Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

I don’t know recipes, I just put good stuff in it lol. Roasted Chile peppers are a super good ingredient . Cumin and paprika can be nice. Some chile powder but too much will kill it so be careful. Some kind of beans like pinto or kidney. Garlic. Onions. Canned tomatoes. Cayenne, or maybe throw a few dried hot peppers in it

Cubed and seared deer meat makes the best chili imo. If you don’t have any then a cheap piece of beef will work.

I’m fond of white chilis (I know I know)
Start with your smoked pork, including bone. Add some canned white beans like cannellini and roasted chiles and chicken stock. Maybe some onions or, it kills me to say it out loud, kale.
Season to taste


Slow cooker FTMFW

The most important part of any chili:



Maybe post the same question here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/foodies-bs-thread.151840/
Or here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...tta-eat-on-the-cheap-crock-pot-thread.500700/

 

Beans

 

Not gonna go through the whole recipe (mostly because I can’t remember it all right now without starting to make it) but I do two types of meat in mine. I cube and use ground I like the variation in texture it gives, I also cook it down with a good pale ale beer (never cook with something you wouldn’t drink) and mine also has something I’m sure I’ll be laughed at for chocolate bar. I use a good quality, it adds a rich tone to it.

I use various spices in mine, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and I don’t make it as hot as I used to. Now it’s just warm and if I want more heat I add siracha to my bowl. I cook the onions to start then the beets and then I add the onions and beefs in with spices and beer. Then I add in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and beans (whatever kind you like) cook it all down once it’s all in I add the chocolate and possibly water to adjust for cooking. When I get towards the end I use a cornstarch and water slurry to thicken it to my liking.

Sorry it’s not more recipe like but more of a guide, many times mine is more by gut feeling and look/taste.

 

I’ve got a similar one that uses coco powder. Butters up the taste buds before the spice knock out punch.

 

gotta have beans man...

 

I did! I think I sprung it when I loaded all that pork belly on top of it. Cleaned up. I had to trim them all anyways and repackage.

Here is one of the 4 briskets trimmed for comp. All the focus is on the flat side. Squared up to fit the box without trimming after the cook so I get bark all around. This one is wagyu. I have two of those and two primes.



I cubed up over 50 lbs of pork belly, too. Just shy of 600 cubes, I'd wager. There are two other bags like this one and one smaller one.



Gassed. I'm hitting the sack. I'll get some pics of the camp site tomorrow!

 

I do want to do some comps next summer. Eric and I have talked about it.

 

A lot of work and a lot of fun.

I'd like to do some smaller ones, though. This one is big with lots of events to participate in. The three of us were prepping all day.

 

Oops I don’t think I can even blame that on auto correct

 

If it doesn’t have beans, it goes on a hot dog. Then, depending on where your from it might even be called sauce at that point.

 

Driving from anywhere in the state of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, most of Georgia, 1/2 of South Carolina, 1/3 of North Carolina, part of Virginia, part of Ohio, 3/4 of Nebraska, 1/2 of Colorado and 1/2 of New Mexico are all closer to Texarkana than El Paso is to Texarkana.

 

Here is my Smokehouse Chili recipe

Prep dried chili peppers the night before soaking 2 each Guajillo, Ancho, Cascabel, Chipotle and Arbols. If you get a late start on them, put them in a saucepot with enough water to cover them, bring it to a boil then take off the heat and leave covered an hour or so until softened.

Step 1

2 lbs. course ground beef (chili grind)

1lb breakfast sausage

1lb ground turkey
(or any combination of ground meats you prefer)

Form into several large 1” thick patties and smoke at 225f over hickory for 1hr.

After 1 hour place patties into large cast iron Dutch oven set on top of smoker grate. Chop patties with spatula. Leave Dutch oven on smoker grate uncovered.

Step 2
Add:
1 medium chopped white onion
16oz Tomato Sauce
32oz Beef Broth (Reduce this amount if using the umami mixture below)
2 Cans Rotel or Tex Mex diced tomatoes

*1/2 Cup fish sauce
*1/4 Cup soy sauce
*1 Cup tomato paste
*4 tsp cocoa powder
* This adds a depth of flavor, umami if you will, but can be skipped.

Cook for 30 minutes, stir and add water if needed.


Step 3
Add:
5 TBS Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Salt
½ TBS Ground Cumin
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper or to taste
½ tsp Black Pepper or to taste

Run rehydrated chilis through a food processor or blender using some of the liquid to form a paste, then add to pot.

Cook for 1 hour, stir every 30min and add water if needed.

Step 4:
Add:
4 TBS Chili Powder
2 tsp Paprika
½ TBS Ground Cumin

Add beans if desired (I use black and kidney)

Add water if needed

Add Mesa flour mixed with water if thicker chili is desired.

Leave uncovered and simmer for 30 minutes or more but stirring every 30 minutes to get more surface area exposed to smoke.


ETA: The preferred chili powder is a homemade mixture.​

3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and sliced
3 dried cascabel chiles, stemmed and sliced
3 dried arbol chiles, stemmed and sliced
3 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and sliced
2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Toss all in a skillet and toast several minutes over medium/med-high heat until the cumin just starts to darken and you smell the earthy/toasty aroma. Set aside to cool completely then place in blender or spice grinder and grind to fine powder. Let settle before opening then store in airtight container.

 

Loaded up and heading out!

 

Rivals my trim jobs!

 

It was. I did the thighs first for an hour then put the asparagus on for an hour and a half after that. Thin bacon crisps easier than thick cut of course. You have to fully wrap the asparagus in bacon at least the part you want to eat. It keeps the asparagus or anything else for that matter from drying out.

My youngest son likes his meat well done so he gets top sirloin instead of ribeye or capsteak. I'm not going to overcook a ribeye or capsteak at least on purpose LOL. But I do use prime grade top sirloin. Well prime grade anything if I have a choice.

At the cabins where I grouse hunt every year I always take ribeyes and capsteaks.





Have a friend that lives on the North Shore of Lake Superior and spend a lot of time with him hunting there and he will only eat steaks well done. Same age as me in his 60's and he is not going to change now. So I take top sirloin for him also. Couple of times have eaten it myself, but when I do it for me it stays at MR



Not everyone likes to shoot the same shotgun, or even the same gauge. Same for food and some have preferences that are pretty hard core. You're right the fattier cuts help if you are going to overcook them. I just have a hard time spending the money on them knowing I am going to cook them to well done

I made the mistake, once and only once, of buying a Viking steak for each person.



Had enough leftover steak I struggled to use it all. Ended up making beef stew out of the remainder and freezing it so that it didn't go bad.

Pretty sure just one 'hawk would feed you and the family and all I cook at a time now

 

This is a good deal...

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/app/d/oakland-free-weber-genesis-silver/6967651846.html

 

Do it!

 

Its two hours away into bay area traffic so actually 4 hours away. I'd save my sanity by just buying a new one.

I texted a friend who live 20 minutes from there to see if he'd pick it up. Somebody needs to grab it that's for sure.

 

Ya we think it would be fun also. Need to get a good pit for it and start practicing. Will need lots of rub also

 

I really think it's time you repaint the smoker bomb.

Good luck to you guys.