In my opinion, the best way to use the pork fat cap is to smoke pulled pork on the Big Green Egg. When cooking the pork butt simply lather it up with some yellow mustard and add your favorite rub to it (Mine is Raging River by Dizzy Pig).
Cook the pork butt with the pork fat cap on the top. This will allow the pork fat cap to render down and all the juices will go into the meat creating a nice tender and moist pulled pork.
For more information on how to smoke pulled pork visit my pulled pork process here.
If you have excess fat from the pork fat cap there are also other options. When doing pulled pork its best to trim the fat down to about an 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick which will leave you with some fat scraps.
Here are 7 alternative options that you can utilize all or some of your excess pork fat caps for.
1.One thing that makes things like over the top chili so delicious is all the fat drippings that come out of the beef and into the beans or chili below. So baked beans and or chili are an excellent place to add the excess pork fat from the cap juices.
2.Another option to use pork fat cap extras for is any kind of sausage or jerky. It’s excellent to add the pork fat cap in the grinder with the sausage or jerky making process.
This is also good to add to venison or deer sausage. The excess pork fat cap is also easily freezable for future use.
3.If cooking pulled pork with the pork fat cap down many cooks refer to this as the cooks snack. There is no need to trim it, but once rendered down its what some will call a heavenly meat also known as the false cap.
4.Pork scratching are popular in the UK. This is simply done by seasoning the pork fat cap with your favorite rub and then fry it up in either a deep fryer or with some vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet.
5.The pork fat cap is an excellent source of seasoning. Many also take advantage of the pork fat cap by seasoning there cast iron pans or skillets with it.
6.One final recommendation is ones the pulled pork is done keep the pork fat cap until you go to pull the pork. Once pulled, squeeze the pork fat cap over the top of the pulled pork which should help add some nice flavorful juices.
7.Another thing many people enjoy doing is giving some of the pork fat cap to there furry friends. While there aren’t any health benefits, dogs love scraps like these.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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