Looking for Fellow Meat Smokers/Curers for Recipes and Ideas

Being that it is 60 degrees today (IN JANUARY) I am thinking about firing up the smoker this weekend and want to try something new! A friend of my hubby gave us a Brinkman Vertical Water Smoker (aka ECB - El Cheapo Brinkman) because he never used it. Being an avid lover of anything BBQ, I adopted to the hobby quickly last spring and we ate our weight in everything from Chicken to my own cured/smoked bacon and everything in between. I have a chest freezer full of meats of all kinds but wanted to try something out of the ordinary. I just found a recipe on line for smoked deviled eggs (you smoke the hard boiled eggs first) and that made me think there are other "non traditional" recipes out there too!

Figuring the folks here like fire and wood, I thought there would be a pretty large group of meat smokers that are on here too....

Anybody out there want to share their recipes, methods, etc?

I love cooking on fire.

I have an ECB too, but I spent a little time modifying it. I riveted closed the bottom air hole, and made three adjustable vents with three holes each, similar to a Webber grill vent. I put one on the top too. I also added a grate to the charcoal bin. I can load the bottom with charcoal, dump in a half a chimney of lit charcoal, and close all the bottom vents. It will hold temperature for about 4 hours. Then it will start to drop and I need to open the vents. After six hours or so it needs more charcoal.

I only put about a cup of water in the pan.

Mostly I smoke meat. I like doing pulled pork, which seems to take around an hour a pound.

A few non-meat things I've done:

Cheese. Really low temp, and not for too long.

Cayenne peppers. After smoking meat all day when the fire is low, I take the water pan out of the smoker and put the peppers on the top rack. They dry out and take on a little smoke. Then crush and store in mason jars.

Atomic Buffalo Turds. Stuff jalapeno peppers with cheese and wrap with bacon.

My most exotic smoker thing: Bacon explosion. Cooked bacon, cheese and mushrooms wrapped in Italian sausage wrapped in a bacon lattice. Just google bacon explosion to see photos of how to do it -- too difficult to explain. I only ever cook it if there is a group to eat it. Otherwise I'd probably die by fat.

love my elcheapo smoker

i used it for fatties and pulled pork

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiUAtoNBk

Funny you should mention Bacon Explosion! I checked the cookbook those guys wrote out of the library after hearing about it on the news - it is chock full of great stuff but yes, heart attack on a plate to say the least!

Pork is a vegetable in our house, treated like a side dish sometimes When I was in college, as an advertising design major, I created a "Pork Is A Vegetable" campaign after learning that "Pork, the other white meat" campaign of the 70's and 80's was all a lie, pork is really red meat, just not as "bad" for you as beef. While my vegan roommate didn't find the humor in it, others did.

I never thought I could do cheese in what was considered a "hot smoker" how do you do it? I pay a lot of money for smoked cheeses at a local deli so making my own sounds like fun!

I too made some minor mods on this - similar to what you did but I also took out the ash bowl and use a grill steamer bowl I bought at Cabela's that works real well and just put a foil pan from the dollar store underneath to catch the ashes. The holes in the steamer bowl are good, the ashes fall better so they don't smother the coals. I also bought a remote thermometer for it too and just shove the probe in the upper air vents - it works well.

The best thing I have done is bacon. We were at a local farmers market and met a charcuterie who was making bacon on site and grilling it up - it was like pork candy! He gave me the recipe and I have had a lot of success with it, even without any idea of what I was doing - it was easy and sooooo good. I will have to dig it out and post it so others can try. I basically bought a 15lb pork belly from an Asian market and cut the ribs out - saved for another meal, cured the bacon in the fridge for about 2 weeks, then smoked some, left the other just cured (english bacon is cured, not smoked) I NEVER eat bacon out or from the grocery store because I think it is greasy and gross so be warned if you make your own, you will never go back

Thanks for the post!

I only did the cheese once, and it was about 15 years ago.

From memory, I had a hard cheese like sharp cheddar. I put it on foil in the smoker for maybe 10 or 15 minutes on the lowest temp I could manage. I recall it being good, but I don't know how it would compare to cold smoked cheese.

"Pork candy." Love it. "Pork is a vegetable." I have a vegetarian friend I might try that on. Maybe even make some fake copy and just leave it where he'll see it. LOL.

I think if I was going to name one thing I've cooked as "my best" it's probably the ribs I did not too long ago. Cooked them about six hours, rubbed first, and then basted with "Mojo." That stuff is awesome on pork. If you haven't tried it go get some. It's in the hispanic section of your grocery store. Ours has two different brands. It's a combination of citrus juice, salt, and spices.

Here's a non smoker recipe, but it would probably go great on a smoker

Block cream cheese -- split in half and open like a book on a foil tray.
Pesto
Diced fresh tomato
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Cook till done (bubbly)

It's a dip. Really fantastic, but also good for a large group!

Brisket the bomb!

I have only had my ECB for about 2 months, once I modified it I have smoked Deer, Chicken, and ham.

I have been fighting with my charcoal setup to keep the temp up, I need to redo my grates, I get to much ash buildup. I need to perfect my minion method as well.

The ham I did was a cherry glaze ham, turned out good. Recipe is here: http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5382

Pork Butt, Very forgiving in the smoker,,, Typically ~ $1/lb, and after smoked can be used for sandwiches, pork saurkraut & mash po's, breakfast hash etc

Mellow,

I had the same problem at first, too much ash smothered the coals but changed out the ash pan and it is SO much better, While some folks just drilled holes in it, I bought a steamer bowl at Cabelas that has perfect 1/4" holes all over it and with the handles, it was the perfect size for the smoker.

I also tried different brands of charcoal, I now only use Royal Oak lump charcoal and briquettes (for longer burn times) as for my set up, that is what I had the best luck with to temp and ash control.

GOOD LUCK

Smokinjay, that brisket looks awesome!

Madison -- I wish I could get pork butt for $1/lb. Around here it's closer to $3.

Here are come clickable thumbnails of my smoker and recent results:

The vents I made and put on the bottom to control the burn:



The grate I put in the charcoal bin, and how I load the charcoal and the smoking wood. I will pour lit charcoal into the open space.:



St. Louis cut ribs and butt on smoker. Note vent installed on lid:



I have a spice rub that I put on. I cook for about two hours, then baste with "Mojo" every 30 to 45 minutes. Total cooking time around six hours. Results:



There is no "sauce" on the ribs, just a glaze from the "Mojo."

Between the St. Louise style dry rub ribs and Jays brisket - you guys are killing me. And Mellow has some fine looking chow to boot.

Don't forget to hang some bottom round jerky in that smoker - Try "hi-mountain" hickory for a first time out of the gate seasoning.

Edit: snack sticks are another hit, but require more work and a few more gadgets then jerky does:

I cook Brisket, Pork Tenderloins, and Ribs. We buy a whole show pig every year and have the meat processed for about $1.90/lb. That includes bacon, loins, chops, ham etc. etc... We get about 190 lbs of meat every year and it makes holidays a breeze.

I swear by and would recommend to anybody to use http://www.strawsbbq.com/. Their rub is the best i've ever had. Very sweet seasoning. Then I usually smoke in my smoker burning charcoal for heat and hickory for flavor.

I highly recommend buying the rub. I bought a small one years ago at the fair and buy a gallon jug every other year now.

We also eat a lot of deer. Either chili or jerky for the most part.

You probably have seen these but I thought they looked delicious.

http://www.smoking-meat.com/february-2-2012-stuffed-smoked-meatloaf.html

http://www.smoking-meat.com/january-5-2012-smoked-tilapia-with-tahini-noodles.html

Just found this video for how to make a cold smoker. Too easy. Basically the guy sticks a soldering iron into a tin can and pours smoke pellets into it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sivMMDnUEpc

Last year my Meco electric smoker finally gave out and my wife let me upgrade to a much larger unit (http://www.basspro.com/Masterbuilt-Extra-Wide-Propane-Smoker/product/10219561/80511). The capacity is great. I can fit 12 -16 chickens in it depending on how they are trussed up. I also added a Smoke Daddy Big Kahuna external cold smoke generator (http://www.smokedaddyinc.com/index.html) to it. It is not inexpensive, but I have nothing but praise for it.

With the Big Kahuna, you have the option to hot or cold smoke. I cold smoked 30 lbs. of cheeses in November to be ready for Christmas and New Years. Some people give out cookies, I give out smoked cheese.

+1 smoking meat.com
try their brine for poultry, once you try it you wont like chicken or anything without it.