Thanks guys-
Just winding-down for the night, finally. We did get snow-bound for a couple days...it laid-in for a wet, heavy snow the night I posted this thread...wind came howling through after mid-night. Road closures in every direction. Buffalo WY got hit with 31", just about 75 miles away as the crow flies...those down-slope snows coming off the Big Horn Mountains can be fierce. We got probably only got around a foot, but it was piled up everywhere...anything that didn't have tracks under it didn't go very far until Saturday afternoon when there was more snow-removal complete. There were tons of stranded motorists and trucks parked anyplace they could...no way to get anywhere so all they could do is hang-out. Way too folks don't check weather reports and road conditions often enough, and this is what happens as a result. I finally got home from work today @ mid-night...battling with the residual effects of the storm.
Jim, nice collection of salts...the specs are interesting...I browse the labels now and then, but never really took the time to make side-by-side comparisons. I do think my wife could raise you about 6 or 7 varieties, though...LOL!!! She's a seasoned-salt fanatic (garlic salt, Lawry's, I can't even remember all of them), and I've been trying to nudge her away from that, and she needs to cut salt, but it's taking some time. We do have a couple of different sea salts, which are nice because they do have less sodium than table salt or kosher and add more flavor, so you can use less. I use them now and then for rubs, marinades and sides. I'll be working on the same project as Dave, going the no/low-salt route and working up the right flavors to hopefully make it a desirable flavor combination for everyone here...finding the right combinations for beef, pork and poultry (completely separate from each other in the recipe builds) could prove to be a daunting task, but I always liked a good challenge. All of my family, relatives, neighbors and co-workers who have dined with me love my cooking up to this point, so if I slowly reduce the salt and use the right smoke combinations with the right spices, peppers and fruits, I think I can pull it off.
Hey Dave, I think it's guys like you that make my creative side come out sometimes. Maybe it gives me a push to keep looking for that next recipe idea when I know somebody's waiting to see what the next round will bring...I don't mind it at all. Keeps me busy doing something I enjoy, and the eats are pretty good too...LOL!!! Looking forward to tossing more ideas at you ASAP!!!
HT- thanks, I don't smoke ribs all that often, but I do try little twists with my methods frequently...just to experience a little different rib than before...never really had a flop to make me stop and rethink things, so, I just roll with whatever feels right at the time. Every smoke is a new adventure...that's what keeps it interesting and fun.
OK, I'm getting rummy now...work today took it's toll and I'm beat (I'd rather be up all night tending a smoke than working late)...eyelid inspections won't come soon enough. I'll have to catch up with you guys another day cuz I can't think straight anymore, and it's not from booze...(insert yawn here)
Take it easy guys, and keep those smokers warm and happy...all of mine are cold and buried in a 6ft snow-drift right now...
Eric