Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Nice! Always good to have around when Wallace visits!
I finished mine last night about midnight. Put it all in a plastic bag into the fridge. Will vac pack it tonight 1-2 pieces per bag.

 

Hickory cheese is wrapped, apple is next...

 

Anyone smoke their nuts?

 

Hehe, I have. Done regular salted peanuts and cashews and more than a few times pistachios. Best to come up with a flavor mix to give them a different flavor. The heat kinda bakes the flavor in.

 

Seasoned nuts?

 

Reminds me of National Lampoons Christmas Vacation . . . the part where Clark's father is asleep during the Christmas parade and the announcers are talking in the background . . .

• These gusty winds appear to be playing havoc with the giant nutcracker float.
  
  
• At this point, I can't even see the nuts. They must have blown away.
  
  
• But nothing is going to dampen the spirit of this holiday crowd, I can tell you that.
  
  
• Oh, here they are. Here come the nuts
  

 

Game day food. Country ribs, pork shoulder, deer stew, and no pic because it's in my oven but I made home made Mac and cheese.

 

Smoking a ham. Apple and hickory...

 

I'll be smoking a brisket and ribs this weekend.

 

Damn ham is taking forever! 3 hours at 320F */- and it's only increased from 33F to 77F internal temp. Woul like to eat sometime tonight!

 

That doesn't sound right. Are you sure your therm is working? 3 hours at 320 should get you a lot closer to stall temp unless your ham is insanely huge.

 

I dont know how ive missed this. sub'd

 

I've got a Maveric dual probe thermometer. One in the ham and one on the grate, plus the smokers own thermometer. It was 32f internal temp when I stuck it on. Didn't feel frozen when I got it, just the center. Anyway, once ot got going it took off. Turned out pretty good.

 

That's always my concern - It's best to have the meat at room temperature when it goes in the smoker so you do not have the 32f internal temp issue for hours, but then in order to get the inside to be closer to room temperature the whole thing has to sit outside the refrigerator for hours, which doesn't sound right either.

 

here are some deer shoulders and ribs I did for the Alabama vs auburn game this year. I soaked em in a cooler for about a day in some terioky marinade about 2 liters of rootbeer and 1 liter of apple cider vinegar (and ice obviously) then I made a rub just black pepper and creole seasoning, oinion powered, chilli powder, and a little ground coffee. I patted them dry and let em get sit at room temp while I got my fire going and then rubbed em down it some garlic infused evoo and that rub. smoked over about 50/50 apple and pecan for 5 hours. I pulled the shoulders off and let them rest and basted the ribs with some homemade bbq sauce and let them go another 30 mins to glaze over, and then shredder the shoulders up and mixed in a little bbq sauce and glazed them in the oven (they were right at 140* internal when I took them off the smoker)
this is a kingsford smoker and I have never been able to get the box temps up high enough using charcoal and soaked wood for smoke (I use to also put charcoal in the grill itself and lower the dolly all the way down to get temps above 200*) but recently I have just been building a fire out of my wood and restoking it ever 1-2 hours and it has worked very well for me)
here is a ~5lb loin I split and did half kinda spicy and the other with no spice in similar fashion minus the bqq sauce (sheen is from butter and evoo) about 2.5 hours on straight pecan (we have several pecan trees near by and limbs are always breaking off or we trim em for being in the way)

 

Man that looks like some mighty find food right there. Thinking I need to fire up the smoker this weekend and make something. Now just to determine what I need to make.

 

Another overnight smoke underway.

 

A 'London Broil' that I smoked tonight, a little bit of pecan. And here's a Christmas ornament I just got.

 

NO NO. Internal temp in the middle of a ham means you have left the outside of the ham at above 40f for MANY hours for ANY meat. You have given the chance for stuff that can kill weakened folks or children to grow. Fridges are closer to 40/38f. Well at least my fridge (college sized) to keep stuff is closer to 40f.

Steaks are a different animal, 30 min on a rack drying with salt and rub for 30 min and then into a 250f+ fire is okay.

Just be careful folks.

A ham? to get it to room temp to say 60f internal? We's talking 4-5 hours. Bad mojo. Put it in cold water for 3-4 hours just use sink water unless you live down south and it's 70f well water.....Just do this: Before cooking it or leave it in the fridge for a WEEK before cooking it. Be even more careful with chickens and turkey.

 

Brined a turkey breast overnight and smoked it this morning early. No pics, but here's a shot of the ribs I did as follow up after restoring with more cherry wood. I'm a sucker for sweet ribs, so here they are after two coats of BBQ sauce glaze. Windy today and the smoker was at about 185 degrees for the ribs, so all in they took about 7.5 hours. Nice slow-smoked easy-pull meat though. No boiling or bagging for me on babybacks. I like a pulled pork texture, not too soft.