Newbie from the UK

[danuk]

Hello all :)

Im Dan and I'm from Reading in the UK. Completely new to smoking food but have been following Intagram people that like to grill and smoke meats in envy for a couple of years now. Wife is getting me a smoked for Christmas to thought I had better join some groups and forums for advice and tips etc.

Have been growing loads of chilli plants for the past few years so have lots of powders to add into rubs etc.

Looking forward to getting some tips and advice and hopefully sharing my journey with you all!

Thanks

Dan

 

[one eyed jack]

Welcome to the site Dan.  Sounds like your in for a fine Christmas.

You may have neighbors on the site.  Check out the UK group page if you haven't run across it yet.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/groups/show/38/uk-smokers

 

[sky monkey]

Welcome to the forum Dan!  Hope to see some fine smoked cuts from across the pond :)

 

[smokin monkey]

Hi Dan, Welcome to our "Family" and "Addiction"

Plenty of good folk on here, ask any questions you can think of, and you will get your answers.

Please take time to look at the UK Smokers Group,

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/3161/uk-smokers

And introduce your self on the UK Roll Call
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/229926/roll-call

The UK Smokers Group Is where UK members can ask and share information that is unique to smoking and curing in the UK and does not obviously fit into any of the main forum categories.

We have had our 3rd UK Smokes weekend, where members attend and cooked over the weekend, planing has are already in place for 2017. Please use the link below to view the website.

http://www.uk-smf.co.uk

Smokin Monkey [emoji]133660013031[/emoji]

 

[wade]

Hi Dan and welcome to the forum. There are a few of us on here from the UK and it is great that you are helping to balance the North South divide 

. Which part of Reading are you in? My daughter lives in Reading so we get there quite regularly.

Do you know which smoker she is getting you and has she already bought it? If you let us know what you are looking at then we may be able to offer some guidance or advice on getting the best out of it. Do you know what kind of smoking you are going to do? Hot smoking - Pork, Brisket, Ribs etc. or cold smoking - cheese, fish, bacon etc.? Maybe some of each?

There are a growing number of people here in the UK who are starting to smoke foods regularly and we are here to help you wherever we can. 

What kinds of chilli are you growing? I grow a selection of them too. A lot of people tend to go for the hottest chillies that they can grow but for making BBQ rubs etc. the milder ones are usually the best. Poblano chillies are great smoked and dried (Ancho) and Jalapeno chillies make a good all-round chilli powder. Be careful when using UK standard commercial chilli powder in US recipes though. The recipes often talk about using several tablespoons of chilli powder - but the chilli powder in the USA tends to be much milder than the chilli powder that we have here. Milder and with a lot more flavour.

If you are hot smoking then one vital piece of equipment you are going to need is a digital BBQ thermometer. Preferably a twin probe one that gives the temperature of the cooking chamber and the meat. If your smoker comes with a lid thermometer then you should initially ignore it as they are almost all very inaccurate when it comes to showing the temperature at the cooking grate. Something like a Maverick ET-732 or ET-733 are good workhorse thermometers and are readily available online.

Looking forward to following your progress 

Wade

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome aboard!

Glad to have you  with us!

Al

 

[gary s]

  Good afternoon and welcome to the forum, from a cold and rainy day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about             everything.

        Gary

 

[danuk]

Thanks to all for the great warm welcome. Im going to like it here I can tell :)

Will check out the UK sections asap thanks for the links!

Wife is getting me the Brinkmann Smoke N Grill double bbq thingy. Have been investigating on YouTube and plan to mod with a new thermometer at the top and I will put the legs on the outside so I can lift it off the coals. Looks like an entry level smoker but if I love it I may treat myself to something a little more adventurous in the future! I already have a Pro Q cold smoker that I have used to smoke my chillies and cheese and garlic etc. Have had great results and made some gorgeous powders :)

Thanks for the advice Wade! I have also selected a meat thermometer as well as the one to replace the rubbish one supplied with the smoker.

I am from Woodley in Reading! Funny to know you visit so often!

I grow a large selection of chillies in my 2 greenhouses from the milder Jalapeno and Cayenne up to the silly hot ones like the 7 Pots, Carolina Reapers etc. Some seem too hot though and I have only used in chutneys and to make my chilli salt and pepper grinders. I have sold quite a few of these but wanting to move towards smoking now. I will be growing a lot more of the milder varieties in the future and am excited about making new rubs and powders so will appreciate all suggestions and advice. Will definitely get some Poblanos in for next year. Presume they are similar to the Padron chillies that I always grow ? Great stuff and wrapped in bacon and chucked onto the BBQ yum!

Im really excited to try out the new smoker and all the different types of meat. I have a chest freezer in the garage. Loads of chillies in it at the moment along with all our allotment veg. Am sure i can get quite a lot of meat in there ;)

Really nice to meet you all and appreciate the lovely warm welcome. Hopefully i will have some photos and stories to tell soon!

Thanks all

Dan

 

[wade]

Now you have started down the Smoker route there will be no shortage of ideas for Christmas and birthday presents 

Some advice on your first smokes.

• Don't try to get too adventurous straight away. You need to learn how your smoker runs and manages temperature. They all behave slightly differently. 
• For the first smoke cook something inexpensive - like bangers or chicken pieces. Yes I am serious. These are very forgiving and will still be edible even if the temperature boomerangs up and down until you get the control right.
• The Brinkman is good for hot smoke roasting and so a beef joint of pork joint is good to progress on to (even if it is only the next day). Meaty ribs are also quite forgiving too
• Learn to cook by temperature. Trust the thermometer. That way it will always turn out well. Most people overcook their meat in their kitchen ovens "to be safe" - which only dries it out.
• Have patience. It is easy to raise the temperature in the smoker but much more difficult to lower it if the temperature overshoots. Bring it up to the desired temperature slowly.
• Use good quality briquettes - avoid the supermarket/DIY brands if you can. Heat Beads are good ones to use and are readily available online. Avoid anything that has the words "instant Light" on the bag.
• Above all have fun - and as your confidence grows, experiment. There are certainly wrong ways to smoke but there is no one "right" way. Listen to what others find work for them but tweak and adapt to get an end result that suits you and your family.

 

[danuk]

 
Now you have started down the Smoker route there will be no shortage of ideas for Christmas and birthday presents 

Some advice on your first smokes.

• Don't try to get too adventurous straight away. You need to learn how your smoker runs and manages temperature. They all behave slightly differently. 
• For the first smoke cook something inexpensive - like bangers or chicken pieces. Yes I am serious. These are very forgiving and will still be edible even if the temperature boomerangs up and down until you get the control right.
• The Brinkman is good for hot smoke roasting and so a beef joint of pork joint is good to progress on to (even if it is only the next day). Meaty ribs are also quite forgiving too
• Learn to cook by temperature. Trust the thermometer. That way it will always turn out well. Most people overcook their meat in their kitchen ovens "to be safe" - which only dries it out.
• Have patience. It is easy to raise the temperature in the smoker but much more difficult to lower it if the temperature overshoots. Bring it up to the desired temperature slowly.
• Use good quality briquettes - avoid the supermarket/DIY brands if you can. Heat Beads are good ones to use and are readily available online. Avoid anything that has the words "instant Light" on the bag.
• Above all have fun - and as your confidence grows, experiment. There are certainly wrong ways to smoke but there is no one "right" way. Listen to what others find work for them but tweak and adapt to get an end result that suits you and your family.