Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Man everything in this smoke thread looks really good!!!!!

 

No photos since it's just sliced meat in a tupperware bowl, but if you're not brining your poultry before you smoke it, you're missing out.

I shot some pheasant on Saturday and immediately put them in a brine of 6 parts apple juice, 1 part sugar and 1 part salt. Added a little crushed garlic and then into the fridge overnight. This was a little more concentrated than I ususally mix a brine, but I knew I only had about 12 hours.

Smoked them for about an hour today and then rubbed with olive oil and into a 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes covered. Broiled for the last 3 minutes to crisp the skin and they're amazing. The meat is sweet and salted perfectly with a taste similar to brined turkey but nothing like I've ever had in a store or restaurant. It's just a really unique taste that I don't think can be replicated any other way.

So if you're ever going to smoke a chicken or turkey and want to try something pretty unique, plan a little ahead and leave about 12 hours to brine your bird. I can't see how you'll be anything but completely blown away.

 

I so bought a 2 lb pork loin and rubbed it down and vacum sealed it yesterday. This will be my 1st attempt at smoking pork and planning on pulling it. I have a gas smoker. And know I need to wrap in foil/towel cooler to rest for an hr. But What temp? and how long aprox per pound? Not sure what time to put it in. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

I like to get my pork up to 195 for pulling it. My smoker is not the most efficient so I'm about 2 hours/lb. There is a period of time when the pork will just sit at 160-165 and not seem to budge. This is when I have to exercise the most patience but to get a good pull you need to wait it out. After it being like this for about 2 hours it'll shoot up and start to climb in temperature.

 

IMO, a loin is not the best choice for PP. A butt is much better, because of all the fat content. That loin is gonna get to temp fairly quickly because the lack of fat, keep a close check on it. Let us know how it turns out.

 

I'm gunna start 1hr lb its really not that big of a piece of meat. I have remote temp gauge and can crank the smoker so if dinners a lil late so be it

 

Ah, missed that its a loin.

 

Thought you guys would appreciate this. Some smoked seafood boards from Easter brunch yesterday.

 

I do, and am making some fresh smoked oysters and clams! Hickory smoked, have a couple Rock Fish still smoking right now too!

 

Wow I don't do seafood but the presentation. My mind is blown

 

omnomnom

 

And he brought me a Rec Tec smoker. I am gonna cold smoke about 20 pounds of cheese with wine barrel dust in the AM then smoke a pizza fatty for supper and a breakfast fatty with hickory pellets.

 

That's a pretty serious rig if you're into pellets. You'll have to keep us posted on how it works!!

 

Well what you think?

 

Huh, must be an open invite for dinner!

 

Well I took it out @ 175 cause its a loin and I didnt want to dry it out, 1hr rest. It had decent flavor but didn't pull worth a crap. Ohh well try again.

 

we did 16 racks yesterday for Easter !

 

Yeah, try a butt, pull at 195, it'll fall apart after a hour rest.

 

I did a shoulder on Sunday and cooked it to 195 in a 265 degree oven after smoking it for 6 hours. Cooked 10 hours total and rested 1 hour and still needed a couple more hours. Pulled ok but not as well as usual. I think wrapping and finishing in the oven is key to a juicy shoulder but at least with this cut of meat I should have pushed it to 200 deg and let it sit an extra hour. Crazy how much difference there is from one animal to the next.

Come to think of it, this one was bone in. I usually smoke deboned shoulders and that may be why it needed more time this time.

 

Shoulder to shoulder for sure cook at different rates. I always wrap but leave in the smoker, turn up the temp a bit and watch for finish temps. I usually do bone in, it will pull out completely meatless. I do score the butt deeply (for more surface/bark area). I've had two similar weight butts finish two hours apart?