Today we are setting up the smoker after a winter of sitting idle. We have pork bellies to smoke to make bacon from the show season.
I purchased a 16 lb brisket last week. We decided to smoke it as a trial run before we smoke the bellies next weekend.
After the brisket has been rubbed down with seasoning, and the smoke hs been rolling into the smokehouse, we put the brisket into the smokehouse with the fat layer up.
The brisket went into the smokehouse at 9:40 am at 180° F.
While it was smoking, we moved our two pregnant sows into the farrowing crates. These crates have “safe spaces” for the piglets to get away when the sow tries to lay down.
As you can imagine , when a 400-500 lb sow lays on a 2-4 lb piglet, it dies immediately. We keep them in these crates for 3 weeks, which is about the same as 3 weeks of bed rest for a human. Totally not a problem if that’s what is best for your baby.
This is the brisket at 3:55 pm, about 5 hours later. We are looking for a “bark” on the outside of the brisket. In this photo, you can see the smoke coming in from the wood stove outside.
We continued barn chores, grass cutting, laundry, and more. We decided to take the brisket out at 8:40 pm, after 11 hours in the smokehouse. Here’s the bark we were looking for:
When you cut into it, there should be a dark pink ring under the bark to indicate the smokiness that the meat has taken on.
We had already eaten dinner, so we wrapped it in aluminum foil and left it in the oven overnight at 150° F. Then we had brisket and baked beans for Sunday dinner after church.
Here’s a beautiful passage shared by my pastor today:
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:17 NIV
I’m excited to see that the wild berries are blooming! We love blackberry cobbler.
Have a great week!
Dr Vet Sonya 