Smokin'

NOB HILL--Costco sells dreams packaged as bargains. So it was when MaryAnn and I bought a two-pack of pork roasts. They looked so good. They were such a bargain. Later, well out of the parking lot, we had to figure out what to actually do with 10 pounds of pork.

We invited family and friends over for supper last night. I had put one roast in the oven at a low 325 degrees and started up the smoker outside for the other one. The day before we had made a sort of rub which we applied to both roasts after scoring them.

The pork roast in the oven turned out terrific! The pork roast in the smoker turned out to be the best pork roast I have ever tasted!

I have an old Brinkmann Smoke 'N Grill that uses charcoal briquets in the bottom with just a chunk or two of hardwood. Above the charcoal pan is a pan of water that reduces the temperature of the smoker and adds moisture to the process. There are two racks above the water for plenty of meat.

After getting everything lit and heated up, I put that roast on the top rack. Three hours later I came back and opened up the little door in the side of the smoker and slid in 6 Johnsonville Brats on the bottom rack. Two hours later I took everything out.

Perfection. The roast was dark brown on the outside and had that pink "smoked" color penetrating about half an inch into the meat. It was so moist. And it was so tender. That smoker made me look like a genius! I am not that smart a guy, but I do know how to light a match and stay out of the way for a few hours.

And the brats? They got the most compliments of all! In fact, they disappeared so fast I didn't even get a picture of them.

Here is the recipe we used for the rub:
3 T olive oil
3/8 t cayenne
3/4 t cumin
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 t salt
2 cloves garlic

Try it. Let me know what you think.