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Smoking Food Thread

Wrapping it in a fatty bacon is a must. You might even need to add more bacon in the middle of the smoke in case all the fat renders off before you are finished. I've done deer and moose, both of which are very easy to dry out. I did them mostly on the brinkman, which had the water pan. Keep a bottle of apple juice nearby as well in case you see it start to dry out.


I almost had a disaster yesterday. I called my usual place to order the turkey legs, and they stopped carrying them. Thankfully he called me back a few minutes later with the number of his competitor, who he checked, did have them in stock. I never would have expected him to do that, but in doing so he solidified my business from here on out.
 
Wrapping it in a fatty bacon is a must. You might even need to add more bacon in the middle of the smoke in case all the fat renders off before you are finished. I've done deer and moose, both of which are very easy to dry out. I did them mostly on the brinkman, which had the water pan. Keep a bottle of apple juice nearby as well in case you see it start to dry out.

The ham seems a little fattier, so I may go with that. It's boneless, so I'll need to tie it up. The shoulder is bone-in, but I should be able to cube off some meat for stew in the future. Looking forward to putting my grinder to work...thinking about grinding some pork belly or something similar into the mix to add some fat and flavor.
 
I always add fat to it when I grind venison. It keeps it from falling apart so badly when trying to do meatloafs and the such.
 
Pork fat usually. I've got a friend who owns a meat processing plant and can usually get us an abundance of fat.
 
Y'all ever smoked raw German sausages? I've got a buddy who is smoking a turkey tomorrow and I want to throw on some fresh Mettwurst, Knockwurst, and Kielbasa. I've only grilled these in the past, but thinking an hour or two on indirect heat @ 250F should not overcook the meat. Any suggestions?
 
I've done brats before, and only cooked them for 1.5 hours and then finished them on the grill. They didnt need to be grilled, but I wanted the outside to be chrispy.
 
Y'all ever smoked raw German sausages? I've got a buddy who is smoking a turkey tomorrow and I want to throw on some fresh Mettwurst, Knockwurst, and Kielbasa. I've only grilled these in the past, but thinking an hour or two on indirect heat @ 250F should not overcook the meat. Any suggestions?

If they're natural casing, then watch your temp because you definitely don't want to go over 250F otherwise the casing will be tough to chew through and you'll start to lose the moisture content of the sausage causing them to shrivel.

I would say to keep it about 200-225 for about 2-2 1/2 hrs and you should be good.
 
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I'm looking to get a wireless thermometer for the longer cooks on the BGE. Their forum seems to rave about the Maverick ET732. Anyone have any experience with this one or another?
 
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I'm looking to get a wireless thermometer for the longer cooks on the BGE. Their forum seems to rave about the Maverick ET732. Anyone have any experience with this one or another?

I have the Maverick ET73 which is a step down from the ET732 and it has worked great. I have had it for about 3 years and it is about worn out so I may ask for the ET732 for Christmas. The temperature alarms are great for overnight smoking.
 
I've got 3 of the ET-7's and love them. They really are gamechangers. Looking at the ET732, I'd actually like that one better. I currently use one probe for the meat, and one for a rack level temperature, which is the main function of the 732. My issue is having to crank up the temperature setting so high to account for the chamber temperature. I'd say go for it.
 
The temperature alarms are great for overnight smoking.

The high temp alarms are great, but I wish there was one out there that had a low temp alarm. The ET-732 might, but I havent seen it mentioned in any of the reviews I've read so far. That would be my biggest need IMO, is letting me know when the temp drops and I need to add more wood. Right now I set my alarm for every 45 minutes to get up and restoke it.
 
Unfortunately I've had problems with past Maverick ET-7's dying on me....and it wasn't the batteries. They are ultra sensitive to the weather. I've even changed the probes (b/c they can go bad as well....who knew) and still had misreadings, low LED, and a failure to cut on.
 
My roommate brought back some smoked blue marlin from home after thanksgiving. Pretty damned tasty.

I'm kicking around the idea of firing up the smoker on Saturday. I'm doing a take-home exam all weekend and will be around the house to keep an eye on everything. Not sure if I want to try pork again and just wait long enough that it actually pulls or maybe try doing something like a turkey or some ribs.
 
I think I read that the 732 you set a range and it lets you know if the temp goes above or below that range.
 
The only issue I have had is a probe went bad and I need to replace it, but I'm also very careful with them and make sure they are covered if the weather is bad.

What do you use to clean the probes after each use? Mine get covered pretty good with creosote and we've soaked them and even thrown them in the dishwasher a couple times, and they keep on trucking. I'm sure there has to be a better way out there.
 
Not sure if I want to try pork again and just wait long enough that it actually pulls or maybe try doing something like a turkey or some ribs.

Ribs and turkeys take significantly less smoking time, but IMO you really have to brine the turkey beforehand to get the best flavor, and that requires a 24 hour soak.

I think I read that the 732 you set a range and it lets you know if the temp goes above or below that range.

Awesome. I just found something to put on my Christmas list.
 
The high temp alarms are great, but I wish there was one out there that had a low temp alarm. The ET-732 might, but I havent seen it mentioned in any of the reviews I've read so far. That would be my biggest need IMO, is letting me know when the temp drops and I need to add more wood. Right now I set my alarm for every 45 minutes to get up and restoke it.

Yeah, the ET-732 definitely has the low temp alarm, as does my current ET-73. It is great!

Product Features
Monitor internal temperature of meat from 300 feet away; wireless receiver with lcd beeps and flashes when meat temperature goes above your programmed temperature
Monitor barbecue temperature; receiver beeps and flashes if temperature falls above or below your programmed range
Receiver displays barbecue temperature up to 572 farenheit
Count up and Count down timer
Lcd of receiver has back light for use at night
 
Wrapping it in a fatty bacon is a must. You might even need to add more bacon in the middle of the smoke in case all the fat renders off before you are finished. I've done deer and moose, both of which are very easy to dry out. I did them mostly on the brinkman, which had the water pan. Keep a bottle of apple juice nearby as well in case you see it start to dry out.


I almost had a disaster yesterday. I called my usual place to order the turkey legs, and they stopped carrying them. Thankfully he called me back a few minutes later with the number of his competitor, who he checked, did have them in stock. I never would have expected him to do that, but in doing so he solidified my business from here on out.

That's awesome. The seafood community at the coast tends to do this for people. They will tell you when they are out of something and give you recs for someone who might have them. This past summer I ended up getting blue crabs from one of the smallest markets after making 4 or 5 calls and getting recs.
 
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