Step 1: What to Buy

1. For this recipe I purchased a whole boneless pork butt but after having sliced it up myself, I highly recommend that you just buy a package or two of pork steaks to make it a lot easier. I do not mind slicing it up, but I am all about convenience.
2. If you do decide to use a pork butt, I recommend some freezer time for the butt to stiffen it up a little bit. You don’t want it frozen but just at that point where it’s solid enough to cut good slices.
3. A meat slice would also work well for this if you have one or have access to one.

Step 2: Prepare the Meat

1. Remove as much of the fat on the outside as you can, you don’t need the fat cap for these. Use a sharp knife and you don’t have to spend a lot of time with it. Just remove what you can and move along.
2. Cut the pork butt into ¼ inch slices then into strips that are about 2 inches wide. If you are using pork steaks, you can probably get 2 to 3 strips from each steak.

Step 3: Marinate

1. Layer the strips of meat into a bowl and sprinkle my rub onto each layer. The rub will draw some of the moisture out of the meat and it will become a thick marinade that will flavor the strips of pork very deeply.
2. Once all of the meat is layered into the bowl, sprinkle some extra rub on top and cover the bowl.
3. Place the bowl in the fridge overnight to marinate.
4. Note, you can also use a zip top bag if that is more convenient. Place all of the meat into the bag and then pour enough rub into the bag to coat the meat really well. ½ cup is probably enough but you will have to make sure that all of the meat is coated well.
5. Massage the closed bag to combine the meat and the rub then place in the fridge overnight.

Step 4: Put it on a Stick

1. Do not rinse the meat when it is finished marinating.
2. Use long wooden skewers that are about 12-inches long if possible
3. Push the skewer through the meat making sure to keep it inside the meat if possible. If it seems to be hard to push through, try twisting the skewer as you push.
4. As the sticks are loaded, place them into a Bradley rack with room between each one so the smoke and heat can have ample access.

Step 5: Smoke it

1. Setup your smoker for cooking at about 225-240°F for about 2 hours and apply smoke for at least 1 hour.
2. If your smoker has a water pan, fill it ¾ full with water to create a nice humid environment inside the smoker to reduce drying.
3. Place the skewers directly on oiled smoker racks or you can use the Bradley racks if you have them.
4. Once the meat reaches about 170°F, coat both sides with my barbecue sauce. It is ok to crank up the heat at this point if your smoker has this ability. I used a propane smoker for this session and turned the control knob to high to help caramelize the sauce and to get a little charring on the outside.
5. You could also transfer them to a hot grill for this operation. If using this option, let the meat reach 180°F in the smoker before removing them to the grill and adding sauce and high heat.
6. If you plan to use the grill to finish the meat, you will want to soak the skewers in water for a few hours before loading them with meat. This will help to prevent them from catching fire in the high heat. You should also keep a spray bottle of water close by the grill to extinguish any unexpected flare ups.
7. If they seem to be drying out and/or if you are not able to use a water pan in your smoker, the skewers of meat could be placed into a large roasting pan and covered in foil to finish once they get about 1 hour of good smoke.

Step 6: Serve

1. Let folks start grabbing these as soon as theyjjjj are finished and while they are really hot and delicious. Be sure to provide some sauce on the side for those who like to dip. I found that I did not need sauce after the fact as there was plenty caramelized onto the meat.