Lets talk Smokers and Smoking meat

[/pine]

...What temp and how long for shrimp...

Shrimp are tricky...If you cook them too long or hot the meat sticks to the shell...if you peel them first they tend to get rubbery...
Try looking for some prawns in higher end grocery stores, frozen will work if thawed in ice water the day prior...or for testing just buy a bag of 26-30 count raw shrimp and give a shot...just keep them basted (moist) with marinate or olive oil etc...

If you haven't smoked with alder wood,...

The only alders around here are in the birch family ??
I was camping out west one time and a neighboring camper fixed both a small pork and a small beef roast using Quaking Aspen wood it had an excellent flavor...I wish it grew in the East...!

 

[IslandTractor]

Nothing better than a 1 1/2 inch pork chop cooked on the grill. Smoked variety is good once and awhile but I put it in the "comfort food" category...served on mashed potatoes with kraut on the side. I haven't gotten into the "injection" stuff yet but in theory that might yield something akin to a ham. One of these days maybe.

Mustard coated grilled pork chop served with fresh apple sauce, some grilled veggies and mashed taters....yum!

 

[teejk]

Mustard coated grilled pork chop served with fresh apple sauce, some grilled veggies and mashed taters....yum!

My son does that mustard coat on beef ribs...I prefer just salt and pepper (I was cooking pork to "pink" years before the USDA finally admitted that it was ok...beef I prefer rare side of medium rare). I come from a long line of meat cutters and I still remember the time where my dad pulled a T-bone from a friend when said friend reached for the ketchup bottle (said friend got hot dogs). Some foods need to be shown proper respect. But back to the thread, I think I want to goof with injection soon.

 

[Qapla]

I generally prefer to cook a loin in a roasting type situation. If I want to smoke one, I first put a rub on it the night before and put it in the fridge overnight. I use a vertical smoker so mine is always over direct heat.

Mine is a "converted" Brinkman charcoal smoker. Converted because I put it together so that the charcoal bowl sits on an electric hot plate under the smoker.

I place the loin in the smoker on the top rack still cold and plug in the hot plate. The smoker begins to smoke within a few minutes since the hot plate causes the charcoal to light from the bottom to the top. I only let a loin smoke for about an hour before I wrap it in foil so that any juices cannot escape. I leave that on the top rack until it feel done when I squeeze it.

After letting it rest while still wrapped, I open it and slice it.

For cuts like a butt/shoulder, I do the rub and put it on just like the loin. However, I do not wrap it, I let it cook for hours leaving it untouched, not even turning it over, until I think it is done or a probe thermometer shows it is at temp - I like to cook mine to 165.

 

[/pine]

Beef Jerky...without a dehydrator...

I like to make jerky using 'eye of the round'...brisket makes a better tasting jerky because of the fat but it's really expensive for what it used to cost...

Eye of the round is very easy to cut into 1/4" or less strips...there are lots of commercial rubs/marinates...but I prefer an old tried and true recipe...slice the meat and place in a large bowl sprinkling each layer with garlic, course black pepper and a shake of Lee & Perons'...and a little course sea salt...let it sit in the fridge overnight...allow it to get close to room temp and smoke it until...after about 8 hrs of good smoke (rotating for even smoke) allow more air and continue smoking until the jerky texture is there...it will tend to dry/crisp up when cooling...but IMO it's much better than smoke "flavored", dehydrated jerky...

Any cut of beef will work...the fattier the meat the more flavorful it will be...some fats add some very exotic, palatable flavors...

For cutting a whole eye of the round (not too pricy when they are on sale)...They are very easy to cut into nice wide strips...start by cutting (with the grain) into large rectangles 2"+ wide by however long...with a sharp, wide bladed knife start the cut 1/4" off the cutting board...with the other hand holding down on the rectangle just continue the 1/4"(+/-) slice (slight sawing motion) through the chunk and repeat...

Venison, because it is so lean is more difficult to get "right" when making jerky...as previously mentioned...I think a whole brisket (which you used to be able to get for a buck a pound, before the BBQ brisket craze hit) makes the best tasting jerky (all because of the different fats) and it is more difficult to slice...but if you like beef jerky...I guarantee you can make some better than anything you can buy in a store with a hunk of eye of the round and a smoker...!

 

[teejk]

Was hoping to see a report from the OP.

 

[Qapla]

We have found that when cutting meat for jerky it works best if the meat is partially frozen.

 

[teejk]

We have found that when cutting meat for jerky it works best if the meat is partially frozen.

Something to that theory I think...I relate it to why I stopped using the Food Saver. I figure most meat has already been "vac"d once and the amount of meat juices that come out are a lot. Bring stuff home, cut it up and "vac" it again, freeze it and more juice...end product was dry...Talked to a meat cutter (I retired from that job decades ago) and he suggested partially/fully freezing the cuts before packaging. I guess my point is that the more moisture you can keep it the raw product the better off you'll be.

 

[brasco426]

Check out thesmokering.com that's where I taught myself and learned a good deal about BBQ.