‘Pig Rub’- pulled pork the Hang Fire Smokehouse way

Apparently one or two regular readers of these meanderings are both keen ‘smokers’ and fans of Hang Fire. If they’ve stuck with this blog for this long (and yes, I know we all hoped we’d have found something better to do with our lives by this point), they might actually find something useful on this page.

Which will make a refreshing change.

While I spent a downright fascinating afternoon at Hang Fire’s new workshop in Llantwit Major (the initial piece is here) the ladies were kind enough to let me in on one of their secret weapons: one of their two ‘Pig Rubs’.

This, of course, is the stuff that changes meat into magic. Flesh into fantasy. Pork into…something even better than ‘just’ pork.

Or this…

…into this

and this…

…via this.

So, in a rare mood of public-spiritedness, I thought it might be fun to share for the benefit of any fellow pork-fixated compadres out there.

150 gms dark brown sugar

150 gms sea salt flakes

100 gms soft light brown sugar

4 tablespoons chilli powder

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Combine. Smear with vegetable oil, shake on the rub and away you go.

Told you it was easy.

If kept in an airtight container, this rub will last for up to 6 months of porcine alchemy. Then it’s just a matter of covering the surfaces of your butt (stop sniggering!) with the aforementioned rub and letting the heat do its thing.

Now- I’ve no idea at all whether this would work in your domestic oven at a low temperature. I have nary a clue whether these ingredients would, when combined with oil, yoghurt or the like, make a perfect marinade. Hang Fire Smokehouse exclusively uses smoking for all their meat. This blend, after all, is designed to build up that ‘bark’ I mentioned last time.

This one, as they say, is for the smokers.

Enjoy.