Recipies & Cooking
What have you smoked lately? Q-view...
12/3/12 @ 11:05 PM
Just before Thanksgiving, wanted to smoke some snacks to take to my Mom's....did a Spiral ham, couple pound of mixed nuts, and I usually throw on some red taters just because. I rub a little EVOO on the taters, some seasoning, and pull them out when the main course is done. Sometimes they're not cooked all the way through, but can always be finished off when you decide how you want to cook them. I either chop and fry up, or finish off as a baked tater...red taters cook quicker... Good stuff.
Displaying 30 to 44 of 429 posts
Esox- I have a brand called Smokin-It for 9-10 years now and I have been very happy with it. A buddy had a one for several years and that is how I came across this brand. It is going to be more expensive than brands like Bradley/Masterbuilt etc but in my opinion worth the money. One of the best features is it is insulated so the unit holds temperature very well and I can smoke year round. Have smoked down to single digits in Jan/Feb etc. Also very reliable when it comes to the internal box temps and heat probe temps (I have checked manually to confirm). My buddy has not replaced a single part in 12 years and I replaced an internal heat probe last summer. I smoke all the basic proteins (Brisket, pork loin, butts, ribs, chickens, turkeys, Canadian bacon. They make accessories to allow you to make jerky or cold smoke items. I use mine to make my home-made bacon where I use both a cold smoke and hot smoke process. I do not smoke summer sausage in this unit. Have an actual smoke-house for that process.
I know family members/friends who have Bradley;s/Masterbuilts etc and I am not going to knock them. They do have some drawbacks (IMO) but they are more affordable options.
Smokin-It has a wide selection of smokers going all the way up to commercial units. I have the 3D model and I paid $700 dollars, I believe that version is up to $1200 now. They do have some smaller units in the $400-$700 range. There is a brand called Smokin-Tex that is also fully insulated and has a pretty good reputation. In fact the two brands look very similar with similar features. I know there are other insulated Electric brands on the market but these are two I am familiar with
I know family members/friends who have Bradley;s/Masterbuilts etc and I am not going to knock them. They do have some drawbacks (IMO) but they are more affordable options.
Smokin-It has a wide selection of smokers going all the way up to commercial units. I have the 3D model and I paid $700 dollars, I believe that version is up to $1200 now. They do have some smaller units in the $400-$700 range. There is a brand called Smokin-Tex that is also fully insulated and has a pretty good reputation. In fact the two brands look very similar with similar features. I know there are other insulated Electric brands on the market but these are two I am familiar with
I have a 3 year old 6 rack Bradley digital smoker. I am not happy with it. The stock heating element is undersized, the temperature sensor is not accurate. When using all six racks the back of the bottom 2-3 racks get overcooked. It does provide a good clean smoke flavor. I now use it for the beginning part of the smoking process. Once I’ve smoked the product to the point of getting the smoke flavor I want I move the product to the house oven to get it to the necessary finishing temperature. I do summer sausage, hot sticks, polish kielbasa and venison bacon that way. I also do pork butts for pulled pork and pork ribs the same way. There are aftermarket upgrades I’ve seen but I’m not spending $300 plus dollars for that. I still can get a very good finished product by using the oven.
Shouldn't have opened up this thread. Now I'm hungry.
I'm thinking about getting an electric smoker. I have a propane one now. It's hard to control a steady temperature sometimes with wind blowing and air temperature. Does anybody have a recommendation for a good electric smoker?
I'm thinking about getting an electric smoker. I have a propane one now. It's hard to control a steady temperature sometimes with wind blowing and air temperature. Does anybody have a recommendation for a good electric smoker?
44/45, one of the causes of casing shriveling when making summer sausage is how much air passes through the smoker during the smoking process. This air turnover draws out moisture causing the shrinkage. Another factor is the time in the smoker. After 2-3 hours of smoking at 120°F the meat will no longer absorb any more smoke flavor. Raising the temperature to 180°F and getting the sausage to 152-155°F internal temperature then reduces the cooking time and reduces the amount of shrinkage. Also the cold water bath stops the cooking process quickly helping to retain moisture and reduce shrinkage.
Made my first batch of summer sausage this past weekend. My sausage always gets a shribbly/shrinkage appearance when done. I air this time because of the temps instead of the ice bath. Same results. Casings were stuffed tight. Only a small amount of water added. Anything I can do different?
I have smoked numerous prime ribs. If frozen, let thaw in fridge for a couple days before the smoke. For seasoning I use a brand called Jim Baldridge/Secret Seasoning (can buy on Amazon). Have also just applied salt/pepper/thyme/roseamary etc. Your preference. I smoke at 205 until the meat hits 127-130 degrees (medium rare). Usually takes 4.5 to 5.5 hours in my smoker. I will then put under the boiler in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the fat cap. Always turns out great and as good as any restaurant prime rib I have ever had.
Over the weekend I tried to smoke a meatloaf with some venison and ground pork. I made a number of mistakes. The pork did not mix in well with the ground venison. It stayed in clumps. I should've broken it up more because when we were eating it you could tell where the venison and the pork was. It did not stick together well. As I sliced it it broke apart. I'm pretty sure this is because my heat wasn't high enough. I struggled keeping my smoker grill above 300 degrees. I should've used my other grill that I can get a higher temperature. Had some good smoke flavor to it, but I wasn't able to finish it on the smoker. I had to bring it in and bake it in the oven for about 15 minutes to finish the meatloaf. Good flavor, but not one of my best meatloaf I've made.
Displaying 30 to 44 of 429 posts
