez, sounds just terrible!!! Whatever shall I do???

I came in the house the other day after I got blasted by smoke from the little chief and my husband was like "what is that enchanting aroma???" Any man worth 2 shakes will think that to be true....

:)

 

areallynicegirl

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 23, 2015

• #10

Well got the neck bones out of brine, they were in the brine for about a week. They are in the smoker now. I followed Dave's instructions, I am pretty excited to see how they turn out. I am using apple chips (the teeny ones) with some chunks of hickory mixed in.

I keep buying more cuz they keep getting marked down! No one else around here has figured it out yet lol

 

ak1

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Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada

• Jun 23, 2015

• #11

I hope they turn out well! You're just moving along, and will be an old pro soon

 

areallynicegirl

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 23, 2015

• #12

AK1 said:

I hope they turn out well! You're just moving along, and will be an old pro soonThumbs Up

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Ya I've been a busy little bee today lol. I actually only intended to do the pork today but then i thought since I already had it going I could throw some nuts in there before I did the pork. I even made posole for dinner!! But alas, the laundry still sits on the couch lol

 

millerbuilds

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• Jun 23, 2015

• #13

I have seen those at the store as well, never tried smoking them.  I am anxious to see how they turn out.

Smoke ON!

 

areallynicegirl

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May 21, 2015

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 23, 2015

• #14

millerbuilds said:

I have seen those at the store as well, never tried smoking them.  I am anxious to see how they turn out.


Smoke ON!

Click to expand...

I am planning on smoking them pretty heavy and then vacuum pack them in portions to use in beans and other soups. Hopefully no one else in town will figure it out and I can keep buying them up :)

 

areallynicegirl

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Cottage Grove, Oregon

• Jun 24, 2015

• #15

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These came out amazing! I am pretty excited by how they turned out, thinking about trying some buckboard bacon soon. I have another batch sitting in brine right now. Pops brine is so forgiving and easy to use, its a major confidence booster! I had ordered 4 oz of cure #1 from My Spice Sage online and now we just ordered a pound more!