A Smokin’ Tailgate Party!

Get Smokin’!

Serve amazing smoked pork sandwiches at your next Padres party or tailgating event!

Propane smokers are lightweight and can be set up or broken down in just a few minutes, making them a great choice for tailgating. The problem is that many meats need at least 4-8 hours inside the smoker to finish. The secret to tailgate smoking is to start the meat at home, very early in the day or even the night before. Pull the meat out 2 hours before you plan on setting back up at the game. The meat should be 2 degrees below your desired ‘end’ temperature – somewhere around 200° F. Wrap in aluminum foil, then place in an empty cooler or wrap with a beach towel to keep the meat hot. The smoker will cool off quickly, and you can pack it up about 15 minutes after you pull the meat out.

Once you’ve got the smoker set up again at the game, fire it up and load a little wood to get the smoke going. The meat is fully cooked and has plenty of smoke flavor at this point, so this is mostly for the awesome smell and to make sure the meat is nice and hot at serving. Throw the meat back in and allow it to finish cooking at 225° F for at least an hour. This is a great time to throw in some hot dogs, baked beans, burgers or anything else you’d like to smoke!

About an hour later, you’re ready to serve! Everyone is going to want seconds (and probably thirds!) so you can turn the smoker down low and use it to keep your food nice and warm for several hours. Be sure to keep the water reservoir topped up so the meat stays moist. Clean up is simple too – just allow the smoker at least 15 minutes to cool down before packing it back up.

RECIPE:

– One 5-10 pound pork butt (a.k.a shoulder, picnic roast, Boston butt)
– One jar of your favorite BBQ sauce, thinned 3:1 with apple cider vinegar (1/3 cup vinegar for every cup of BBQ sauce)

RUB:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup paprika or chili powder

1/4 cup garlic powder

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat smoker to 225°F, fill water reservoir and load wood chips or chunks
2) Mix all rub ingredients in bowl
3) Liberally sprinkle pork with rub
4) Load pork into smoker and cook at 1.5 hours per pound
5) About an hour before meat should be done, start checking temperature at 15 minute intervals
6) When meat reaches 200°F remove from smoker and wrap in foil (202°F if you will NOT be reheating at game)
7) When ready to serve, shred meat as needed with 2 forks. Keep meat wrapped in foil or put back into smoker set on ‘low’ to keep warm
8) Immediately serve on rolls or buttered white bread, and top with a liberal squeeze of BBQ sauce.
9) Goes great with chips, potato salad or coleslaw. Enjoy!!

smoked pork butt sandwich

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