# Smoked Pig Trotter & Leg with Qview



## chef willie (Sep 3, 2011)

Ok, I know you're thinking I'm a little crazy & my GF agrees...butttt, I'm always looking for something obscure/wierd to smoke. Ran across this while shopping for some Labor Day steaks & just had to have it. Gave it a rub, fired up the gasser to 260 and proudly slid it in the chamber...I was thinking 'let the good apple smoke roll'. Eight hours later and an IT of 195 I pulled it. GF says....'THAT'S NOT FOR DINNER, IS IT??' Ok, not a lot of meat but what there was had a very pronounced pork flavor and was pretty tender. The fat under the skin melted into that meat and made it very rich tasting. Picked some choice morsels off last night and brought the rest into work today. Let it come to room temp and the boss, me and the kid from Guam nailed the rest. A fun time was had at the weirdness of it all....lot of grins for $3.63 and if the crew didn't already think I was one strange cook this confirmed it. Don't know why the pics loaded so small??









going in--sorry for the sun flare








it be done








front view








flipped over








skin cut away off top








hear ya go Bear


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## Bearcarver (Sep 3, 2011)

That looks Great Willie !!!

Nice BearView too!!!

A little zooming, and I got a real good look at it !!!

MMMMmmmm,

Bear


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## adiochiro3 (Sep 3, 2011)

Nice idea.  How was the smoky flavor through the skin?


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## SmokinAl (Sep 4, 2011)

It looks delicious Willie!

You continue to push the envelope!

Not sure about having a pig foot on my plate though.


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## chef willie (Sep 4, 2011)

adiochiro3 said:


> Nice idea.  How was the smoky flavor through the skin?


Pretty good smoke flavor on the end, although not much of a smoke ring. Rub didn't really penetrate.....I, in hindsight, should have probably scored through it. We kept S&P shakers handy and added some onto each piece after cutting off the bone.


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## chef willie (Sep 4, 2011)

SmokinAl said:


> It looks delicious Willie!
> 
> You continue to push the envelope!
> 
> Not sure about having a pig foot on my plate though.


Hah....thanks Al....was all a lark to start with. The hoof was a tad over the top...lol....shock factor


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## venture (Sep 4, 2011)

Looks great!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## shiz-nit (Sep 4, 2011)

Oh man I would hit that indeed


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## mdboatbum (Sep 4, 2011)

I think you're right on point with this. BBQ is all about taking a less than ideal cut of meat and transforming it into something tasty and edible. Maybe we oughtta have a "dollar store challenge". Anything's fair game as long as it's less than $1 per lb. I've been eying ox tails and "meaty neck bones" at the grocery store for a while now. 
Good job and thanks for the inspiration.


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## chef willie (Sep 4, 2011)

Mdboatbum said:


> I think you're right on point with this. BBQ is all about taking a less than ideal cut of meat and transforming it into something tasty and edible. Maybe we oughtta have a "dollar store challenge". Anything's fair game as long as it's less than $1 per lb. I've been eying ox tails and "meaty neck bones" at the grocery store for a while now.
> Good job and thanks for the inspiration.


Well, regardless if it's a challenge or not I'd go ahead and fulfill that fantasy of yours & then post it. I mean, beef cheeks and offal is all the rage now so why not a neck bone? I wll admit to a 'fail' on beef shanks though. Love them braised in winter with veggies and broth etc., absolutely delish. Thought they would/might do well with a low & slow smoke. NOT.  Looked great but were tough. Wound up shredding the meat and using in tacos so not to waste them. They were so bad smoked I didn't even post them. Oxtails may be the same. Maybe hit with smoke for an hour or so then foil with broth in a disposal pan to finish & make a sauce outta the broth. I have roasted pork neck bones to brown up and then let simmer away in pasta sauce...that worked.


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## jak757 (Sep 4, 2011)

Awesome!  I'd have done it too.  Never seen these in our stores.  Trotters are great -- but have only seen them separated from the leg. Nice job!!


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## moikel (Sep 4, 2011)

Trotters down here sold smoked for soup,wife wont eat them. Fresh in chinese butchers. Nose to tail eating movement has led to fairly finicky boned & then braised trotter. My Italian butcher friend used to bone them(trotter & hock) out all the way down take all the meat out so you were left with a sort of a sock. Then stuff them with the meat that had been minced seasoned,orange peel,nutmeg, fennel seed,sew up the big end then it would be poached & served with lentils or white beans. It was called a zampone I think. Gone out of fashion now. Needed good knife skills to get it right. Love oxtail cook it every winter without fail.long slow braise ,celery sticks,stock,wine etc my version has pine nuts & raisians & was traditional recipe from Rome where it was associated with the workers at slaughterhouses who were paid with the cheap cuts.


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## exhaustedspark (Sep 4, 2011)

That looks grrrrrreeeat.







I think i will do that with one of the little piggies i am going to be butchering.

At the least i would end up with more meat for me. He he

Karl


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