Smokin' and Spicin'

As I’m sitting around on a Sunday afternoon, recovering from the weekly Saturday night dart competition in beautiful downtown Anamosa, IA, I continue to bask in the praise from this and last weekend’s smoking, recipes courtesy of Cheryl and Bill Jamison’s Smoke and Spice, a veritable barbecue bible.

Last weekend, as part of a command performance for the 41st birthday celebration of my future brother-in-law, Adam Ardolino, real estate and financial services baron of Eastern Iowa, I smoked a pork shoulder and some wicked-hot turkey tenderloins. Both recipes were easy to follow, and all took a good deal of time in the smoker.

Maple-Bourbon Ham (or, in this case, pork shoulder)

2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Dijon (or honey Dijon) mustard
1 Tbsp bourbon (cheep!)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tsp coarse salt, kosher or sea salt
12-14 Lb bone-in cooked ready-to-eat ham, or pork shoulder

Maple-Bourbon Mop

¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup bourbon
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tsp Dijon mustard

Maple-Bourbon Glaze

¾ cup maple syrup
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp bourbon
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tsp yellow mustard seeds, cracked
1 Tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

· The night before you smoke the ham, criss-cross cut the fatty side of the ham with cuts about ¼ to ½ inch deep.
· Combine the paste ingredients in a bowl.
· Spread the paste all over the ham using your fingers. NOTE: I used too much bourbon (in the paste, not the chef!) and had a thinner mixture. So I rubbed it over the surface and worked it into the ham as much as I could.
· Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight
· The next day, pull the ham out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 45-60 minutes
· Prepare the smoker for barbecuing (Apple wood chips are almost mandatory for smoking ham!) bringing the temperature to 200-220°F.
· Mix the mop ingredients in a saucepan and warm over low heat.
· Put the ham in the smoker, fat side up.
· Cook for 5 ½ to 6 hours basting every 30 minutes
· Mix the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and warm over low heat.
· Brush the ham with the glaze twice during the last hour of cooking.


Hot Times Jalapeño Turkey Tenderloins

Injection Liquid (Does Dr. Dave inject? Of course Dr. Dave injects!)

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup pickling liquid from a jar or can of pickled jalapeños
1 Tsp yellow mustard

4 – 2 lb turkey tenderloins

Hot Times Rub

2 Tbsp coarse salt, kosher or sea salt
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tsp ground cinnamon
½ Tsp dry mustard
½ Tsp cayenne pepper

Hot Times Mop

2 cups chicken or turkey stock
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup pickling liquid from a jar or can of pickled jalapeños
¼ cup jalapeño jelly

NOTE: I ran out of the jalapeño pickling liquid, and I had all of those jalapeños left over, so I pureed all of the jalapeños and added them to the mop. Whoeee! That’ll make your tongue sweat!

Preparation

· The night before you plan to barbecue, mix the injection liquid ingredients in a bowl.
· Using a kitchen syringe, inject the mixture deep into the tenderloins in several spots.
· Mix the rub ingredients in a small bowl.
· Message the rub well into the tenderloin meat.
· Wrap the tenderloins in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
· One hour before cooking, pull the tenderloins from the refrigerator and allow them to sit at room temperature.
· Prepare the smoker for barbecuing bringing the temperature to 200-220°F. Apple or Cherry wood chips smoke turkey well.
· Put the tenderloins in the smoker and cook for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours per pound or until the internal temperature in 180°F.
· Combine the Hot Times Mop ingredients in a saucepan and warm over low heat.
· Baste the tenderloins once every 30 minutes with the Hot Times Mop.
· When done cooking, remove the tenderloins from the smoker and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sliced tenderloins make a nice presentation. Best served with cold beer (but then, isn’t everything?) because these babies are hot!