Happy 4th!

I've haven't been writing here much this week. There hasn't been much I've thought was blogworthy, other than some pictures that I can't get off the camera right now due to dead batteries.

But I thought I'd share our Fourth of July menu very quickly, before heading off to set fires and make explosions.

We're doing a potluck, so most of the sides are being contributed by others. However, the main dish is a smoked pork shoulder. We always seem to have a pork shoulder in the back of the freezer. It's a cheap cut of meat, and fairly versitile in what can be made with it. We started off by rubbing it down yesterday with Green Street Grill Rub from the Alpharetta Spice Company. The Alpharetta Spice Company is a local boutique spice company that has a stall at the Alpharetta Farmer's Market each weekend. They describe the Green Street rub as:

Versatile blend to be used on all things grilled. What makes this one special is the smoked sweet paprika. The peppers are dried in an oak wood oven for an incredible taste. New Mexico chili peppers, garlic and a hint of cayenne round out this bold rub.

Then we let it sit over night. This morning, we put the shoulder on the grill and smoked it using mesquite chips we picked up at Publix last weekend. The smoking took less time than we thought. We just pulled the meat off the grill a good hour and a half before show time. The tiny bits we've allowed ourselves to try and tender and flavorful. It's currently sitting on the counter, covered in foil and "resting".

My other contribution to this meal is deviled eggs. I adore deviled eggs. I gobble them up at Easter and other celebrations. These are ordinary, run of the mill deviled eggs. I use mayo, yellow mustard and salt and pepper to mix with the yolks. The only different thing I did today was garnish with a light sprinkling of Old Bay, instead of paprika. On one of my forums, someone suggested doing this for "Maryland style" deviled eggs. It sounded interesting, and so I'm trying it. I'm sure I'll still eat them.