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Yesterday was market day at Woodson’s Mill, a still functioning 18th century water powered mill here in central VA. Deep Roots Milling mills regional grains once a month and then sells their flours the following weekend. So I hauled my sorry keister down there to bag me some flour. This loaf is 70% Deep Roots Silver Bread Flour (80% extraction) + home milled yecora rojo (15%), spelt (10%) and rye (5%). 80% hydration.

Well, I am very pleased to report that it turned out GREAT. Maybe the best I've done yet. Good smoke and delicious, crunchy bark. Moist and tender. Everything I could want in pulled pork. We made sandwiches for dinner on big Hawaiian buns- mine with a coleslaw base and some good Johnny Harris's barbecue sauce. It was make-your-eyes-roll-to-the-back-of-your-head-and-see-god good. Haven't had that experience since the last time I wen to LA Barbecue in Austin and had the brisket sandwich. I think this is the recipe for me from now on. Interesting that there was such a variation in cooking time required for each of the four shoulders. I suppose variations in size and weight and maybe moisture content are the explanation, but one was at 203* at exactly 10 hours, as planned, and the last one took 11 1/2 hours to reach that temp. Interesting..... Since we had the smoker going, threw a chicken- halved- and a few breasts on there for good measure. Haven't tasted any of them yet.

I had a sneaking suspicion that you were using it on potatoes! YUM!

Yes, to pour on the chicken and brat kartoffeln that went with it. That is the most delicious chicken fat you will ever eat!

I think the freezing is an interesting idea. As for the smoke concern, perhaps one of the reasons this worked for me this time is that I used a 2/3rd-1/3rd mix of apple and cherry wood, and neither of those has a very strong flavor; if I had used oak or hickory the results might have been very different, e.g. , perhaps that creosote-like aftertaste.

@tekobo - just curious as to why the pan? Saving the drippings for something?

Chicken dinner, always a winner.

made pan de cristal today 100% hydration caputo nuvola super W320. overnight levain and poolish preferments. not the crumb i was looking for but still tastes ok..

That's the best news!