gjdad wrote:
No I have not made Tasso yet my research shows the process is very similar to boston butt. The only point I would unsure of would be the initial cure recipe. I have a Cajun rub for the smoking that will be excellent.

.

jimswside wrote:a quick cure:

cure the slices of shoulder for about 3-4 hours, then rinse. After that it is best to put the slices in the fridge on a rack, uncovered fo4 3 days.

After that you are good to go, rub, and smoke @ 200 degrees until it hits 150-160 degrees.

gjdad wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:gjdad--welcome to the board! Are you offering or asking on the peas? I grew cow peas in my shared community garden bed but I only got a few peas out of it--I think others beat me to the harvest which is the way those things work. However, if you have some, I'd love to take some off your hands! And thanks for the offer on the tasso--it's looking like we have a number of folks interesting in trying/exchanging so happy to have you get in on that as well!! Have you done it before because if you have, we may be tapping your expertise

No I have not made Tasso yet my research shows the process is very similar to boston butt. The only point I would unsure of would be the initial cure recipe. I have a Cajun rub for the smoking that will be excellent.

As for black eyed peas I can do dried ones easily, fresh ones I would have to find a source. Either way I would offer black eyed peas, most likely with smoked hocks.

boudreaulicious wrote:
Matt--thanks for the lead on Link's book--i'm going to hit my handy dandy LTH amazon link and order one up--all of my NOLA cookbooks are ancient so this is a much needed cajun infusion!

gjdad--black eyed peas with Ham Hocks--SOLD! How about a trade for some red beans and rice (the original inspiration for this thread). Side of comparison Tasso too.

Cajun Jim--10/23 for exchange sounds perfect

Did we just create the LTH Cajun/Southern Food Exchange group????

gjdad wrote:Did we just create the LTH Cajun/Southern Food Exchange group????

Done! Now if only we could get étouffée, gumbo and some jambalaya. We could also use some zydego and brews maybe Dixie, Jaxx or Lone Star. A man can wish eh?

little500 wrote:Anyone ready for shrimp & grits, crawfish in any form, fried gator tail, or turtle stew?

Head's Red BBQ wrote:fyi - for those looking I regularly buy pecan wood in chunks at my local Ace. They carry Webers brand of chunk wood..hickory, cherry, and pecan . I would try any Len' Ace..(Addison, Roselle, and Bloomingdale)

gjdad wrote:

jimswside wrote:a quick cure:

cure the slices of shoulder for about 3-4 hours, then rinse. After that it is best to put the slices in the fridge on a rack, uncovered fo4 3 days.

After that you are good to go, rub, and smoke @ 200 degrees until it hits 150-160 degrees.

I saw the cure recipe posted earlier in this thread is that all there is sugar and salt? Also are you cutting down the shoulder just to quicken the cure time?

gonefishin wrote: Even if you don't have a smoker you can still cure the pork shoulder and cut for tasso.
I use this as a basic recipe for a 10lb shoulder:
The cure:
7oz salt
3oz sugar
1oz Prague powder #1 (pink curing salt)

I slice the deboned shoulder into 1.5lb sections. Then rub the cure into the meat, shaking off the excess.. Cure in the fridge for 4 hours. Rinse well and dry (repeat second rinse if the ham is too "salty"). Add your seasoning rub. The rub can be anything you want to flavor it with. You can use a pre-made cajun seasoning or make your own. Rub the pieces of shoulder and let sit in the fridge for a bit (4-5 hours is fine...but more or less won't hurt a thing). Since you're not smoking it, I imagine you could finish in the oven to an internal temperature of 160f.

dan

jimswside wrote:I use Morton's Tenderquick for the cure, but there are alot of cure recipes on the net.

correct, since there is only a 3-4 hour cure the 1-2" slices allow penetration. A whole shoulder would take about a week for the cure process.

My next batch I am going more for hunks of a deboned butt, probable get 4 chunks to cure(Ill probably cure them for closer to 6 hours, and do 3 spicy, and one more mild.

gjdad wrote:

gonefishin wrote:

What effect does rinsing the initial application of salt provide?

boudreaulicious wrote:
Did we just create the LTH Cajun/Southern Food Exchange group????

gjdad wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:fyi - for those looking I regularly buy pecan wood in chunks at my local Ace. They carry Webers brand of chunk wood..hickory, cherry, and pecan . I would try any Len' Ace..(Addison, Roselle, and Bloomingdale)

I just started my fire. I am using the weber bagged chunks of pecan this morning for the first time. I usually use pecan chips from my favorite butcher (Zier Prime Meats). So far I like the smell . Go figure . Nothing better than the smell of wood smoke in the morning!

Kilgore: Smell that? You smell that?
Lance: What?
Kilgore: Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.
[kneels]
Kilgore: I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like
[sniffing, pondering]
Kilgore: victory. Someday this war's gonna end...
[suddenly walks off]

gjdad wrote:

gonefishin wrote: Even if you don't have a smoker you can still cure the pork shoulder and cut for tasso.
I use this as a basic recipe for a 10lb shoulder:
The cure:
7oz salt
3oz sugar
1oz Prague powder #1 (pink curing salt)

I slice the deboned shoulder into 1.5lb sections. Then rub the cure into the meat, shaking off the excess.. Cure in the fridge for 4 hours. Rinse well and dry (repeat second rinse if the ham is too "salty"). Add your seasoning rub. The rub can be anything you want to flavor it with. You can use a pre-made cajun seasoning or make your own. Rub the pieces of shoulder and let sit in the fridge for a bit (4-5 hours is fine...but more or less won't hurt a thing). Since you're not smoking it, I imagine you could finish in the oven to an internal temperature of 160f.

dan

jimswside wrote:I use Morton's Tenderquick for the cure, but there are alot of cure recipes on the net.

correct, since there is only a 3-4 hour cure the 1-2" slices allow penetration. A whole shoulder would take about a week for the cure process.

My next batch I am going more for hunks of a deboned butt, probable get 4 chunks to cure(Ill probably cure them for closer to 6 hours, and do 3 spicy, and one more mild.

My butcher has a vacuum injection system, basically a rolling drum he pulls a vacuum on. I would be tempted to use that except for the rinsing that was mentioned earlier. What effect does rinsing the initial application of salt provide?