Livin' n learnin' in Uruguay

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livinnlearnin

Newbie
Original poster
Oct 4, 2013
21
10
Yep learnin' alright! Leanin' I need to type much faster when filling out the window to post in the forum. I did a nice intro and took too long, but it took me a while since I was called from my computer a few times. *POOF* It's gone. I want to cry!

So starting again...

I'm a graphic designer living in Uruguay. I miss a lot of things that I took for granted back home in the States, one thing being foods. Specifically, smoked meats! .

The chorizo here is something to be desired. (not to be confused with the Mexican type) The butchers are lazy and do not grind the meats hardly at all, with HUGE chunks of meat, grizzle, cartilage, fat and bone in the chorizos. They all pretty much taste the same and none are smoked... so I've decided to go on a venture of my own and bring the stuff I love back onto my palate.

I do not have a smoker yet, and am thinking of copying this



I already have a double plate gas burner that I couldn't pass up buying at an auction house. Any input, positive or negative, on this smoker would be much appreciated.

*copy and paste* (don't want to lose this one!)

I'm up against some bumps in the road, but with help I can overcome and compensate...

1 - I can't buy the cure mixes here. I'll need substitutes or alternate methods of some sort.

2 - There is hardly any variety in spices here in Uruguay. With some effort (I say effort because one can never rely on a store having something in supply from one day to the next or it eventually being replenished) I can probably order uncommon spices from a place in the capital city that imports things. (OMG! I'm over the hill when I see they have tortilla chips in supply!) But with this in mind, I'll need to find spice substitutes - like I learned today that a fair one for marjoram is oregano at half the quantity.

3 - Trees are different here, so I'm going to have to find new types to use for the smoking. I can get some apple wood and have been told that orange trees are also good for flavor. There are tons of orange trees everywhere, so not a problem attaining that. Sure wish I had some hickory or mesquite, or knew what would replace them nicely here.

4 - Any books in English, or the materials I want for that matter, are hard to come by. Ordering them from the States is super expensive, so any book suggestions that might come my way would have to be in ebook format.

*copy and paste* (still don't want to lose this one!)

I'm a newbie, but fancy myself a good learner, especially since I have a lot of drive behind this, so I'd sure appreciate any tips, pointers and guidance anyone has. Maybe you could suggest things to start with that are pretty fail proof, that will help me get started in my learning process of attaining the art in smoking and curing meats.

I'm looking forward to meeting you folks!

*copy and paste*
 
Last edited by a moderator:
:welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you joined us! We have over 50,000 members now who just love to share what they know. You've come to the best place on the net to learn and share everything Q!!!
 
texas.gif
Hello from East Texas. This is a great site, lots of information and great people that are willing to throw in their two cents worth on about anything.


Gary
 
Thanks for the greeting Gary!

I've been getting the newsletters for a couple of months now, after running into the site. Been too busy with work to fully sign up and investigate, until now. I'm feeling lazy with freedom from the project, but super enthusiastic in moving forward with making my smoker and getting going on making all kinds of things in it.

I'm trying to hit the forums hard now, reading and learning. Tonight I'm at a fault of just looking at recipes and have hunger pains somethin' fierce with all the good food I'm seeing!

Saludos!
 
welcome1.gif
to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us! I embedded your You Tube video for you.

We love to see pictures of what you are cooking (or what we call q-views here at SMF).  To "upload the q-views" just follow the directions here and it will be easier. If you are using a cell phone, an IPad or a kindle, go to the main SMF page and click the Mobile button. Will make the uploads a bit faster too.

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums and some guidelines of how to interact within the forums. Off site links are not allowed here at SMF per TulsaJeff. Not that you have done anything wrong....just a little bit of FYI for new members!

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat
 
My apologies Kat. I am guilty, as observed. I'll make sure to read that as soon as I'm done with this post. I'd rather not be the offender of a smooth running system put in place.

Thanks for the welcome and pointers! As well as fixing the video for me.

I'm trying to acclimate to the forums, but if I find any difficulties, for sure I'm going to look you up for help... I've noticed that there are threads to other things other than smoked and grilled stuff. It's really nice to see that. I'm looking forward to exploring the dehydrated section.

This week I'm going to be working drawing the plans for the smoker and buying the supplies. I'll take pics of the project as it progresses. I'm super hyped to get started making things in it and have been trying to decide what to start with. Maybe the good ol' stand-by of jerky. I'd like to find a good recipe of something sweet and semi-spicy for my husband's experience in tasting Jerky.

See ya around!
 
Welcome livinnlearnin! We're happy to have you here, and I bet you're going to love this place.
 
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