Brined & Smoked Pork Leg Recipe

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Make 2 gallons of spicy brine as per the Hot Smoke Spicey Brine Recipe; Let cool down;

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Clean the pork leg under cold running water, removing any loose pieces of meat, fat and bone;

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Remove any excess skin or fat;

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Put the pork leg in a sealable non-reactive container or stainless steel pan and add the spicy brine; Close, and store in the fridge; (if it is cold enough in winter you could put it outside, but be aware of cats and dogs...   ;-)

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This particular pork leg weighed 14 pounds and I kept it in the brine for 16 hours; After those 16 hours I poured out the brine liquid and put the meat and brine spices back in the refrigerator;

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Before you put the meat on the bbq, blot dry using paper towels; The remaining spices from the brine go into the drip pan in the barbecue below the meat.

07:30h

I first took the pork leg out of the fridge, took the lid off the container, just to let her temperature rise a little bit;

07:50h

While I light a chimney full of charcoal briquettes, the birds in the neighbourhood treat me to an amazing concert.

08:00h

I prepare my "fat Weber" for a combination of indirect grilling and hot smoking following my own barbecue set up;
In the coal pocket of the barbecue I put 2 fair chunks of oak smokewood from a piece of woodland in the neighbourhood;

08:15h

I dumped the glowing briquettes from the chimney on top of the smoke-wood in the coal pocket of the barbecue;

Furthermore:
- Half a bottle of red wine and a pint of water go in the drip pan of the barbecue;
- To avoid burning of the meat adjacent to the fire, I placed a baffle (made of folded aluminium foil) along the length of the fire;
- I placed a stainless steel bowl filled with water above the fire, which will act as a vaporizer to keep the hot gasses inside the barbecue moist, thereby decreasing the drying of the skin of the meat;
- I closed the Barbecue lid shut, opened all vent holes, saw a nice whisp of Hot Smoke (!), and let the barbecue heat thoroughly for like ten minutes or so.

08:20h

The ambient temperature is 45F, no wind;
I placed a sturdy umbrella above the barbecue; Not against the rain but against the cold;
Put the brined whole pork leg on the barbecue grill;
The herbs and spices from the brine go into the drip pan underneath the meat;

08:35h

Closed the lid of the bbq;
Placed the probe of the thermometer in the barbecue at the top, just underneath the lid;
Bottom vent holes 1/2 open;

10:41h

Temperature in barbecue 296F; Opened the lid of the grill, pork leg has a nice brown colour, seems to have shrunk a little and looks a bit rounder;
- Added 10 cold charcoal briquettes on top of the glowing briquettes;
- Vaporizer bowl stood dry, replenished the water;
- Covered the (thinner) lower part of the pork leg (the shank) loosely with aluminium foil to avoid overcooking;

10:46h

Closed barbecue lid;
The ambient temperature has risen to 50F;

13:17h

Temperature in barbecue is 264F;
Opened the lid of the barbecue;
The pork leg looks really nice golden brown now; The skin starts to retract;
- Added 10 cold charcoal briquettes and 1 chunk of oak smoke wood on top of the glowing briquettes;
- Added half a liter lukewarm water to the drip pan;
- Vaporizer bowl stood dry again, replenished the water;
- Cleaned the fire by shaking and removing the ashes underneath (a clean fire is easier to control);
- Turned the pork leg (skin side up now) and covered loosely with aluminium foil;

13:33h

Barbecue lid closed;
Bottom vent holes fully open;
Ambient temperature 48F now, fairly sunny, but a bit more wind;

18:07h

Barbecue 271F;
Temperature inside the thickest part of the pork leg has now reached 172F;
Took the pork leg off the grill, transferred to cutting board, covered with aluminium foil;
We let the pork leg rest inside the house, covered with aluminium foil, for like one hour to allow the internal juices to re-distribute;

19:07h

Cut the meat, it is still very hot inside;
With hindsight, I could have cooked the ham to a lower temperature, but the meat can still be sliced easily without falling apart;
The pork leg has a beautiful smoky flavour, it is very juicy, and the salt content is just right;
And the most important: the taste is delicious!