Pork Necks on the Cotton Gin

One of the most often overlooked parts of the pig is the pork neck. This, in my humble opinion, is a giant mistake. It is a flavor packed, tender piece of meat and takes well to smoking or smoking and braising. Braising is basically a way of cooking using dry and wet heat. In this case, smoked first, then left to simmer in a covered pot full of beer and onions. Sounds great already, doesn’t it?

We used 2 pork necks from Porter Road Butchers and we could not have asked for any nicer cuts. They were full of the fat that you want in a neck and had plenty of meat on each. We did them both side by side in our FOGO Cotton Gin Smoker.  In each method we used, the fat really renders down nicely and helps to baste and flavor the final product. The PS Seasonings Notorious P.I.G. delivered a mouthful of flavor with a great mix of sweet and spicy. We were overly impressed.  You can feel free to use whatever seasoning you would like but this was fantastic.

Which do you think would be better, smoked and wrapped or smoked and braised?  We had a hard time deciding as they were both tender and delicious, but we all agreed that the clear winner was the ………. You’ll have to watch the video link and find out for yourself!!!!  Even better, do this same experiment for yourself.  Either way, you’ll have a meal that you will want again and again.  Thanks for joining us for another episode of The FOGO Life and remember to Get Out and Grill!

Directions:

1. Light the charcoal and prepare your smoker for indirect cooking at 250-275°
2. Remove pork necks from the package and wipe them dry.
3. Coat each neck liberally with the seasoning.
4. Place each pork neck on the smoker and cook until they hit 165° internal temperature.
5. Remove from the smoker, wrap one in foil or peach butcher paper, place the other in a Dutch oven with one sliced onion and enough beer to cover ¾ of the meat.
6. Place your wrapped neck and the covered Dutch oven back on the smoker.
7. Cook until they reach an approximate internal temperature of 203°.  They should be fall apart tender at this point.
8. Shred each pork neck and enjoy them however you see fit.  We decided to make a delicious sandwich out of each.
9. Enjoy each and every bite of this tasty treat!

Related Links

• Cotton Gin Smokers
• Cambro Mfg
• Route 83 Knives