Picnic pre-wrapped/tied?


 
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David Willis

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I picked up 2 picnics (Tyson) for $1.59/lb, which is pretty good, right (first time really looking).

Anyway, got them home, unpackaged 'em, and they were tied up already, in a pretty good net system. I'm not sure about smoking them with the twine around them, but I took one of of it and it fell apart. 1 piece still, but all over the place.

I wrapped it up as best I could and used some string to fix the cuts I made. I went ahead and rubbed them, twine and all, and they are in the fridge right now, but should I be worried about the string and what it may add to the taste?
 
Hi David:
It seems that you purchased boneless picnics from your description of them falling apart. I assume that you will be smoking them at approximately 225-250 degrees F. I would just try and make sure that the twine does not contain multiple loose threads or look fuzzy. If they come off it will be may be almost like trying to remove hair. If the multiple threads are twisted really tight you should not have any problems. I would also recommend that your twine is not colored. I hope this helps.
 
String generates no taste during a smoke session. This is particularly true of the stuff the pig came wrapped in from the butcher.

You are smoking at low temps. The string is tightly bound to the meat and shouldn't reach a high enough temp to burn and generate its own smoke flavor. The string will look pretty much the same comin' out as it did goin' in. Well, it'll have a bunch of rendered fat on it, but we'll ignore that for now.

Relax and enjoy.
 
Forgot to try and answer your other question. I will say that your price of 1.59 per pound is a good price IF the picnics are boneless. Here in the Washington, DC; Northern VA and Maryland area, we can get picnics very frequently for 99 cents per pound with the bone...The maximum price recently has been around 1.28 per pound...but that is high in this area. Someone else will have to chime in for the Houston or other areas near you. Thanks.
 
Hi David,
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> in a pretty good net system <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
is that netting synthetic? Does anyone know what temp that stuff melts at? I've always removed it cuz I don't know ...... same question I guess with the string you used to tie up further .... cotton butcher cord is good (Linens 'N Things carries) but I would be concerned about using any plastic or nylon household string ....
 
The synthetic cord used is polypropylene. It is good stuff. It is the same material used for dishwasher safe food containers. The big difference is that it is stretched out into strands and twisted into string.

Relax, life is too short to sweat the small stuff. And synthetic meat wrapping material definately qualifies as small stuff.
 
One of the biggest p[roblems with twine and even more with netting is that it will tend to pull off much of the bark.

As we all know, after many hours of smoking the bark will become very crusty and the netting actually bakes into it. Then when you try pulling it off, because it is baked into it, the bark is pulled away as well.

As to the issue of being safe...trust me, if it was not food safe, butchers would not be using it!

Anyway, best of luck!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> if it was not food safe, butchers would not be using it! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm sure the absorbant pads they put in the trays are food safe too but I wouldn't cook them either.

Food safe wasn't really my concern, melting point of the plastic was. I found one spec on one butcher supply site of max 392F (200C), so that particular mesh should be removed before say searing a roast but should be safe for low'n'slow. Certainly though, not all netting is created equal:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> "To net or not" -- leaving ham or turkey netting on during cooking: Sometimes, when removing the packaging around a ham or turkey, consumers find an inner netting surrounding the meat product. Its purpose is to hold boned meat and poultry in a specific shape. The netting can be of a fabric, plastic, or plastic and rubber. The fabric netting can be used with food. It may burn a bit if high heat is used, but there is no concern of transferring unsafe chemicals to the meat. Some plastics or plastic and rubber may be used and are made specifically for use in cooking. However, the label must have specific cooking directions for the meat to be safe to eat. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hocklock To be safe according to this guideline, one should remove plastic or rubber netting unless the label clearly states it is safe for cooking.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> if it was not food safe, butchers would not be using it <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> if some is not safe for cooking do you suppose the butcher really knows the difference? What about large chain grocers where packing purchasing decisions may be far removed from the butcher?

Sounds pretty iffy to me ..... I guess I'm just old fashioned that way, I won't even put plastic or plastic wrap that is marked as microwave safe in a microwave.
 
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