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Appreciation post: I finally tried a whole hog cook after years of just doing pork shoulders
Last weekend in Memphis, I cooked a 120-pound hog on my offset smoker instead of my usual two 8-pound shoulders. The difference in flavor and bark was huge, way more complex and juicy. I think the mix of different meats and fats from the whole animal made it better. Has anyone else made the jump from single cuts to a whole hog and noticed a big change?
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sam179d ago
That's awesome you tried a whole hog. The flavor jump makes total sense, but it's not just the mix of meats. The real game changer is the skin. When you do a whole hog right, that crispy skin bastes everything underneath in its own fat the whole time. Shoulders alone just can't get that same effect. It's a totally different kind of juicy.
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gracet228d ago
But what about the smoke? Isn't that the real key? A shoulder gets that deep smoke flavor all through it. The whole hog is great, but the meat itself can taste less smoky to me.
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