Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Had I not dropped out of college, I would have ended up with a degree in psychiatry. Being a U.S. Army Infantry Drill Sergeant, I never would have made a good therapist. But I am here if you want to talk.
https://youtu.be/O3pliWbwHxk


That being said, reach out to a counselor, therapist, shrink or whatever. As much as I hate the “safe space” moniker, it IS a place where you can feel secure and talk without repercussions. Nobody else in your life needs to know.

 

Sometimes we all just need to be able to blow off to like minded people.

 

WOW im touched. thanks. back to deer had 2 nubbies in my hayfield last nite. one had 2in nubs with great diameter. didnt want to spook them trying to get a pic

 

Back to the meat...

first time on Lamb, 7lb roast. Used a marinade of the Oklahoma Joe website. Didn’t take any pix of the cook.
https://www.oklahomajoes.com/recipes/smoked-leg-of-lamb

It was good, but the net holding the meat together removed a lot of the marinade when it was cut off. I’ll try it again a different way next time.

FYI, a Ninja Magic Bullet is no substitute for a food processor, I thought I smoked it, guess it was just over heated.

 

A thanks to those who have served, an unending debt of gratitude to those who have given all!

 

Looks great

 

This is a dangerous place...

Dogs have settled in (kind of) and I really wanted to smoke or grill something today\tonight. Eventually poured some Jameson and thought about it. Didn't want to go to the grocery store will do that in the morning when they let the 60+ plus crowd in and don't have to deal with those 40 something disease carrying rugrats

Have a cure 81 ham in the fridge OK it is a start. But can't do any sugar glazes or even apple cider wrap or sugar. Another couple fingers of Jameson...

Broccoli is getting old. As are the scallions. In a pan they go. Cube some of the ham. Some cheese left over from my last run to Wi. extra sharp cheddar and Parmesan. Grated it. Found some cream cheese in the back of the fridge it helps keep the other cheese from lumping up. And some heavy cream. For sauce. Found a can of green beans in the back of the pantry not French cut but hey they are low in carbs.



If it doesn't work out then I can always pick out the ham. But pretty sure it will be just fine and used up leftovers and ready to expire stuff.

The seams on Food Saver bags are known to break open in boiling water. They even state on their website that they are fine for Sous Vide but do not take them to 212° and I normally just throw them into boiling water with pulled pork etc. for ~20 minutes. I use Weston bags. You do not want your bags of pulled pork blowing out in boiling water trust me. Don't ask me how I know LOL.

I used to live for deer season, nothing in the world was more important from my earliest memories. Then a few years ago things changed. NEVER thought that would happen, now I look at deer season as an interruption to bird hunting and running the dogs. Don't want to gut and drag them. Or cut them up anymore. I'd rather take a picture of them with the camera.

It happens and to a lot of people. Not everyone but a lot. Someone I talked to about it called it a maturation process. Not sure if that is true or not but happened to me and a lot of others I know once they get close to 60.

Used to be I could go to my Grandfather and Father, FIL, etc. for help and seek their advice on problems. All of a sudden one day seemed like I woke up and they were gone. All of them. And everyone was coming to me. It is lonely at the top and a scary place. Didn't ask to be here. But am and all you can do is the best with what life has taught you. For me it seemed to happen around the same time I lost the passion for killing deer and bovine in general. And the Ex left both me and my sons. And the youngest got cancer. Wasn't supposed to be like this but it is what it is.

Dwayne have "known" you for more than a few years and am more than a few years ahead of you. Always fought through things on my own too proud to ask for help. Got lucky and things have turned out well. But like I said got lucky. You know where to find me and am available to you anytime and mean that. But don't be like me. Seek out others that can help you. Seriously brother don't be like me.

This. X100. Learned that when my youngest son went through advanced stage IVB cancer after his mother left us. That almost broke this oak until a doc pulled me aside the 4th time I watched them save his life and she gave me a hug. And said if I did't care of myself then I would not be able to take of him anymore.

Psychiatrist would infer a M.D. degree in psychiatry and the ability (and focus) on medication for mental health issues. My guess would be you were a psychology major which would have led to a degree as a psychologist. Which use psychotherapy in treating emotional and mental suffering in patients with behavioral intervention.

Started out as a ceramic engineer following my grandfather. The Navy made me a Nuke Engineer. Took advantage of every educational offering I could in 20 years in the Navy and finished up with a couple of extra degrees. Including psychology and sociology. But would never ever dream of working in either field.

The brain trying to understand the brain is recursive to begin with and much is unknown. Mental health in this Country and the world in general is in a sad state IMO.

For the last 20 years I have been the technical specialist for the Electronic Content Management Systems at the #1 ranked hospital in the US. Is this a hell of a Country or what? That is what so many have sacrificed for, so that anyone can do anything they want. As long as they are willing to work for it.

Amen brother! And this thread seems to include the most like mined individuals I have ever met. Anywhere.

Haven't seen any nubs here yet but the does have started dropping. Been watching a fawn following Mom for the last week around here. Still haven't got a decent shot of her yet like I did a few years ago.



Well guess things are going to turn out OK. But think I need to add some more heavy cream and stir things up some. Hour and a half in



This is going to be good...

 

As always.. I appreciate your knowledge and insight and I merely have to say I have used Food Saver brand bags exclusively for the past 20 years and not once have I had a bag fail in boiling water. I've had seals fail tho..but few and very far in-between.

 

I went the Psychologist route. 8 years of college but not medical school. IMO, a Psychiatrist focuses more on the medication aspect but a lot of things can be helped without the need for medication. They spend 10-15 minutes with a person and write a script, I spend an hour with a person and make sure that they get the help and support they need.

You have no freaking idea the stuff I hear on a daily basis. The sad thing is, is that it seems to only get worse.

 

Yes. Psychology, not psychiatry. Not sure by I typed psychiatry. I guess when I pulled up the R. Lee Ermey clip it said psychiatrist so they was stuck in my head. I was looking at Industrial/Organizational Psychiatry as my specific field as working in ergonomics seemed more of a concrete science.

 

Ah okay I don't sous vide. My shredded pork just gets done in a skillet to heat it up. Thanks for the heads up on the bags though just in case.

 

Happy Memorial Day and thanks to those who gave it all.

Pull pork yesterday





Kebabs and corn today!

 

I used a LOT of foodsaver bags back in the day and never had one blow in boiling water either.

It was on SMF that I first read about it a number of years ago. And someone pointed out that they don't support using them in 212° water

Can I boil food in a foodsaver bag?

Pretty much have gone Weston since then and never had a problem with those either.

Agree. Totally.

There are times when medication can or should be able to help. My oldest son is in the top 5% of OCD cases in the US. Rogers has a waiting list of 2 years for OCD when he was ~20 and after they did prescreen asked if I could get him there the next week? With 40% copay due to mental health was a struggle but made it happen. He has been inpatient several times since but at least now functional, for the most part.

He has done well and still sees both a Psychologist and Psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist's have spent years trying to find the right combination of meds to help him with no joy. With the Psychologists he has been able to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help him function.

Home schooled him and taught him computer systems as I was learning also, well beyond the mainframe I learned on into the world of distributed computing LOL. He eventually was Level 2 tech support for Apple then decided to go chase the dollar in Boston. With better mass transportation he can't even drive his OCD is so bad.

Talked to him for 2 hours today. Had a long talk about the whole "masses" thing and urban vs. rural. We can both give and take and I have learned a long time ago some people need to learn on their own.

And I am still learning.

 

Ha totally get it! Almost went into Industrial Engineering when I retired from the Navy. Ended up working in a lot of verticals mainly manufacturing and totally get it. And absolutely get the concrete science vs. soft science. Not that I said that out loud I hope...

 

Months of a low carb diet followed by Jameson, things could get interesting.

 

Leave it to you Rick to understand the interaction of low carb and alcohol

3 short glasses of Jameson followed by TALL glasses of ice water. But still apparently developed diarrhea of the mouth keyboard. And feel like I drank a full Jack Bellawood bottle from the 70's.

Another round of T-storms hit at the end of my cook, it is in the 70's after all.



Which is OK caused cooling and more smoke. And the end result was well worth it.



Damn that turned out well. Now I have to take 2 dogs out in the rain before bedtime. What the hell was I thinking?!

 

Praying for you man.

 

Just pick up another Dickinson, it'll make you feel better.