Text 18760, 188 rader
Skriven 2014-10-31 21:45:32 av Stephen Haffly (1:396/45.27)
  Kommentar till text 18740 av NANCY BACKUS (1:123/140)
Ärende: Smoking was: Kitchen
============================
Hi Nancy,

On (31 Oct 14) NANCY BACKUS wrote to DALE SHIPP...

 NB>  RH>> Very much so right now. Almost to the point where we can smoke
 NB> cheeses  RH>> again--from what I understand, we will be there by this
 NB> time next  RH>> week. Haven't gotten the chicken out yet. been too
 NB> busy with other  RH>> things.
 NB>  NB>> Freezers are useful things... (G)  How long does the good
 NB> smoking  NB>> weather generally go...?  Will Steve likely be able to
 NB> do more smoking  NB>> at the new house, if the current timeline
 NB> holds...?

I may have more difficulty. Where we are now, we have a covered porch so
I don't have to worry about rain. When we move, I won't have that, so
Dale's concern will be mine also. Electricity and rain/snow don't mix.

 DS> Actually, good smoking weather is any time you feel like it.  The
 DS> smoker does not care if it is freezing out.  And since I load the
 DS> smoker and come inside, I don't much mind either.  Only time I would
 DS> rule out smoking is in the rain or snow since my smoker is electric.

For the most part, I agree. The electric smoker does vary in the amount
of smoke generated based on outside temperature and the amount of time
the element needs to be on to reach smoking temperature. In cold
weather, the element will be on longer and thus generate more smoke. In
hot weather, the element will not be on as much, thus generating less
smoke. Dale uses one way to get around this problem and I chose a
different way. Mine is a Smoke Daddy smoke generator. Since it is
external to the smoker, it does not depend on the electrical element to
generate smoke. Also, when cold smoking cheese, one must have an
alternate way to generate smoke as the element would melt the cheese.

While Dale and I use two different devices to generate the smoke, both
of us have had excellent outcomes when smoking cheeses.

 NB> Bad weather certainly wouldn't make it much fun, either, even with a
 NB> non-electric smoker...  I'd thought that one could do the smoking just
 NB> about any time, but Ruth was indicating that that might not have been
 NB> the case.  Being a non-smoker (in this way as well [g]), I wouldn't
 NB> have known for sure.  ;)

I have had a basic charcoal/wood smoker (first one, did not like), gas
smokers (much better but too fussy as I had to watch it to keep
adjusting the gas flow to keep the temperature in the correct range),
and an electric smoker (like Dale's). I have been happiest with the
electic one since the thermostat maintains the proper temperature. The
Smoke Daddy ensures that I can control the generation of smoke to get
enough, but not too much. One of these days, I will replace it with a
newer model. This one has its quirks, requiring me to pre-heat the
temperature sensor before it will work and not give me an error message.
Once it gets going, it works well.

 DS> As far as smoking cheese goes, it is actually too soon for that.
 DS> Best is when outside temps are low so that the inside of the
 DS> box stays at less than 80F.

 NB> I saw that they are expecting temps in the lower 40s with lows in
 NB> the 30s coming up, as are we...  I suppose that might be cool
 NB> enough for cheese...?

Plenty cool enough for cheese :) I have to see if any of the local
stores have it on sale. Tomorrow would probably be a great day to smoke
cheese. If not tomorrow, then the next couple of days. Of course, the
hardest part is waiting for the weeks it takes for the flavor to
develop. Just out of the smoker, it tastes pretty bad. After a few
weeks, the flavor becomes much better as it seeps through the cheese.

Here's one thing I have tried. It is hard to do on a regular grill as
the grease will cause a big flare-up and burn the outside.

MMMMM----- Meal-Master (tm) export from Gourmet Recipe Manager

     Title: Fatties
Categories: American, Entree
     Yield: 1 loaf

      1 Lb Italian sausage (mild or hot
           -according to your taste)
     13    slices Bacon (thick or thin
           -but the thin will probably
           -crisp up better)
      6    slices Provolone cheese
    1/2 sm Onion, diced
    1/2    Bell Pepper
           Spinach Leaves

  Gather useful tools such as rolling pin, gallon-sized zipper bag, wax
  (or parchment) paper, sharp knife or scissors, and also get the smoker
  ready for smoking at 225 degrees F.

  Take the bacon and on a sheet of waxed paper, lay out 7 strips
  horizontally.  Remove strips 2, 4, and 6 (or fold them over to the
  right to get them out of the way).  Lay one strip vertically on top of
  strips
  1,3,5, and 7 so the left edge is aligned.  Lay strips 2,4,and 6 back
  over the strip you set down.  Next, fold the odd strips to the left,
  lay another vertical strip, then fold the odd strips back down.
  Repeat, alternating even and odd until you have 6 vertical strips, at
  which point, you won't have room for another one.  You will now have
  your bacon woven in a lattice (like weaving a pie crust).  Set this
  aside
  Take the pound of sausage and place it inside the gallon bag and zip
  it closed.  Using the rolling pin, roll it out until it is evenly flat
  and fills the bag (making a pinhole in the corners to relase air is
  helpful).  Set that aside.  It may be helpful to place it in the
  freezer for a few minutes to stiffen it up.

  Lay out a sheet of waxed paper.  Using the knife or scissors, cut the
  edges of the bag.  (I think cutting the top with the zipper off and
  splitting the side seams works best).  Carefully peel back the top
  layer of plastic bag, leaving the meat on the bottom part.  Lay the
  waxed paper over the top, then flip both over to that the wax paper is
  underneath and the plastic is on top.  Carefully remove the plastic.
  On top of the meat, layer the cheese, onion, pepper, and spinach.
  Start layering at one end and only go about 3/4 of the way toward the
  other end (give or take an inch) to leave room for it to seal when you
  roll it).

  This is the tricky part.  If you have ever rolled sushi or a jelly
  roll, you will have an idea of how to do this.  Take the wax paper
  starting at the end with the filling touching it and carefully roll
  it, peeling the wax paper back as you go so that it won't wind up
  being inside.  Make sure you keep the filings inside and keep the
  sealing part clear. It may be easier if you have a helper for this
  step. Once you get it rolled, transfer it carefully to a piece of
  plastic wrap you have laid out and roll it inside the plastic wrap,
  then pinch the ends and roll to compress the roll and help give it a
  good shape.  The part you left uncovered will seal the roll and help
  hold it together.
  Take the bacon weave you did earlier and lay it out.  Unwrap the meat
  roll from the plastic and lay it (seam side down) at one end of the
  grid (should be the 7 horizontal/6 vertical strip orientation).
  Carefully roll the bacon grid onto the meat roll, using the wax paper
  to help carry it around but removing it as you go so it will not get
  sealed inside.  As in the last step, use a sheet of plastic wrap to
  compress and shape the finished roll.

  Place the roll in the smoker (or in your oven if you don't have a
  smoker) and smoke for about 3 hours (until the temperature reaches 165
  degrees F (I did mine to 170 degrees F, but 165 should be safe).
  Remove from smoker (or oven).

  If you wish, you could place it under a broiler for a few minutes to
  make the bacon more crisp.  This would be especially useful for thick
  cut bacon, as the outside surface seemed good, but the inside was
  cooked, but soft.  The warning is to keep an eye on it if you use this
  method so it won't get burned.

  Once done, let the fatty sit for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy.

  Preparation Time: 1/2 hour
  Cooking Time: 3 hours
  Source: Smoking Meats Forum

  If you looked on the Smoking Meats Forum site, then you have seen
  pictures of what I'm about to describe.  I am talking about Fatties.
  These are otherwise known as a "Bacon Explosion," the reason for which
  will become obvious.  I was reading about these online, and decided to
  try making a couple.  I DID have to put our new smoker to good use,
  didn't I?  This first attempt was made using mild Italian sausage for
  one and hot Italian sausage for another.  However, the choice of meats
  and fillings is up to your imagination (e.g. Chicken Fajita Fatty;
  Meatloaf Fatty, etc.).
  .
  Some suggestions I read were to slice it and serve it on biscuits.  We
  had it on bread, and it was quite good.  I personally liked the one
  made with the hot Italian sausage better.

  (I used a Banana pepper this time since we didn't have any bell
  peppers; I didn't count, but I used about 1/6 of a 9 oz bag of fresh
  spinach leaves for each fatty).  Although I did not do so for this
  one, taking a little time to sauté the onion and pepper before
  putting it in the fatty would be good.  It could be done ahead and
  cooled so that it won't melt the cheese prematurely.

MMMMM


Regards,

Stephen
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