Who smokes their own meat?

[macneill]

Take that title any way you'd like...

but I got a small Camerons stove top smoker that I'm just about to fire up.

Brining some bluefish as I write. Will pull it out later to dry and will smoke it up after that.

We'll see how it goes. First batch may not be so good.

I'm sure some of you have some big ass backyard smokers.

 

[nat]

I wish I could brag that I do.

 

[decavo]

i asked a while ago and the secret is brining the fish then low and slow .. a little wood goes a long way or yu may smoke out your house .. yes i have one in the yard ,,... i am smoking a chicken right now ... good luck

 

[macneill]

That's what I thought. The thing isn't exactly "air-tight..."

I'll open all the windows.

 

[surfpig]

i asked a while ago and the secret is brining the fish then low and slow .. a little wood goes a long way or yu may smoke out your house .. yes i have one in the yard ,,... i am smoking a chicken right now ... good luck

Yum, that's on the menu tonight, water-smoked chicken...

Tell us how it goes, I've only done salmon. I tried mackerel, but it sucked. I almost have the brining down, I do it dry: just mix salt and sugar (about a 1:2 ratio) and layer in the fish for 6 to 8 hours. It's amazing how much water is drawn out... Then low and slow with the smoking, 5 - 6 hours with my setup.

 

[decavo]

if you do a wet brine which is the way to brine[ rubbing salt and such is just that a rub ]you get the spices and salt to penetrate the meat .. not just cover the outside .. what ever work you know ... my brine for like a 4 lb chicken is 2 hands full of kosher or sea salt ... a few table spoons of brown sugar ... garlic ginger lots of both some hot pepper flakes .. Chinese 5 spice .. i ler it sit in the brine for 24 hours .. the chicken will be a nice deep pink to red for the 1st 1/2 into it and juicy as can be..i do the same think for a pork roast a boston butt smoked is the bomb ..a beef brisket some mushroom soy sauce brown sugar garlic ... let it sit in that for a day or more smoke for 3 hours turn it every 30 min after that wrap it in bacon and tinfoil let it on the grill for a few 3 more hours man that will be the most tender brisket you ever ate ... i also wrap the butt in tine foil to finish it off .. when you wrap in in the foil it steam out all of the fat .. it is really amazing what happens to ribs with this method

 

[nat]

Has anyone made their own smoker? I scored a 55 gallon drum awhile ago.

 

[decavo]

Has anyone made their own smoker? I scored a 55 gallon drum awhile ago.

if i had the tools and skills i would put a gas burner in the bottom a expanded metal shelf above the burner about 6 inches for wood a deep steel removable bowl??or something for water .. the whole front would open up and i would have 3 cooking shelves

i rigged a charcoal smoker for gas and i like it much better the gas gives you controllable heat the wet wood keeps the smoke going and if you smoke a large pece of meat it just tastes too smoky some times .. the gas lets you forget about it for a little while ..

 

[Degnol]

Fish does not take much smoke, and i would use something like cherry or pecan...alder is good, but not available to me here locally. I made this outa some scrap I had


Ed

 

[decavo]

Fish does not take much smoke, and i would use something like cherry or pecan...alder is good, but not available to me here locally. I made this outa some scrap I had


Ed

i wish i had that kind of scrap laying around .. That looks like a Carolina pig smoker to me

 

[Degnol]

i wish i had that kind of scrap laying around .. That looks like a Carolina pig smoker to me

It will do up to a 75# pig. It is actually an Oklahoma Joe cooker designed for BBQ competition. Too small for a caterer. I built the lid and added some s*** like a canopy, extra thermometer bungs and stuff.

Ed

 

[decavo]

It will do up to a 75# pig. It is actually an Oklahoma Joe cooker designed for BBQ competition. Too small for a caterer. I built the lid and added some s*** like a canopy, extra thermometer bungs and stuff.

Ed

worked some for a caterer in N.C. we could cook 2 200lb pigs at once .. had a semi auto pig turner on there ... man what fun that was

 

[surfpig]

if you do a wet brine which is the way to brine[ rubbing salt and such is just that a rub ]you get the spices and salt to penetrate the meat .. not just cover the outside .. what ever work you know ... my brine for like a 4 lb chicken is 2 hands full of kosher or sea salt ... a few table spoons of brown sugar ... garlic ginger lots of both some hot pepper flakes .. Chinese 5 spice .. i ler it sit in the brine for 24 hours .. the chicken will be a nice deep pink to red for the 1st 1/2 into it and juicy as can be..i do the same think for a pork roast a boston butt smoked is the bomb ..a beef brisket some mushroom soy sauce brown sugar garlic ... let it sit in that for a day or more smoke for 3 hours turn it every 30 min after that wrap it in bacon and tinfoil let it on the grill for a few 3 more hours man that will be the most tender brisket you ever ate ... i also wrap the butt in tine foil to finish it off .. when you wrap in in the foil it steam out all of the fat .. it is really amazing what happens to ribs with this method

mmmmm, I'm gonna try that...

 

[decavo]

mmmmm, I'm gonna try that...

you will never look back ... cook 2 cause you will want thirds for sure

 

[Degnol]

That cooker was barely designed for cooking whole animals. Here in the Midwest a sanctioned BBQ contest consists of 4 categories: Boston Butt no less than 5#, Beef Brisket, Chicken and ribs. Whole hog is a requirement for Memphis and probably other Southern contests. Texas is all beef AFAIK.
I cooked in the American Royal with 5 small smokers......the first time, which was kinda like spinning plates, so the next year I bought this. I've had 12 pork butts on it at once, but it is not all that big.

Still fun to light it off


Ed

 

[decavo]

nothing better than lighting off the smoker and having a crowd to feed

 

[johnny4ever]

if you do a wet brine which is the way to brine[ rubbing salt and such is just that a rub ]you get the spices and salt to penetrate the meat .. not just cover the outside .. what ever work you know ... my brine for like a 4 lb chicken is 2 hands full of kosher or sea salt ... a few table spoons of brown sugar ... garlic ginger lots of both some hot pepper flakes .. Chinese 5 spice .. i ler it sit in the brine for 24 hours .. the chicken will be a nice deep pink to red for the 1st 1/2 into it and juicy as can be..i do the same think for a pork roast a boston butt smoked is the bomb ..a beef brisket some mushroom soy sauce brown sugar garlic ... let it sit in that for a day or more smoke for 3 hours turn it every 30 min after that wrap it in bacon and tinfoil let it on the grill for a few 3 more hours man that will be the most tender brisket you ever ate ... i also wrap the butt in tine foil to finish it off .. when you wrap in in the foil it steam out all of the fat .. it is really amazing what happens to ribs with this method

HOLY s*** D!!

I had no idea you were a genius!!

 

[Jman]

Wait, you're going to smoke fish INSIDE THE HOUSE. Does your wife know about this?

I've smoked trout in my Weber, came out pretty good, but it took a lot of tending. Also, I should have had it off the metal, maybe on a wooden rack--part was cooked from contact with the hot metal.

Let us know how it turns out--bluefish is supposed to be pretty good smoked.

 

[macneill]

Scheez! Y'all got some pro gear.

Just pulled the brined bluefish after a nice dinner out.

Will fire it up tomorrow. Got some "adjustments" to keep the smoke in the smoker.

Update and pix tomorrow...

 

[RavenTai]

Sockeye on a borrowed smoker