Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

All the information from curing chamber builds to cure recipes and time is readily available on the internet. Smoking meat forum and Google are 2 of the bigger helps for me. Unfortunately there are 2 individuals on Smoking Meat Forum who have dragged it down so I've taken a hiatus from participating there until they flame out. There are also some really good books on charcuterie.

Really its not that difficult its just takes a while for the results. Its more an exercise in patience than anything. Cure and salt are always based strictly upon the weight of the meat. Lots and lots of published data on that. The spices are where you get creative and what I like about making my own product. I don't have to make a flavor profile for the masses like I make what I like. Lots of cure recipes call for black pepper. I typically double or triple the amount as I love black pepper. Things like fennel are not my favorite so when a recipe calls for it I usually cut it by 1/2 or more.

As for opening a shop, no way. Curing at home verses commercial is different do to regulations. People in my area wouldn't pay the prices and once it becomes work/business the fun part goes out the window.

The good news is I can and do share bounty with friends, family and coworkers.

I encourage you to make some Duck prosciutto. Its very easy all you need is:

Skin on split duck breast
3 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
Spices if desired
White vinegar
Cheese cloth

1. Unpackaged and blot dry with clean paper towel
2. Mix salt and sugar (cure) and put a thick lay in the bottom of a reactive dish. You can mix in a little black pepper as well)
3. Place the beasts on top of the salt/sugar meat side down.
4. Cover the breasts with the rest of the salt/sugar. They need to be totally buried in cure
5. Put in your refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours

After 24 to 48 hours:

1. Remove from cure and wipe off as much cure as possible
2. Very quickly rinse under fresh cold water and blot dry.
2a. Pour about a 1/2 cup of white vinegar in a clean bowl and quickly dredge the splits through the vinegar and blot dry. (this helps kill off any unwanted nasty's)
3. If you want to lightly spice now is another opportunity before wrapping. I used 1 sprig of thyme and a few sage leaves per 1/2 breast. Just place one on either side of the meat and move to step 4.
4. Wrap up the individual pieces in clean cheese cloth and truss and/or tie up with cotton twine (available at any kitchen shop, grocery store or wallyworld)
5. Hang in fridge (cannot touch other items) for 10 days to dry out.


There are other things you can do to impart flavor like after the vinegar rinse, rinse again in white wine.

I did the entire process above for 2 duck breasts (4 pieces) other than the aging part in less than a 1/2 hour total time with stuff I had at home save for the fresh spices.

 

The interesting thing is in most facets of life I am not a patient person. Curing meats has been great mental exercise form me.

As for a auxiliary fridge with $70 controls and another $90 for a heater, humidifier and dehumidifier you can easily turn a fridge into a curing chamber or cheese cave. When not being used for curing or as a cave it can easily be reset to run as a fridge. Win, win!

Honestly I'm thinking about adding Inkbird temperature controllers to the house and beer fridges as the Inkbirds will maintain much tight tolerance than the factory 1 thru 10 dial controls.

 

Oh dear.

 

Scottalot is lookin' good!

 

I'm tellin ya man there ain't much better than a fresh caught shore meal. We used to fish all the time in the summer growing up. Clean it up, cook it multiple way depending on what we wanted. Sometimes we would fry it up in cast iron with a nice dredge of seasoned flour. That with some fresh summer sweet corn. Can't beat it. Makes me miss the good ole days growing up.

 

So I'm not the only one who caught that.

 

whats that green stuff?

 

What my food eats

 

Straight beef or did you put ground bacon in the patty also? Should get some burbon bacon jam to put on it also. Can't beat fresh grilled hamburger at work.

 

I’ve got some beans on the smoker for a retirement part at work today. No, not mine, before you ask.

Yesterday I started a #10 can of Bush’s baked beans with 1 cup of Pitfaced rub, half an onion, and 5 strips of bacon. After 4-5 hours with the bacon on top, I removed the bacon and chopped it up, then stirred it in. It sat overnight and now it’s back on for the next 3 hours uncovered at 225, stirring every 30 minutes. At the taste test last night I got pretty excited and now I really can’t wait to see how they turn out.

 

I feel you there man, get's real old real fast. Burgers look good and are making me want some.

 

Heredity vs environment. If your kid looks like you, that's heredity. If he looks like the mailman, that's environment.

 

LOL that is a new take on Nature vs. Nurture. I like it!

 

Hell mine are 27 and 30 and both like their steaks cooked until it is shoe leather. I keep hoping that one of these days their taste buds will grow up I blame it on their Mother.

On the other hand not going to cook prime graded steaks for them to have it ruined by being overcooked. They seem content with Choice sirloin which is a lot cheaper than Prime cap steak or ribeyes. So it isn't all bad, at least on the grocery bill.

 

That seems...high

 

Beef back ribs for pot roast? Wtf?

 

Well it’s 4/20 after all

 

Beef back ribs are great, cheap enough to f around with. Just don’t put them in your crock and call it pot roast

 

All the fun is between the bones, not a ton of meat other than that. Great for caveman gnawing.