Hi my name is Ken and I have a new obsession! Smoking!! My wife got me a smoker for my birthday - the large Camp Chief Smoke Vault - and I love it!
This past Saturday I smoked my first buncha meat - two big chickens, a rack of ribs, and some salmon - oh and a dozen hard boiled eggs. They turned out EXCELLENT!! I'm hooked!! (OK, admittedly the eggs weren't all that great - I left them in too long). I attached a picture of my first attempt - a little ways into the smoke . . .
I learned a few things the first time out - like don't try smoking things with the smoker in the garage! Soak the wood chips, rinse the fish better for a less salty taste - and don't tell everyone to come try this great smoked stuff, because it will all be gone way too soon!
I do cement flatwork for a living - and - not to blow my own horn - but I'm a darn good cement man. But it sure is easy to entertain thoughts of smoking stuff in the winter for fun and profit - ha ha.
I have always loved to grill - to me the best steak is one that you can still revive and send back to the barn! Even though it's a bit chilly outside (OK - downright cold) we shovel a path to the grill on the deck and go for it! I can see the same thing happening with the smoker. My only concern is that it may be tough to keep up the temperature when it's so cold outside.
I would welcome any advice anyone here has to offer. I'm a little bit overwhelmed with brines and rubs and mops, etc. Right now in fact, I have three chickens soaking in a brine mix, I have two skinned & defatted ducklings also soaking in a brine mix, I have some salmon and smelt soaking in a Hi Mountain gourmet fish brine mix - - oh and I've got a rack of ribs sitting in the fridge with an Emeril's Essence & brown sugar rub on em. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get em all smokin and enjoy them for dinner!
I was hoping to find recipes easier than I have been - but maybe I'm not looking right - so if anyone knows where I can find a lot of brine, rub, marinade, mop mix recipes - or any other recipes designed for smoking - please let me know.
OK - that's enough for now I suppose. It's great to be here!!
Ken
This past Saturday I smoked my first buncha meat - two big chickens, a rack of ribs, and some salmon - oh and a dozen hard boiled eggs. They turned out EXCELLENT!! I'm hooked!! (OK, admittedly the eggs weren't all that great - I left them in too long). I attached a picture of my first attempt - a little ways into the smoke . . .
I learned a few things the first time out - like don't try smoking things with the smoker in the garage! Soak the wood chips, rinse the fish better for a less salty taste - and don't tell everyone to come try this great smoked stuff, because it will all be gone way too soon!
I do cement flatwork for a living - and - not to blow my own horn - but I'm a darn good cement man. But it sure is easy to entertain thoughts of smoking stuff in the winter for fun and profit - ha ha.
I have always loved to grill - to me the best steak is one that you can still revive and send back to the barn! Even though it's a bit chilly outside (OK - downright cold) we shovel a path to the grill on the deck and go for it! I can see the same thing happening with the smoker. My only concern is that it may be tough to keep up the temperature when it's so cold outside.
I would welcome any advice anyone here has to offer. I'm a little bit overwhelmed with brines and rubs and mops, etc. Right now in fact, I have three chickens soaking in a brine mix, I have two skinned & defatted ducklings also soaking in a brine mix, I have some salmon and smelt soaking in a Hi Mountain gourmet fish brine mix - - oh and I've got a rack of ribs sitting in the fridge with an Emeril's Essence & brown sugar rub on em. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get em all smokin and enjoy them for dinner!
I was hoping to find recipes easier than I have been - but maybe I'm not looking right - so if anyone knows where I can find a lot of brine, rub, marinade, mop mix recipes - or any other recipes designed for smoking - please let me know.
OK - that's enough for now I suppose. It's great to be here!!
Ken
