My first attempt at smokin' - it's a FATTY!!

stauf · Mar 17, 2013

I thought for my first attempt at smoking something edible, that I would try a fatty.

I figured a breakfast fatty would be fairly easy and tasty to boot!!

So, I started out like most folks with one pound of Sweet Italian sausage rolled

out in a 1 gal. zip lock bag.

saus.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

I

Next, I layed on one 6 oz. package of Prosciutto ham

sauspro.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

Now here's where my inexperience showed through. Of course I

needed some eggs. So I whipped up a batch of scrambled eggs,

problem is, I found out later that I didn't need anywhere need the

9 eggs I put on. I think I probably only needed 3 or 4 eggs cooked

into one or large eggs.

proegg.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

Well I don't know about you, but a breakfast isn't complete

unless you have some hash browns. So I threw a nice amount

of them on also.

egghash.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

Since I'm a cheese lover, I just had to put on some nice grated

cheddar (sharp).

hashchees.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

Sorry, I forgot to take a pic of the fatty rolled up. And that's when

I found out I had a problem. The fatty wouldn't roll completely

because of the amount of the ingredients I put on. So I rolled it the

best I could to make it work. Since I realized that the fatty would be

bigger than it should be, I figured I needed to make the bacon weave

large enough to fully encircle the fatty. So here's the bacon weave.

Consisting of 3 lbs. of thick cut hickory bacon.

weave.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

So here is the fatty rolled up in the bacon weave. I had to use

toothpicks to keep the bacon from coming unrolled. As you can

see, it's a good sized fatty.

roll.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

After 2.75 hours at 225 degrees (or there about) and a internal

temp of 169, using some cherry wood pellets, here she is!

doneroll.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

The finished product !

finish.jpg

stauf
Mar 17, 2013

Now the biggest lesson I learned from this, is to cut down on

the portion size of some of the ingredients, ie. eggs and

hash browns. The biggest problem I had was trying to maintain

a consistant temp in the smoker. It was all over the place !

I was constantly adjusting the temp control to try and keep it as

close to 225 as I could. Maybe someone can answer this question for me?

When I cut it open the outside of the bacon was very dark brown in color,

but the inside of the bacon was pretty much still raw. Now I did use thick

cut bacon. Maybe that's why that happened. Maybe some of you can offer me

some advice?

pgsmoker64 · Mar 17, 2013

You're right by golly...it is a fatty!!!

Your deduction about the thick sliced bacon being the reason it was dark on the outside and raw on the inside is correct!

That is also typical of the heat being too high...but it sounds like your heat was okay, unless of course your thermo is inaccurate.

First fatty I rolled I had to unroll and take out some of the ingredients.

Another trick I like for fatties is placing them on some plastic wrap after rolling, roll it up in the plastic wrap, and the grab the ends and just keep rolling in the same direction..this closes up the ends and makes it look as if it was done in a factory!!! I also do the same thing after putting on the bacon blanket.

Good luck,

Bill

stauf · Mar 17, 2013

The heat may have been too high at times, it was anywhere from 210 to 260. I'm using a ET-732 thermometer, so I figured it's giving me a fairly accurate temp reading. I also, had thought of taking some of the ingredients out of the fatty, but I figured, what the heck, it's a learning experience. I do think that I'll start using thin sliced bacon though. I did wrap the fatty in saran wrap and let it sit in the fridge over night. Unfortunately, even doing that did not compress the fatty any. It was just too big. But, you know, you have to start somewhere, and in the end, the thing was pretty tasty. Thanks for your advice.

pgsmoker64 · Mar 18, 2013

Stauf said:
The heat may have been too high at times, it was anywhere from 210 to 260. I'm using a ET-732 thermometer, so I figured it's giving me a fairly accurate temp reading. I also, had thought of taking some of the ingredients out of the fatty, but I figured, what the heck, it's a learning experience. I do think that I'll start using thin sliced bacon though. I did wrap the fatty in saran wrap and let it sit in the fridge over night. Unfortunately, even doing that did not compress the fatty any. It was just too big. But, you know, you have to start somewhere, and in the end, the thing was pretty tasty. Thanks for your advice.

The main thing is that you enjoyed it and you got to smoke something!!!!

Great job!

Bill

stauf · Mar 18, 2013

Yes Bill, I did enjoy it! And the fatty tasted very good to boot.. Now I'll be on to other delicious meals. Thanks.

dirtsailor2003 · Mar 19, 2013

Stauf said:
The biggest problem I had was trying to maintain

a consistant temp in the smoker. It was all over the place !

I was constantly adjusting the temp control to try and keep it as

close to 225 as I could. Maybe someone can answer this question for me?

When I cut it open the outside of the bacon was very dark brown in color,

but the inside of the bacon was pretty much still raw. Now I did use thick

cut bacon. Maybe that's why that happened. Maybe some of you can offer me

some advice?

First off nice looking fatty!

A bit more information is needed to help with you first question. What type of smoker do you have? What were the weather conditions? What type of fuel source? I like to cook my fatties at around 275*

When using thicker bacon it is best to pre-cook it a bit prior to wrapping. That will help get it cooked all the way in the smoker. I use thin bacon when making fatties and that solves the problem of non-cooked bacon.

stauf · Mar 19, 2013

Thanks, I don't think it turned out too bad, for the first time and all. I was a bit concerned about how dark it turned out. Don't know if that is from the smoke or the temp? Right now I'm using a MES 30 analog smoker. The weather wasn't bad, a bit on the cool side. But it was out of the wind and elements, so I don't know if that would be an issue or not. Pre-cooking the bacon is a good idea, or like you say, maybe I should try using thin sliced bacon next time and see if that resolves the doneness problem. I tried to maintain 225 degrees, only because it seemed from the posts I read, that that was a pretty common temp.

dj mishima · Mar 19, 2013

Good job on a first smoke!

If you hadn't mentioned that you were having problems from too much filling, I wouldn't have been able to tell from the pics!

I really messed up my 5th fattie. Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124357/fatty-disaster

It turned out good as far as I could see from my PC. It only gets better from here!

dirtsailor2003 · Mar 20, 2013

Stauf said:
Thanks, I don't think it turned out too bad, for the first time and all. I was a bit concerned about how dark it turned out. Don't know if that is from the smoke or the temp? Right now I'm using a MES 30 analog smoker. The weather wasn't bad, a bit on the cool side. But it was out of the wind and elements, so I don't know if that would be an issue or not. Pre-cooking the bacon is a good idea, or like you say, maybe I should try using thin sliced bacon next time and see if that resolves the doneness problem. I tried to maintain 225 degrees, only because it seemed from the posts I read, that that was a pretty common temp.

The first couple of fatties that I did I ran the smoker at 225-250. I used thin cut bacon, but noticed that the bacon was coming out darker than i wanted. I think it had to do with the fact it has to be in the smoker longer in order to get the IT to where it need to be. I have since (I know this isn't possible with the MES) been cooking my fatties at temps of 275*-325* I still get great smokey flavor, the bacon comes out crisp and golden brown. The last fatty I did was on my mini-wsm and I ran it at 275*-285* and had excellent results!

stevemax · Mar 20, 2013

Looks fantastic! I usually make a meatloaf with green peppers and onions mixed in, chopped of course. Same bread crumbs and raw eggs. I make a bottom "platform" with a dip or little bowl like depression then fill that with american (for creamyness) and cheddar. Wrap it in thin sliced bacon and smoke away. Lol it'saa lot less work and you can fill it with anything.

Yours did look awesome and I bet it tasted even better.

smokinclt · Mar 20, 2013

Nice Fatty. I used thick cut on my first one as well. It was the same. Raw inside and overdone on the outside. Still this one looks like it turned out way better than my first!

05sprcrw · Mar 20, 2013

It has my mouth watering I am thinking I am going to make a meatloaf fatty this weekend.

manchester bob · Mar 20, 2013

Looks good to me! I didn't even know what a Fatty was until I found this web site a couple of months ago.

I pre-cook bacon when I do shrimp stuffed with my crabcake ingredients. I wrap the stuffed shrimp with a half-slice of the pre-cooked bacon, or a whole slice if the stuffed shrimp are big enough.

It's not bad dealing with a slice at a time, but I can't imagine what it's like trying to make a basket weave with half-cooked, and thus very slippery, bacon. Sounds like it might be either very messy, or very frustrating! I think that when I try my first fatty, I'll take the above advice and go with the thin stuff.

Thanks for the "lessons learned"!

stauf · Mar 20, 2013

Thanks for all the kind comments. I will say one thing though. I found that when I re-heated it in the microwave, the bacon got cooked through and it tasted GREAT!!!! I think for my first attempt, it turned out just fine. I think in the future, when I do another one like this, I'll use thin cut bacon and smoke it at a higher temp, perhaps 250+. Maybe some of you can help me with a question though? Besides sausage and beef and pork, what other types of ground meat is used? The reason I'm asking, is because I'd really like to do a fatty with shrimp, scallops, crab meat etc. and try to create a seafood fatty. I'm just not sure what type of ground meat to roll seafood in? Any suggestions, ideas? One other question if you don't mind. If you do a fatty with ground beef, will it hold together on it's own or do you need to mix it with another ground meat, like sausage to use as a binding agent? Thanks again, and Happy Smoking!

redneck1676 · Mar 20, 2013

I did a Philly cheese steak fatty a couple of time. With lean ground beef and fixes green pepper and onion and mozzarella cheese. I didn't wrap in bacon. Just put in aluminum pan for the first hour then straight on the grate. Smoked@ 275 for about 3

frosty · Mar 22, 2013

Looks excellent! Great job.

bill foster · Mar 22, 2013

Pre-cook the bacon on the inside as yhou do the eggs and hash browns and it will come out great

stauf · Mar 22, 2013

Pre-cooking the bacon is a great idea. I'll try that the next time I do one. Now here's another question for you guys. I was talking to a guy at work today who has used a smoker for quite a long time, and he said that once the smoker temp reached 150 that whatever you are smoking will not absorb the smoke flavor any more. That the meat or whatever you're cooking will just get blacker. He said that when the temp got to 150 he pulls his wood chips out of the smoker and just cooks it from there. I'm so new to this that I don't know if what he said is fact or just his opinion. I'm wondering what the consensus is from you guys? In a way it kinda makes sense, but I'm so new to this that I don't know. Opinions???

oregon smoker · Mar 22, 2013

Stauf said:
Thanks for all the kind comments. I will say one thing though. I found that when I re-heated it in the microwave, the bacon got cooked through and it tasted GREAT!!!! I think for my first attempt, it turned out just fine. I think in the future, when I do another one like this, I'll use thin cut bacon and smoke it at a higher temp, perhaps 250+. Maybe some of you can help me with a question though? Besides sausage and beef and pork, what other types of ground meat is used? The reason I'm asking, is because I'd really like to do a fatty with shrimp, scallops, crab meat etc. and try to create a seafood fatty. I'm just not sure what type of ground meat to roll seafood in? Any suggestions, ideas? One other question if you don't mind. If you do a fatty with ground beef, will it hold together on it's own or do you need to mix it with another ground meat, like sausage to use as a binding agent? Thanks again, and Happy Smoking!

Stauf,

first off it looks great, personally not a problem with the size....just that much more to enjoy

. here is what i turned a fatty into... butterfly out a flank steak and pound if needed, season to taste, layer fresh spinich, season and layer (full layer) fresh peeled shrimp (typically a 31-51 count) the more the merrier, layer in shredded pepper jack cheese (smoked prefered

) then roll up. now season to taste and wrap/weave with your choice of bacon (maple, Pepper smoked) then cook/smoke low and slow till done. we typically will take this and slice (cross grain) and use as a fill for Fahita with grilled onion, peppers, black beans etc (standard Fahita choices) Enjoy!!!

Tom

wvsmokey · Mar 22, 2013

Nice! Looks good

My first attempt at smokin' - it's a FATTY!!

Fire Starter

Master of the Pit

Fire Starter

Master of the Pit

Fire Starter

Epic Pitmaster

Fire Starter

Smoking Fanatic

Epic Pitmaster

Fire Starter

Meat Mopper

Smoking Fanatic

Smoke Blower

Fire Starter

Fire Starter

Master of the Pit

Newbie

Fire Starter

Smoking Fanatic

Fire Starter

Similar threads

Hot Threads