# pork collar



## homeruk

Going to have a bash at a pork collar at the weekend if i can pick one up tomorrow

whats do people think about injecting apple juice into it? I have read up the acid is supposed to tenderize the meat a little when left overnight prior to smoking but im a little concerned it will make the pork too sweet tasting?

Also brisket..anyone been using the packer cut USDA ones? seem about a third more expensive than the ones i have used in the past, are they really worth the extra outlay

when i feel more confident Im hoping to get a packer cut wagyu brisket but i will be camped out in the deck chair watching the temps like a hawk


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## wade

Pork and apple juice go well together. Just make sure that it is an unsweetened apple juice - preferably freshly pressed rather than from a concentrate. You can also add some additional flavours in the injection too. 

With regard to the brisket - it really depends on what you are wanting it for. If you really want a whole brisket (point and flat) then that is the way to go. In the UK though the brisket is usually split int its parts and trimmed and rolled and whole briskets are uncommon (except in the BBQ community) making them rare and therefore a premium price. If you are not entering a BBQ competition or are not needing to feed the whole cast of Ben Her then usually a flat or point is perfectly fine. You need to go for the brisket part with the thickest meat that you can find as many UK briskets can be very thin and very fatty. This will give you a good meat slice once it has been smoked. The point has the slightly better flavour and is more crumbly as it has more fat marbling but once smoked there is not a great deal of difference - they both taste good.

Buying a Packer does not necessarily mean better quality! I have been sold some terrible "Packer" briskets that have been predominantly fat - including from a well known London butcher that sells over the Internet. Go to your local butcher and ask him to order you a thick flat or point and see what he can get you.


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## homeruk

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Well  I went with a 6kg pork shoulder in the end injected it last night and got it on the smoker at 9am 7pm and it's still only 68c so ended up wrapping it and it in the oven now hitting 76:icon_cry: so looks like it will be just about done for breakfast¡ also managed to knock up a tray of beans, couple of cabbages,tray of Mac cheese and some loaded jalapeño and cheese spud skins so at least we got to eat something this evening :biggrin: will post some pics up later













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Thanks for the reply wade think I will go for a point cut on the brisket next smoke pork today took 14 long hours to get to 87c and 8kg of heat beads injected decent apple juice, cider vinegar,salt,sugar and some spices in the end and turned out some parts of the pork were almost the texture of jelly really just dissolved in the mouth! Used a rub and mopped with Stubbs sauce at the end but the thought of another 14 hour smoke is not very appealing at the moment, no doubt I will have changed my mind come next weekend :sausage: forgot to take pics of the Mac and spud skins sadly, interesting thing was getting different readings for the first 5 hours of smoke, thermo pro showing say 120 maverick on same grill showing 129 and pid would show 105 at the end the thermo pro and maverick were just a degree out with each other but the pid would would then go the other way having to ramp up the setting to 147 to show 115 on the other devices, not really sure what happened there but I'll look out for it on the next smoke


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## smokin monkey

The Pork looks really good! 

That's the problem with Low & Slow, it's ready when it's ready.


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## joel75

Looks amazing!..


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## beckeybbq1738

Hello there,

Where did you get your joint of Pork from?

I got a nice bit of Brisket from Smith-field's market in central London for just under £20, which had a nice bit of fat on it, it weighed 4.5kg and smoked it for around 7 hours, then pulled it wrapped in foil for another 2 hours, then has wade instructed me to wrap it in towels for an hour n half and then sliced up, i cooked it to 80c and wasn't bad for me first smoke on the Brisket. 

i'm looking to do a pulled pork joint this weekend, i did my first smoke a few weeks back to seal the smoker but that was a cheap joint from Tesco but actually come out ok, i may do the same again and see how i go and use up the rest of the Butt Rub i got as it was nice.


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## wade

Hi Beckey

For your pulled pork get a nice piece of pork shoulder - as it is fattier than the leg and the fat provides a lot of the flavour and also helps it to pull. In the smoker running at about 110-125 C take it slowly up to about 80 C, wrap in foil and then allow to rest for about 30 minutes before pulling. If the shoulder comes rolled then cut the string and take out any additional fat that the butcher may have tried to hide inside. Apply your rub to all of the surfaces and smoke it opened out - as this will help it to reach temperature more evenly.

Don't forget to put a pan underneath to capture the juices as these needs to be skimmed afterwards (to remove the fat) and then the stock poured back over the pork once it has been pulled. A lot of flavour is in these juices.


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## beckeybbq1738

Hi Wade,

Its Michael - I have sent you private messages lol!

On my first smoke i got a bit from Tesco, cut the string and trimmed it up a bit, but that was a test as it was my first ever smoke, i did put the meat into a pan with garlic, onion, carrots and apple juice smoked it that way, but i will try putting the pan under and leave the meat on the grill and leave i out of the pan.

i am looking to to get another bit of meat to smoke this weekend but i was wondering where homeruk got the joint of meat from because it looks lovely.

Wade I sent you an P/M when i smoked my brisket the other week, come out better than i expected and ill forward you a picture later.


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## smokin monkey

[quote name="beckeybbq1738" url="/t/260567/pork-collar#post_1696852"

i am looking to to get another bit of meat to smoke this weekend but i was wondering where homeruk got the joint of meat from because it looks lovely.

[/quote]

I am sure it was Pork Collar from Bookers Wholesalers


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## beckeybbq1738

oh that's great as i have a Bookers card and its quite lose to me so ill got check it out after work, I'm also a member at Costco so i might give that a try too.


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## smokin monkey

The Pork Collars are frozen, and come in a box, same freezers as the ribs.


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## beckeybbq1738

Nice one, i didn't see much pork on the fresh counter when i last went there although i went there quite late and was not really looking for meat anyway.

Do you know roughly how much it will set me back?


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## molove

beckeybbq1738 said:


> Do you know roughly how much it will set me back?


The boxes of pork collars cost about £39 earlier this week, there is 13.5kg in a box, in 6 individually packaged 2.25kg (ish) pieces

They've gone up since I took the photo, these are from Makro but I assume Booker will be a similar price.













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They take up quite a lot of room in my freezer, I could only get 2 pieces in each drawer.


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## homeruk

Mine was a boneless pork shoulder weighing about 6kg from makro fresh section, I think its german rather than from the UK but looking at there butcher counter all the german pork does look nice, it comes in one of those expanding string socks which i cut away before preparing it for smoking, 

Im trying to find friends that will take delivery of pork collars So i can offload some as i just don't have the space in the freezers to warrant buying a whole box of them

If you go there the whole fresh chickens 3 for £10 I have found always good value and tasty

I wish i could get to smithfields at some point but its half way between me and work and i dont really want to get into work 2 or three hours early in the morning or have to come home with the meat only to travel back past to work later in the morning..one day though!


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## beckeybbq1738

Bloody hell! I did not know they would be that big, but they look like a nice cut of pork, i'll be going there on Friday to check out the stock but as i have no freezer space i may just get a joint from the fresh counter. 

can i ask what rub you were using on that joint you cooked last time? i got some Butt Rub which was lovely but i'm looking to experiment over the next summer to see what rubs can be used on whats meats. 

This weekend i will smoke the joint with Apple wood but i'm not injecting meat at the moment i'm just using the dry/wet rubs for the time being, as i've only been smoking for a few months and im pretty much a beginner lol.

@Homeruk 

i will take your advice and get something from the fresh counter, not looking for a long smoke so will not need to be more than 4kg, and i dont have any freezer space currently lol. i would suggest defiantly going to Smithfields its very good there for price and quality, where about are you from and where do you work? there is a car park close by but you will have to pay congestion charge so there is also that to consider, i'm lucky to live on the outskirts of London so its a 45 min train journey so i will defiantly make another trip there in due course.   

cheers guys.


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## homeruk

I use meatheads memphis dust rub recipe..its on the net although i only use half of the ginger as i find it a bit over powering and also add salt to the mix

I am in hampstead work in east london, been smithfields lots of times but for eating at the cafes etc


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## beckeybbq1738

oh so you make your own rub's I guess? i'm not at that stage yet as i still need to get in to the whole smoking thing so i'm slowly learning, i must tell you that you have to try get meat from Smithfield, you have to be there for around 7am so might be worth taking the morning off work if you can, but defiantly worth the trip.


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## smokin monkey

Rubs are a personal taste, Jeffs Rub which you can buy the recipe on the forum (helps fund the running cost) is good but I find it too sweet so I halve the sugar content.

Do a search on the forum and there is plenty of rubs to go at.


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## wade

Mike - as Steve says rubs are very personal. I have always made my own (they are not rocket science) but some of the supermarket ones are also very passable.

You may find this link interesting http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/the_science_of_rubs.html


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