How did Easter Turn Out

Home-cured bone-in pork loin turned out very ham-like, went over well. Smoked at 150F for about 7 hours, then raised to 175F until it hit 160F in another 2.5 hours. Cooled, carved, then rewarmed in a crockpot with a drizzle of water for sandwiches. Yield from an 8 lb roast was just over 4 lb. Next time I'll use a boneless pork loin for neater slices. Or maybe try a fresh ham if I need a bigger piece.

That was all according to plan, but when we showed up on Friday nite, we found out that instead of a dozen or so people, there would be about 30.

So, quick trip to two groceries before finding an all-natural 11 lb turkey. Thawed overnite, next morning brined with 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, quart of water + whatever spices I could locate: black pepper, white pepper, allspice, coriander. Put in the smoker at midnite Saturday at 225F with around 2oz maple. By 10:00 it was sitting at 175F internal for an hour or so and didn't feel all that tender, so I set to 250F and went off to church. Returned, it had shot up to 188F internal - oops! Took out, let cool for 20 minutes or so, sort of half-carved, half-pulled, half-chopped and put in another crockpot. Skin was predictably rubbery and dark, so that got tossed out. Would probably have preferred neater slices. I guess the solution there might be to cook a bit less and start with a bigger bird. Legs were quite good if a bit too tender - may try drumsticks alone sometime.