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The Art of Smoke: All About the Butt

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2 years ago

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Dive in to learn how to smoke up a delectable pork butt, whip up your own Memphis-style barbecue sauce, & mix a smoked old fashion cocktail that will impress the in-laws.

Summer grilling (smoking) season is upon us. Travel west a couple of states and peppery brisket slow-smoked over post oak is king. But here in God’s country, pork rules the roost. If someone invites you to chow down on some barbecue in Mississippi, chances are its pulled pork, pork ribs, or some pork sausage.

There will be time to talk about ribs, sausage, and yes, even brisket. For now, though, let’s stick to tender and succulent pulled pork. There are different names for the piggie muscle that yields pulled pork. Some people refer to it as a pork butt. Others, a Boston butt. Only it’s not the butt at all (that’s the ham you eat on Easter).

The pork butt is actually the upper part of a pig’s front shoulder. The lower part of the shoulder is called a “picnic ham.” If you have smoked a picnic ham you know it’s a strange juxtaposition of pulled pork and the ham that comes on the hind quarters.

But enough yammering about things only your butcher needs to know. Let’s get to the cook, the accoutrements, and a smoky cocktail. Even if you’re a novice, a pork butt is one of the most forgiving pieces of meat you’ll ever smoke. It’s going to be delish.

Prepping the Meat

You can get a pork butt from almost any grocer. They’ll be in the meat case near where ribs and other tasty pork products are sold. Some pre-packaged frozen Corky’s barbecue will be nearby if you’re looking for a treat for your dog.

Once you get it home, unwrap it in the sink and rinse it off. Transfer to a pan. You will notice one side has a thick layer of unctuous fat. That’s called the “fat cap.” You’re going to trim the fat cap down so that 1/4-1/3 of an inch is left on top the meat. Do not remove the whole thing. You also want to trim any pieces of fat or meat that are jutting out from the roast. If you don’t those pieces will burn up during the cook.

To brine or not to brine?

Some pitmasters swear by brining to keep meat moist and add flavor. I find it is useful for poultry, but unnecessary for pork. Pork will stay moist because of the sheer volume of collagen released during a long, slow smoke. It will stay tasty, because it’s pork.

If you’re really insistent on brining, dissolve one cup of salt and one cup of sugar in about 8 cups of water. Put your trimmed pork butt in a big Ziplock bag and pour the liquid over it. Add an onion (cut in half), some cloves of garlic, some sprigs of rosemary, half a cup of peppercorns, a pinch of cayenne and whatever else suits your fancy. Put in fridge for 12-18 hours.

Or, if you’re lazy like me, cover the pork butt in a generous layer of sea salt & put it in the fridge uncovered for the same 12-18 hours. It’ll turn out just fine. Delicious even.

Seasoning before the Smoke

Once your pork butt has brined, or simply salted, for the suggested period, it’s time to season and cook. If you’ve been brining, take it out of the liquid and pat dry with paper towels.

Many people swear by using a “binder” to hold their dry rub onto the meat. Some use yellow mustard (don’t worry, you won’t taste mustard if you go this route). Others use vegetable oil. I’ve done it both ways. These days, I don’t use either. I just cover the meat in my dry rub. I find it sticks just fine. If you’re going to use a binder, your basically just going to rub a layer all over the meat before applying your dry seasoning.

In terms of the seasoning, in the past, I’ve made my own dry rub. There are so many good products on the market, though, that the exercise feels like vanity (or perhaps I’m just being lazy again). Two Mississippians that are making and selling some of the best rubs on the market are Heath Riles and Malcolm Reed. I’ve tried most of the rubs and they are all great.

Malcom Reed’s Killer Hogs BBQ Rub on left. Heath Riles Pecan Rub on Right. Two other Heath Riles seasonings that I put on a ton of different stuff, from vegetables to meat. This is my personal stash.

I apply a generous layer of Malcolm’s Killer Hogs BBQ Rub to every inch of the pork butt, and then follow it with a generous layer of Heath’s Pecan Rub.

Prepping Your Smoker

I spent a lot of time in the last installation of this series talking about different types of smokers, different types of woods, and the science of low and slow cooking. I won’t rehash all of it.

READ ABOUT IT: The Art of Smoke

But here are a few suggestions or reminders. First on wood selection. A lot of folks like to use applewood for pork (it’s mild). Some will combine it with pecan (still mild, but more depth). I’ve gotten to where I use cherry on almost all of my cooks. I like the flavor and it gives a deep mahogany bark on the meat. You can buy dried wood at most barbecue shops, and even some grocery stores. Logs are better than chunks. Chunks are better than wood chips. Pellets are compressed sawdust.

Second, remember that the point here is not to cook fast. You want the grate temperature where the meat sits at a steady 225 degrees. There are all sorts of technological gadgets now that help you maintain temperature on your smoker, or you can do it the old fashioned way by adjusting vents to control airflow. I recommend the new fashioned way of technology.

Third, you want to insert a water pan. Moisture is your friend for getting smoke to cling to meat and form that smoke ring that will have family and friends oohing. If you have a vertical smoker, where the heat source is under the meat, you also want to insert a deflector plate between your fire and the meat. The point here is not to cook the meat with fire, but with the smoke from the fire.

The thin blue kind.

Fourth and finally, wait for good smoke. If your smoker is bellowing clouds of gray or thick white smoke, the fuel source hasn’t fully combusted and your meat will come out tasting acrid. No one wants that. Wait to the smoke gets thin and takes on a blue tint. Blue smoke means it is go time!

The Cook

A meat probe that gives you temperature readings of the internal temperature of the meat is helpful. Having it means you don’t have to keep opening the smoker. Opening the smoker creates temperature control issues and can mess up your cook.

If you’re cooking in a vertical smoker (heat underneath meat), place your deflector plate and put the water pan on top of it before adding your cooking grate. Then put the fat cap side of the pork butt down. If you’re cooking with a horizontal smoker (heat from the side), put your water pan on the side the heat comes from and the fat cap up.

Maintain the 225 temp. In the first three-four hours of the cook, I spritz the meat with a water bottle every hour and a half or so. This helps with bark formation. I quit doing it after a few hours because smoke ceases permeating the meat after it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.

Around 160-170 degrees of internal temperature, you’ll notice the temperature stalls for a considerable period of time. There’s science behind this, but I won’t bore you. This phenomena is quite literally called “the stall.” No one ever said barbecue gurus were wordsmiths.

There are two things you can do. If you’re happy with your bark formation, you can wrap it in tin foil with a quarter cup of apple juice. This is called “the Texas crutch.” It will get you through the stall faster. Or, you can just be patient and let the meat do its thing. I lean this direction. I don’t like my bark getting soggy.

When my internal temp gets to 190, I brush some honey on the top and sprinkle another layer of seasoning. Not necessary, but I like the result.

When the internal temperature of the meat climbs between 203-205 degrees, it’s done cooking. You should be able to pull out the shoulder bone clean, which will tell you all the connective tissue and collagen has melted into the meat.

Rest Before Pulling

You’ve spent hours prepping and cooking (a pork butt is generally an 8-10 hour smoke). You’re now drooling over a solid hunk of delectable meat candy. Slap your own hand and back away. A pork butt needs at least two hours of rest before its pulled. I generally will give it at least four hours.

When you pull it off your smoker, wrap it in tin foil. Then, wrap that in some old towels you don’t mind smelling like pork. Then stick that in a good ice chest. This is called a faux cambro and will keep the meat in the safe zone on temperature for a long time.

Now, take it out and get to pulling. You can use your hands, two forks, or they make handy pork pulling claws.

Sauce

I really like un-sauced barbecue (dry rub), but pulled pork is an exception. If I’m putting it on a golden buttered brioche bun, I want the bite of some slaw and the heat of a good Memphis-style barbecue sauce.

There are some decent products out there. I’m a fan of the spicy varieties of both Stubbs and Rufus Teague, but maybe I’ve just bought into clever marketing. I’ll often make my own sauce, though, and here’s what that entails:

  • Dice a small yellow onion and mince three cloves of garlic. In a sauce pan, add two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Toss in your onion and cook until translucent. Now toss in your garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in two cups of ketchup, 1/3 cup of molasses, 1/3 cup of yellow mustard, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 3 tablespoons of packed dark brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
  • Season sauce with 1 teaspoon of fine kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of your favorite barbecue rub, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of Louisiana hot sauce, 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne. (I like a spicy sauce, you can certainly omit some of the heat elements or use less than I’ve suggested here).
  • Stir all ingredients together and simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Done.

And now for a drink…

An American Pale Ale is the cousin of Indian Pale Ales, only a little less hoppy and a little more citrusy (is that a word?). It pairs well with pork. But if you want to be like Emeril and kick it up a notch, might I suggest a smoked old fashioned to pair with your pulled pork. Here’s how you make it:

  • In terms of equipment, you’ll need a cocktail smoker. There are some really basic kits that are easy to use and inexpensive. They basically involve a lid that sits on top of a highball glass that has a hole in the center and a miniature torch that burns wood shaving to infuse the drink with smoke. Here’s an example of a kit from Jeff Bezos’ mom and pop shop.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of water, 3 dashes of angostura bitters, and a half teaspoon of sugar (or one sugar cube). Stir until sugar is dissolved. If you have some bourbon cherries, you can muddle one or two in the bottom of glass.
  • Add two ounces of Bourbon. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Some Maker’s Mark or Woodford Reserve will do just fine. Toss in a big ice cube, unless you’re one of those people who drinks whiskey neat. And shave some orange peel for the top of the drink.
  • Now, use your handy dandy cocktail smoker to infuse the drink with smoke. Watch it fill up the top of the glass. Hand it to your most judgmental family member. They’ll be impressed.

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By: Russ Latino
Title: The Art of Smoke: All About the Butt
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/05/17/the-art-of-smoke-all-about-the-butt/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-art-of-smoke-all-about-the-butt
Published Date: Thu, 18 May 2023 00:26:03 +0000

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Staring mortality in the face at Christmas

Published

11 months ago

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December 16, 2023

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My friend Jarrod is dying after an eight year battle with cancer. He’s lived a life worth celebrating, one that has drawn people to Christ.

I was going about my business this week when I received a text that stopped me in my tracks. A college friend was being moved to hospice care.

Jarrod Egley was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in early 2017. In the fall of 2018, tests revealed the cancer had spread to his lungs and Jarrod’s cancer was classified as Stage IV.

For almost eight years from the date of the original diagnosis, he’s fought. Through surgeries, radiation, endless rounds and cycles of chemotherapy, and experimental immunotherapies, he’s fought.

Last year, I flew out to California and spent some time with Jarrod and his wife, Emily. We sat outside one night. He acknowledged to me that it was not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’ the cancer would claim his life. I told him I was sorry, because what else is there to say?

We talked about our faith, about the trials of Job, about Jacob wrestling with God, about Paul’s affliction. But mostly we reflected on our time together in school, on the good things, and the mundane things, that happened since.

Jarrod and I met at Tulane University. One Sunday morning in the Spring of my freshman year, I rose from my dorm room bed, dressed, and began walking down Saint Charles Avenue in New Orleans with no particular agenda. I walked until I came across First Baptist Church and the thought flickered in the vacuous recesses of my brain to enter.

Some would say it was a lark. The Calvinist in me says providence. The walk that morning changed the trajectory of my time at Tulane and my life on the whole. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the Baptist Collegiate Ministry became central to my life and put me in regular league with Jarrod. I met him first at the BCM and we ultimately ended up attending church together.

Jarrod was a faithful servant on and off campus. He helped organize a group of us that would weekly make our way down to the Esplanade seawall on the backside of the French Quarter to feed the homeless. On Friday nights, he could be found at chapel with a small cadre of students foregoing Bourbon Street for early 2000s worship music.

Jarrod was a loyal friend in those years. Never rude or biting. Not prone to an insult for an easy laugh. Persistently encouraging. An engineering student, his mind worked linearly and was oriented to problem solving. There were never a lot of wasted words — always a lot of deliberative questions when he disagreed or did not understand a point. He exhibited intelligence, empathy, and the kind of moral conviction that sets someone apart.

He also had a wry and dry sense of humor and a penchant for beating people at Madden football. He was fair-to-midland on the ultimate frisbee pitch. Along the way, there were crawfish boils, Mardi Gras outtings, poorly attended Tulane football games, and more than a decent amount of wing eating.

After college, I lost touch with Jarrod. He moved back to his home state of California. He got married to his college sweetheart, who could not have anticipated her husband’s journey, but has been a steady and constant helpmate throughout. Jarrod became a very successful engineer and a bourbon connoisseur. One of his bucket list trips took him to Kentucky, where he got to meet and became friends with bourbon “Hall of Famer” Freddie Johnson of Buffalo Trace acclaim.

Jarrod at Buffalo Trace Distillery (Spring 2022).

Sitting in his backyard nearly 20 years after graduating from Tulane, I saw many of the same qualities I had grown to admire when we were students together. I saw a husband who doted on and supported Emily’s passions. But I also saw someone whose body had been beaten to hell and back, who was tired, and who, like Jacob, had been wrestling with God. We quickly fell back into friendship, which perhaps is the mark of good friendship.

We all have aspirations in our youth — for the kind of spouse or parent we might be, for what we might accomplish, for what we might experience. Along the way, dreams are satisfied, modified, or they die on the vine. The clock inevitably works against all of us. That night in Oceanside, California, Jarrod, a numbers guy, saw that time was not on his side. He believed, as we all would, that he still had more to give, more impact to be made, and more things to see and experience.

After that trip, Jarrod and I stayed in touch, most frequently triggered by news of his cancer. It has been mostly the bad variety in recent months. Now spread throughout his body, down to his bones, he has lived in constant pain for months. Not even a steady diet of morphine and an implanted pain pump solve for it. Jarrod’s been hospitalized twelve times just in 2023.

But his matter of fact sense of humor and way of seeing the world remains in tact. So too does his faith that despite these trials, he has always been safe in the hands of Christ.

There are people in the world who believe that life is random, disordered, and without reason. I am not among them. I think my friend is staring mortality in the face at Christmas for a reason.

For thousands of years before Christ came, there was darkness and despair. Sin and shame gripped the hearts of men. Until one holy night, God, in His infinite love, mercy and wisdom, sent His son to save. Jesus is the light of the world and the hope of man. He has won victory over death and Jarrod’s will not be the exception. Jesus came for Jarrod, and for you.

For thousands of years since Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, His disciples have been used as divine instruments to point the way to God. Jarrod is among them. If life expectancies were the measure, Jarrod would be at the midway point for most people. He’s made a lifetime of impact for the Kingdom and on other people.

So, to my friend Jarrod, you were placed here with a purpose. You have run your race. You are loved. And when this chapter closes, you will hear “well done, my good and faithful servant.” There is no greater evidence of a life well lived.

While Jarrod and Emily have been fortunate to have health insurance, their portion of the medical bills so far in 2023 have eclipsed $30,000, and Emily is facing additional uncovered expenses during Jarrod’s hospice care, including a night nurse that costs over $400 a night. If you would like to help defray the cost, a contribution can be made at their Go Fund Me page.

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By: Russ Latino
Title: Staring mortality in the face at Christmas
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Published Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2023 15:05:22 +0000

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Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023

Published

11 months ago

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December 15, 2023

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Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.

In Mississippi

1. Laurin St. Pe’ named CEO of Singing River Health System

Laurin St. Pe

The Board of Trustees of Singing River Health System announced the immediate appointment of Laurin St. Pe’ as the Chief Executive Officer on Thursday.

“We are thrilled to announce Laurin St. Pe as the new CEO of Singing River,” said Steve Ates, Board President in a statement. “His wealth of healthcare experience and proven track record make him the ideal leader to steer our health system toward its next phase of growth and success.”

St. Pe’, who has been serving as Interim CEO since July 2023, said he is honored to assume the role of CEO at Singing River. He has worked at Singing River as Administrator of Singing River Health System’s Pascagoula Hospital and Gulfport Hospital, in addition to overseeing program service lines throughout the entire system to his subsequent appointment as Chief Operating Officer of Singing River.

The health system says St. Pe played a crucial role in the financial revitalization of Singing River Health System while steering the organization toward financial stability.

2. Gulfport-Biloxi airport, Stennis evacuated after threats

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport was evacuated on Thursday morning “out of an abundance of caution,” airport officials said, after receiving an emailed threat to certain transportation entities across the state.

The airport was thoroughly security swept, cleared and reopened in just over two hours. Gulfport-Biloxi is now operating regularly.

The threat was also sent to Stennis International Airport. Their staff and personnel were also evacuated until the facilities could be swept and cleared.

Any passenger whose travel was affected by the evacuation is encouraged to contact their respective air carrier.

3. Cassidy arrested in Iowa for beheading Satanic Temple statue

Former Mississippi congressional and legislative candidate Michael Cassidy was arrested this week in Iowa for beheading a statue at the state’s Capitol erected by The Satanic Temple.

Cassidy reportedly decapitated the statue and turned himself to police on Thursday. He was charged with fourth degree criminal mischief. He then started an online legal defense fund where he’s raised upwards of $20,000 as of Thursday night, according to his X account.

4. “Serial fraudster” ordered to cease offering investments into companies

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office, on October 26, 2023, Secretary Michael Watson and the Securities Division issued an order against Stephone N. Patton. The SOS says Patton is a serial fraudster with multiple criminal convictions in Mississippi and Florida.

Through business filings with the SEC and Mississippi, Patton has held himself to be the CEO of various companies, including Star Oil and Gas Company, Inc., North Gulf Energy Corporation, Inc., Patton Oilfield Services, Inc., and Patton Farms, LLC.

The SOS says using these business filings and company websites, Patton claimed to have raised hundreds of billions of dollars through investment opportunities. Through investigative efforts and collaboration with the SEC, the SOS discovered none of Patton’s companies are operational, have any assets, or generate any revenues. Account records show Patton spent investors’ funds almost as soon as he received them on personal expenses. The total amount of known investments made to Patton’s fraudulent companies is over $80,000. Further, none of Patton’s investment offerings have been registered or notice filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office.

The SOS order requires Patton to cease and desist from offering investments with his companies, requiring Patton to permanently deactivate his companies’ websites to prevent any further dissemination of his false or misleading information. Patton is also ordered to pay an administrative penalty of $25,000 to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office for these violations, in addition to restitution owed to all his Mississippi investors.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Congressional retirements mounting as 2024 election cycle nears

Retirement and departure announcements are piling up ahead of the start to the 2024 election cycle. The New York Times has developed a Retirement Tracker that currently shows 22 Democrats and 11 Republicans who are in Congress now will not be seeking re-election next year.

“Dozens of members of Congress have announced plans to leave their seats in the House of Representatives, setting a rapid pace for congressional departures, with more expected as the 2024 election draws closer,” the NY Times reports. “Given Republicans’ razor-thin House majority, the wave of exits has the potential to lead to a significant shake-up next year.”

You can find the tracker here.

2. Texas, Daily Wire, The Federalist sue U.S. State Department over media censorship

The U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center has come under fire as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton along with The Daily Wire and The Federalist have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the department funded technology that could “render disfavored press outlets unprofitable.” They claim that the department has helped social media – Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) – to censor free speech while funding technologies used to censor right-leaning news outlets such as theirs.

New Civil Liberties Alliance is representing The Daily Wire and The Federalist. Paxton and the outlets claim the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), a British think tank, received a $100,000 grant from the State Department in 2021, and NewsGuard, which rates the “misinformation” levels of news outlets, received $25,000 from the State Department in 2020, according to the lawsuit.

According to the State Department’s website, the Global Engagement Center’s mission is to direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate U.S. Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.

As reported by Reuters, the lawsuit cited a GDI-produced list from December 2022 that ranked The Daily Wire and The Federalist as among the 10 “riskiest sites” for news while the least-risky included The New York Times, Associated Press and NPR. Reuters notes that the lawsuit alleges such “blacklists” are reducing revenues to The Daily Wire and The Federalist along with their visibility on social media and ranking results from browser searches.

Sports & Entertainment

1. SEC releases 2024 schedules

Wednesday evening, the Southeastern Conference released the 2024 football schedules for its member schools, including of interest in the Magnolia State the schedules for Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

It is the first schedule that includes new conference members University of Oklahoma and University of Texas, bringing the conference to 16 schools. Each SEC team will play eight conference football games plus at least one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 or major independent, each team will have two open dates.

The 2024 season will be the first year the SEC will play a schedule without divisional competition since 1991. The top two teams in the league standings based on winning percentage will play in the 33rd SEC Football Championship Game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, December 7.

2. White, Jesiolowski, Jones honored by MAIS

John White

The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) in Mississippi, comprised of non-public schools, announced this week that Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s senior quarterback John White was named the 6A Player of the Year while Hartfield’s Reed Jesiolowski and Hartfield Chris Jones were named the MAIS 6A Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

All three have committed to play college football at the University of Mississippi.

White is Mississippi’s all-time leader in career passing yards with 15,259 yards, a record he broke during the 2023 season.

MAIS, like the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) for public schools, is broken down into classifications, from 1A to 6A. However, MHSAA added a 7A this season.

Markets & Business

1. Consumer retail sales up as energy, gas prices move down

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in November after being unchanged in October. Retail sales rose 0.3% in November after rising 0.2% in October, meaning consumers continue to spend at the start of the holiday season.

The CPI or inflation rate is 3.1%, higher than the Federal Reserve target of 2% but below the 9% peak in 2022 which reached a 40-year high.

As for the energy index, BLS reported that it fell 2.3% in November after decreasing 2.5% in October. The gasoline index decreased 6% in November, following a 5% decrease in the previous month.

The index for fuel oil fell in November, decreasing 2.7%. However, the natural gas index rose 2.8% over the month after rising 1.2% the previous month. The index for electricity also rose 1.4% in November, after increasing 0.3% in October.

The energy index fell 5.4% over the past 12 months. The gasoline index decreased 8.9%, the natural gas index declined 10.4%, and the fuel oil index fell 24.8% over this 12-month span.

2. Week’s market rally continues into Friday

At close of trading on Thursday, the U.S. markets continued the week’s rally, pushing the Dow up 158 points to 37,248 while the Nasdaq and S&P also made gains, 27 points and 12 points, respectively, to close at 14,761 and 4,719.

The record high for the Dow on Thursday moved futures up 102 points.

According to CNBC, the major averages are headed for their seventh straight positive week. As of Thursday, the Dow is higher on the week by 2.8%. The S&P 500 is up by 2.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.5% this week.

Stocks rallied after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged this week while members look towards cuts in the new year and beyond.

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Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off

Published

11 months ago

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December 15, 2023

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Interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin said this week that only about 59% of the City of Jackson’s water customers are paying their bills.

JXN Water has announced new rates and fees coming in 2024. Those who are not paying will be at risk of shut offs.

The company, which was established by federal appointed interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin, has been overseeing the city’s water system for the better part of a year.

Officials estimated that the average cost for water in the city was $76 per month for residents. Henifin clarified that JXN water will not attempt to recoup any charges prior to November 29, 2022, and will work with those who have failed to pay since that time.

He said only about 59 percent of the city’s water customers are paying their bills.

“You can’t forgive bills, so we have to be creative in how we part that,” said Henifin in reference to Mississippi’s laws that prevent giving away water.

According to a release by JXN Water announcing the rate changes, residents in single family households with small meters that use up to 748 gallons daily would see a bill increase of roughly .30 cents per day. Research indicates that the average U.S. family uses 300 gallons per day.

SNAP customers will have a new rate tier that could lower their bill by up to .69 cents per day, on average.

“Those who need to save the most benefit from saving money by drinking tap water. This new rate structure makes water affordability possible for 12,500 JXN Water customers who receive SNAP benefits,” said Henifin in the release.

Read more about the anticipated rate changes here.

New fees will also be implemented, including a new service fee of $50, service deposit of $100, returned check fee of $25, service restoration fee of $100, and meter tampering charge of $500. 

JXN Water has continued to encourage residents to use the water, with Henifin going on the record in a federal status hearing saying that the water “was safe to drink.”

More conversation regarding the billing process is expected to come at next week’s Jackson City Council meeting.

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By: Sarah Ulmer
Title: New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/15/new-water-rates-expected-in-jackson-come-2024-those-who-dont-pay-face-shut-off/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-water-rates-expected-in-jackson-come-2024-those-who-dont-pay-face-shut-off
Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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