Hello All,
I've been lurking off & on for about a year, figured it was time to hop in. So here goes...
THE PAST:
Several years ago I was given a Smokehouse Big Chief (a PNW standard for decades); it served me well, pretty much exclusively for salmon.
But it always left me wanting better temperature control.
Then, 2 years ago I bought a lightly-used MES 30 from a friend who was relocating cross-country and didn't want to schlep it along.
I ran a few loads of fish through it, then life got busy, as it frequently does...
THE PRESENT:
After a few years of frying turkeys, I wanted to spread my wings. So I did some research, and found this site while looking for an online MES owner's manual.
A few days before this past Thanksgiving, I dusted off the MES, and test-smoked a whole chicken. It was a "quick & dirty" test, but it was pretty darned tasty IMHO.
So I went all-in, and applied a bit more care in brining & smoking a 12# turkey for our family gathering. It turned out perfectly and was a HUGE hit!
Having control over the chamber temp (plus a digital meat probe threaded through the top vent) was an absolute game-changer...Oh, the possibilities...
What next? Bacon of course! More research, then a trip to Cash & Carry (PNW-based wholesale restaurant/grocery chain) to pick up a 14# frozen pork belly; I promptly felt like I was In Too Deep. Calm down...deep breath...more reading...make a simple, basic plan...execute plan.
After 8 days in a PP #1 cure brine, it went into the smoker yesterday afternoon. Nervous as heck about ruining $30+ worth of meat, but I stayed with it.
HOLY COW!!! It turned out amazing! And still a LOT of room for tweaking/dialing-in the process...
The cherry on top was we quickly prepped some raw almonds and tossed them in when the bacon was done...they are amazing too! And just in time for a Holiday Party tonight!
I'm very pleased with what I consider a lot of success in a very short time frame. I think this is gonna be a very fun & fulfilling ride.
THE FUTURE:
My current project is a remote smokebox for cold-smoking capability. I scored a small Magma stainless steel marine grill (like those used aboard pleasure boats) for $5 at the ReStore.
I also picked up an A-Maze-N smoke tube during a recent holiday sale, and some 3" flexible duct tube. Haven't got it fully sorted out, but I'm close.
Sorry for the long-winded first post. Looking forward to more participation on this board.
Cheers, Ted
.
I've been lurking off & on for about a year, figured it was time to hop in. So here goes...
THE PAST:
Several years ago I was given a Smokehouse Big Chief (a PNW standard for decades); it served me well, pretty much exclusively for salmon.
But it always left me wanting better temperature control.
Then, 2 years ago I bought a lightly-used MES 30 from a friend who was relocating cross-country and didn't want to schlep it along.
I ran a few loads of fish through it, then life got busy, as it frequently does...
THE PRESENT:
After a few years of frying turkeys, I wanted to spread my wings. So I did some research, and found this site while looking for an online MES owner's manual.
A few days before this past Thanksgiving, I dusted off the MES, and test-smoked a whole chicken. It was a "quick & dirty" test, but it was pretty darned tasty IMHO.
So I went all-in, and applied a bit more care in brining & smoking a 12# turkey for our family gathering. It turned out perfectly and was a HUGE hit!
Having control over the chamber temp (plus a digital meat probe threaded through the top vent) was an absolute game-changer...Oh, the possibilities...
What next? Bacon of course! More research, then a trip to Cash & Carry (PNW-based wholesale restaurant/grocery chain) to pick up a 14# frozen pork belly; I promptly felt like I was In Too Deep. Calm down...deep breath...more reading...make a simple, basic plan...execute plan.
After 8 days in a PP #1 cure brine, it went into the smoker yesterday afternoon. Nervous as heck about ruining $30+ worth of meat, but I stayed with it.
HOLY COW!!! It turned out amazing! And still a LOT of room for tweaking/dialing-in the process...
The cherry on top was we quickly prepped some raw almonds and tossed them in when the bacon was done...they are amazing too! And just in time for a Holiday Party tonight!
I'm very pleased with what I consider a lot of success in a very short time frame. I think this is gonna be a very fun & fulfilling ride.
THE FUTURE:
My current project is a remote smokebox for cold-smoking capability. I scored a small Magma stainless steel marine grill (like those used aboard pleasure boats) for $5 at the ReStore.
I also picked up an A-Maze-N smoke tube during a recent holiday sale, and some 3" flexible duct tube. Haven't got it fully sorted out, but I'm close.
Sorry for the long-winded first post. Looking forward to more participation on this board.
Cheers, Ted
.
