Greetings all!
I've posted one thread before, but I thought it best to introduce myself a bit. I call myself an uncultured foodie for a reason; I'm a redneck at heart but love good food. More importantly, I love cooking good food. Whether it's pasta sauce from scratch, making good beef or poultry stock, baking my own bread, or slow cooking a hunk-o-meat. It's not just about the meal, it's about preserving a bit of our past. I don't spend thousands of dollars on equipment, our grandparents didn't have these conveniences and they were able to produce some of the best meals we can remember. Now, that's not to say I don't want a viking range with small ovens and a salamander for finishing steaks, but how is it possible to appreciate those without first understanding the basics. Sorry for getting philosophical, lol.
i've been smoking things for years in my offset smoker, but a few years ago I wanted to start making my own sausage. Part of that whole breaking things down to basics. I bought a cheap grinder, got a book on charcuterie, some pork shoulders, and was in business. My dad and I made some great English Bangers, Italian Sausage, and kielbasa. My attempts at using my offset smoker to cold smoke some of the kielbasa told me I needed something better. In preparation for our next sausage making endeavor, we built a very simple cabinet to use. I figured people had been cold smoking for thousands of years with far less sophisticated contraptions than my wooden box, I should be able to make this work. Turns out I was right. The andouille and chorizo that I smoked turned out amazing.
This led me back to my continued thought of Bacon. I could not find, and still am not able to find, decent supplies of good belly. The things ice found have, forthe most part, been very narrow and thin. Not oonly that, but seriously over priced. I'm hesitant to pay over $6 per pound for belly, especially during my learning phase. I had never heard of buckboard bacon until I searched for recipes using pork shoulder instead of belly.
This is what led me to smf. I've read many posts regarding not only the bbb, but also dozens of other things I'll be trying. Just this morning, as I was leaving the cabin to head back to town, I mentioned to dad that I left him a bag of cheddar and swiss that I had smoked, along with a container of almonds. This led to a discussion of my wanting to smoke some whole garlic cloves and pack them in olive oil when done. He suggested I simmer them in a beer with a bit of honey first, dry them, and then smoke them. Thus cooking and sweetening them some before applying the smoke. Sounds like candy for deer camp to me. Lol
Oh yeah, I work in finance, live just outside of Columbus Ohio, am married and have two children.
Allen
I've posted one thread before, but I thought it best to introduce myself a bit. I call myself an uncultured foodie for a reason; I'm a redneck at heart but love good food. More importantly, I love cooking good food. Whether it's pasta sauce from scratch, making good beef or poultry stock, baking my own bread, or slow cooking a hunk-o-meat. It's not just about the meal, it's about preserving a bit of our past. I don't spend thousands of dollars on equipment, our grandparents didn't have these conveniences and they were able to produce some of the best meals we can remember. Now, that's not to say I don't want a viking range with small ovens and a salamander for finishing steaks, but how is it possible to appreciate those without first understanding the basics. Sorry for getting philosophical, lol.
i've been smoking things for years in my offset smoker, but a few years ago I wanted to start making my own sausage. Part of that whole breaking things down to basics. I bought a cheap grinder, got a book on charcuterie, some pork shoulders, and was in business. My dad and I made some great English Bangers, Italian Sausage, and kielbasa. My attempts at using my offset smoker to cold smoke some of the kielbasa told me I needed something better. In preparation for our next sausage making endeavor, we built a very simple cabinet to use. I figured people had been cold smoking for thousands of years with far less sophisticated contraptions than my wooden box, I should be able to make this work. Turns out I was right. The andouille and chorizo that I smoked turned out amazing.
This led me back to my continued thought of Bacon. I could not find, and still am not able to find, decent supplies of good belly. The things ice found have, forthe most part, been very narrow and thin. Not oonly that, but seriously over priced. I'm hesitant to pay over $6 per pound for belly, especially during my learning phase. I had never heard of buckboard bacon until I searched for recipes using pork shoulder instead of belly.
This is what led me to smf. I've read many posts regarding not only the bbb, but also dozens of other things I'll be trying. Just this morning, as I was leaving the cabin to head back to town, I mentioned to dad that I left him a bag of cheddar and swiss that I had smoked, along with a container of almonds. This led to a discussion of my wanting to smoke some whole garlic cloves and pack them in olive oil when done. He suggested I simmer them in a beer with a bit of honey first, dry them, and then smoke them. Thus cooking and sweetening them some before applying the smoke. Sounds like candy for deer camp to me. Lol
Oh yeah, I work in finance, live just outside of Columbus Ohio, am married and have two children.
Allen
