Present!

[darkrzane]

Hello all,

     I hale from Virginia, grew up in Maryland. I've been a professional cook for many years and operate a steakhouse specializing in aged beef. I'm new to this smoking venture, so today i decided to buy one and tomorrow i start my first project, smoked chicken. I'm a huge fan of pork but i happen to have a whole chicken in the freezer. i bought a 36" master forge, it was the least expensive Lowe's had to offer, lol. Ive lived in apartments for a while, now that i have a house and no outdoor cooking regulations its time to smoke some meats!

--Krza

 

[rdknb]

Welcome to SMF and your new addiction :)

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Krza! 

to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 40,000 members and over 800,000 posts so you should be able to find almost anything you want to know. Remember the search bar at the top can be your best friend for finding answers fast!

Would you do us a favor and update your profile to include your location, Thanks!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more!

If you have any questions about the forums or need any help navigating around don’t hesitate to ask or send me a PM, I am more than happy to help out!

 

[kathrynn]

Howdy! :welcome1: Glad you joined us! There are several Chefs on SMF. You will fit right in! Show pics of your chicken! Everyone loves q-views!

 

[humdinger]

Welcome Darkrzane,

Hopefully we can teach a few things here about smoking meat b/c I'd love to learn a few things from you about how to properly age beef at home.

I'll go first -

Chicken skin is rubbery after smoking (the low and slow cooking temps aren't hot enough to properly crisp up the skin). Once it's done smoking, sear the skin on a hot grill to get the best of both worlds; smoke flavor and tasty crispy skin.

My question about aging beef is; Is Himalayan pink salt (or any sea salt) necessary to age beef in my refrigerator?

Thanks.

 

[darkrzane]

Salt isn't necessary for aging beef in your refrigerator. The best is if you have a garage fridge that isn't opened often so you have a nice steady temperature, never going above 40 degrees. All you're really looking to do is about 5-7 days of dry aging. if you wanted to age your beef for 28 days (standard at most high end steakhouses) then you're looking for specialty equipment where one might have a himalayan salt wall installed. At home i have the greatest success with ribeyes, they are fantastic with about 7 days of age. You want them set on a rack inside of a pan so air can get to all sides. I suggest getting a cheese cloth to lightly wrap it with, checking on it each day so it doesn't stick. You want air to get to the meat, but not too much. Cheesecloth will keep it from drying out too rapidly while also still letting it breathe. On either end you'll need to trim the dry parts, then cut some nice thick steaks and enjoy.

In the restaurant we buy our meat already wet aged (cryovak sealed bags) 45 days (tenderloins aged to 28, they breakdown faster than ribeye/ny strips). We then cut our own steaks and dry age them for another 7 days. Because the steaks have already been cut we keep them in containers with loose fitting lids and pressed with butcher paper. This way they still lose some water weight without drying too much. We then grill them over mesquite wood.
 

 

[humdinger]

Excellent info. I have a firdge in my basement that's perfect for this. Thanks!

 

[toby bryant]

 to SMF! If you are looking to learn you've found the right place, an awesome group of people who freely share a vast knowledge. Don't forget the q-view, we love pictures!