Smoking, grilling and curing foods, etc.

Didn't know it was transmitted over the internet. I'll try to be more careful :)
 
Since we're here ----- I just pulled these loaves off of my pellet grill, so this bread fits the thread :) Too hot to fire up the oven, so improvised.
Not only a first for bread on the Traeger, but my first bread using a biga.

Bread.jpg
 
BOB357 said:
Since we're here ----- I just pulled these loaves off of my pellet grill, so this bread fits the thread :) Too hot to fire up the oven, so improvised.
Not only a first for bread on the Traeger, but my first bread using a biga.

View attachment 10848
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Oh man those look nice! Did the traeger give it any extra flavor?
 
jmcnamara said:
Oh man those look nice! Did the traeger give it any extra flavor?
Click to expand...

Thanks.
You don't get much smoke flavor at 400 + degrees. I went out about 15 minutes after firing it up to see if it was up to temperature and was greeted my a bunch of acrid smoke. I forgot to change the foil on the drip pan and a bunch of grease from a chicken I coked was the culprit. Gave it a few more minutes and it had cleared pretty well, but still more smoke than normal. Didn't want to over proof the loaves, so gambled and put them on. No flavor at all from the smoke, Tasted just like they were baked in the oven.
 
Pork butt and ribs are in the BBQ. It's been awhile since I've used my ugly drum smoker so I decided to show it some love today. I love the way this thing chugs along. Steady temps and super fuel efficient. I loaded her up with regular old Kingsford briquettes and hickory chunks. She'll go 13+ hours easy no problem.
IMG_20200813_084835.jpg
IMG_20200813_084923.jpg
IMG_20200813_084827.jpg
 
I can smell the smoke from here :)

I grilled some chicken leg quarters a couple of days ago but, outside of smoking some cheese, have been neglecting my outdoor cookers. Thinking about smash burgers for supper tonight with some smoked pepper jack and buckboard bacon. I'd better get to baking some rolls to put them on.
 
thunderwagn said:
Pork butt and ribs are in the BBQ. It's been awhile since I've used my ugly drum smoker so I decided to show it some love today. I love the way this thing chugs along. Steady temps and super fuel efficient. I loaded her up with regular old Kingsford briquettes and hickory chunks. She'll go 13+ hours easy no problem.
View attachment 11346 View attachment 11347 View attachment 11345
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Those are good smokers! I had a garbage can smoker years ago. Cut a door in the lower part for a hot plate and coffee can for chips. Poked two pieces of rebar through about 6” below the top to hold a cheap round grill.
 
thunderwagn said:
Pork butt and ribs are in the BBQ. It's been awhile since I've used my ugly drum smoker so I decided to show it some love today. I love the way this thing chugs along. Steady temps and super fuel efficient. I loaded her up with regular old Kingsford briquettes and hickory chunks. She'll go 13+ hours easy no problem.
View attachment 11346 View attachment 11347 View attachment 11345
Click to expand...
You go man!
I recently smoked a spathcocked and beer brined chicken (PBR) in my Weber cylinder/drum. The leftovers were used to make a red Chile pozole, a bowl of which I enjoyed for lunch today. Outstanding
 
Met my eldest daughter in Reno for supper yesterday. BJ's Barbeque in Sparks is great if you're ever in the area and lie BBQ.

Stopped in Sam's Club to pick up a few things. They had a good deal on some nice spare ribs so picked up a pack of 3 slabs. Was running short with only 2 or 3 slabs of spares and 2 baby backs in the freezer. Thankful my wife has an eye for bargains. She found Prime Briskets for $2.48/lb. Picked out a really nice on just over 12 lbs. Been a long time since I've found a nice brisket for just over $30. Sell by date is the 28th, so going to keep it in the fridge for 10 days or so before smoking it.
Prime.jpg


Nice marbling in this baby.
Marbling.jpg
 
My last smoke in the drum was so damn good, everyone requested another butt! I have to admit, the qualities the drum adds to the BBQ are much better than the kamodo style. I may be reverting back to my old ways.
Made up some atomic buffalo turds this morning also. Two slices of bacon short so two got wrapped in salami lol.
IMG_20200822_100415.jpg
 
OK Grillers! Time to dip my toe into this thread as I have only been reading it up to now.

You other northern hemisphere dwellers that garden are certainly seeing things exploding about now and I need to consider stocking up tomatoes and such in another way other than freezing so my eye wandered over to good old Mother Earth News and happened on a fire roasted tomato salsa recipe

  • 5 lbs paste tomatoes, preferably from your garden or local farmers market
  • 2 lb mix hot & sweet peppers (adjust ratio to suit your taste)
  • 1 lb mixed white onions with 1 head garlic (not to exceed 1 lb total)
  • 1 cup apple cider or white vinegar (must be 5 percent acidity)
  • 1 tbsp salt
They recommend that you don't' mess with the ratios as it's part of keeping the acid balance right so to avoid any risk of nasties in the can.

It uses weight instead of volume for measurements. The only rule is that you DO NOT CHANGE THE RATIO of tomatoes, peppers, onions/garlic and vinegar. This recipe has strict proportions to keep it safe for canning, as everything but the tomatoes are low acid vegetables which can harbor botulism. See the USDA's recommended ratios for canning salsa for even more information. As long as you keep the total weight for each category of vegetables the same, and use all the 5% vinegar (no substitutes), you can vary the varieties of each produce, like more hot peppers for sweet, or cherry tomatoes for slicers.

So since my cherry and yellow pears are going crazy over my olpakas and ugly ripes, I like this idea as it eliminates having to slip the skins and adds the taste of the smoke. My question is 2 fold:

First, has or does anyone have any experience with this sort of prep for a salsa, I am going to can these in a simple water bath?

Second, I have a ton of hickory here on the property. What if any measures should I take to use this wood to impart that smoky taste ?

Here's the whole article if you want.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/canning-fire-roasted-tomato-salsa-recipe-zbcz1407
 
Ward Chillington said:
OK Grillers! Time to dip my toe into this thread as I have only been reading it up to now.

You other northern hemisphere dwellers that garden are certainly seeing things exploding about now and I need to consider stocking up tomatoes and such in another way other than freezing so my eye wandered over to good old Mother Earth News and happened on a fire roasted tomato salsa recipe

  • 5 lbs paste tomatoes, preferably from your garden or local farmers market
  • 2 lb mix hot & sweet peppers (adjust ratio to suit your taste)
  • 1 lb mixed white onions with 1 head garlic (not to exceed 1 lb total)
  • 1 cup apple cider or white vinegar (must be 5 percent acidity)
  • 1 tbsp salt
They recommend that you don't' mess with the ratios as it's part of keeping the acid balance right so to avoid any risk of nasties in the can.

It uses weight instead of volume for measurements. The only rule is that you DO NOT CHANGE THE RATIO of tomatoes, peppers, onions/garlic and vinegar. This recipe has strict proportions to keep it safe for canning, as everything but the tomatoes are low acid vegetables which can harbor botulism. See the USDA's recommended ratios for canning salsa for even more information. As long as you keep the total weight for each category of vegetables the same, and use all the 5% vinegar (no substitutes), you can vary the varieties of each produce, like more hot peppers for sweet, or cherry tomatoes for slicers.

So since my cherry and yellow pears are going crazy over my olpakas and ugly ripes, I like this idea as it eliminates having to slip the skins and adds the taste of the smoke. My question is 2 fold:

First, has or does anyone have any experience with this sort of prep for a salsa, I am going to can these in a simple water bath?

Second, I have a ton of hickory here on the property. What if any measures should I take to use this wood to impart that smoky taste ?

Here's the whole article if you want.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/canning-fire-roasted-tomato-salsa-recipe-zbcz1407
Click to expand...

If you like Chipotle, and have ripe Jalapeños, hickory does a great job on them. Cut a slit in one side of each pepper about 3/4 the length and use low (<180 F) indirect heat. Only use hickory for about the first hour and then keep a clean fire going until the peppers are dehydrated. Grind them into a powder and add to taste once the salsa is simmering. This will work with any of the peppers. I use an electric smoker, but most any smoker or grill will do as long as you can keep the temperature down. Be careful if you chose to smoke any of the other veggies. It's easy to get too much smoke in salsa, so don't get carried away. Hickory liquid smoke works well to flavor salsa too if you're not a purist.

We can a lot of lightly seasoned Mexican and Italian sauces, plain tomato sauce, whole tomatoes and both plain tomato juice and Bloody Mary mix when the tomatoes are abundant. Another favorite around our house is Tomato Jam, made with thinly sliced lemon, lime or finely diced Jalapeños. We freeze and dehydrate peppers for use throughout the year. I've even dehydrated tomatoes a few times with good results.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll likely be doing a lot of canning. Home canned stuff is so much better than store bought. Have fun!
 
I've canned tons of salsa, tomatoes, sauce, etc. and the steps/recipe above are pretty typical. Here's my .02 for whatever that's worth...
A water bath is not canning and if you plan on putting this salsa up for storage, I suggest using a pressure cooker and following the canning guidelines for times and elevation. https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/using_bw_canners.html
That's the safest and best, especially when it comes to things like onions and garlic as in your recipe.
Tomatoes take on smoke very well if that's what you're looking for. When I smoke, I go for the nice clear blue smoke, if that makes sense. The brown, burning, heavy smoke at the beginning leaves a nasty, medicinal, tongue numbing character that I don't care for at all. Go for a nice clean burning smoke. Thin, blue line of smoke is what you want imo.
 
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