Smoking Meat...

[shaunous]

One of the chicks I work with is from a big beef farming family, she's just told me her uncle owns a butchery but sales are crap right now so he's having to throw out meat
So she's offered to get me whatever I want from her uncle.
Hoping to fill my chest freezer this week for cheap
Just a little bit of smoking will be done

Sales are going crap, must be the only butcher I know not selling meat. Beef prices are back breaking records again right now.

I've been giving my smoker a right hammering, even more so now I added the 'Smokai' to it.

 

[sp0rk]

I went to buy some unsalted silverside the other day and the butcher wanted $18 a kilo :/
For such a big beef farming area, the prices here are silly, could be because the closest (non private) abattoir is at Kurri Kurri
Some chinese mob are apparently building a new one down near Denman as a sort of co-op with farmers, should hopefully see the farmers getting better prices for their beef

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Got a side of Lamb last Fri, $36 cut up. ( about $7kg ) Only small lamb, but considering crumbed cuttlets where about $5 ea not long ago, it was a bargain

 

[indica86]

I want to have a go at making some bacon. Anyone have a cure without nitrites that they use?

 

[peteru]

I'm allergic to nitrites. You really need to be very, very careful with hygiene, temperature control and timing when not using nitrates. Not only during the processing, but also packaging, storage and serving. Hopefully, those skills come as second nature to most brewers.

I dry cure with 50% salt and 50% brown sugar. I also add a few teaspoons of various spices every now and then. Cinnamon works well. So does mace, but start only with a small amount, it can get intense.

Avoid honey - it's a very high risk botulinum ingredient and without nitrates you are asking for it.

Do not expect pink bacon if you go nitrite free. It will end up looking natural - i.e. grey. It'll probably taste a lot better too.

 

[seifer]

Id use nitrites with pork, but that's just me....and most ppl. Pm me and I can send you out a small bag of you want to test it a little.

 

[indica86]

Thanks guys.
I have read that celery is a natural source and saw someone using celery juice with their cure as a substitute.

 

[gap]

Thanks guys.
I have read that celery is a natural source and saw someone using celery juice with their cure as a substitute.

But is it not chemically the same ?

 

[indica86]

It would appear not quite in that the correct dosage cannot be measured.
Interesting stuff.
Can anyone recommend a book?

 

[yankinoz]

Miscellaneous suggestionss:

Try lots of woods and give stringybark a chance.

With meat, the slower the better.

There's a world of barbecue sauces besides the thick, sweet tomato-based stuff: Habanero chiles in vinegar (use just the vinegar), mustard-based sauces and more. Google.

And now a rant: hot-smoking salmon should be a felony.

 

[Airgead]

Miscellaneous suggestionss:

And now a rant: hot-smoking salmon should be a felony.

No way! My hot smoked whole salmon is the stuff of legends! Whole salmon brined and smoked is my Xmas party piece.

 

[gap]

No way! My hot smoked whole salmon is the stuff of legends! Whole salmon brined and smoked is my Xmas party piece.

I am with you on this. I have people who has had my hot smoked salmon and ask where they can buy it from.

 

[Airgead]

And a nice piece of hot smoked rainbow or ocean trout is to die for...

Even the humble mackerel, coated in black pepper and hot smoked is fantasic.

Hot smoked fish in general is awesome. But particularly salmon. Brined with juniper and fennel... Smoked over the pruning from my fruit trees...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

It did some fish at casa del Shaunous at Xmas and rubbed some morrocan spice on then smoked in his smoker..

Was well wicked

 

[peteru]

Celery extract is just another source of the same problematic ingredients - nitrites and nitrates. Once you have a severe allergy to this stuff, like I do, it does not matter where it comes from. You can't completely avoid it, but the dosages that are used in meat products to act as a preservative and curing aid are way, way above what I can tolerate.

It is possible to produce a decent range of pretty good small-goods without the use of nitrates, but you really need to be careful. I would say that if you don't have a real medical need to avoid nitrates, then you should use them (sparingly) when making your own cured meats. Definitely for salami, and very much advisable for bacon and ham. I'm not so certain it is needed for corned beef or pastrami, you could probably go under the recommended dosage and as long as you are not being lax with the handling of the product you'd be fine.

On the topic of hot smoking fish like salmon and ocean trout - definitely a super way of preparing fish when done right. I do the following rub:

50g brown sugar
25g salt
3 teaspoons dried thyme
4 teaspoons dried dill leaf
1 teaspoon of coarse cracked black pepper (optional)

mix ingredients well to make a rub. Place 4 large salmon or ocean trout fillets (skin on) in a shallow tray and cover the top of each fillet with the rub. Use enough rub to make a thin layer on top. Keep refrigerated for at least 4 hours. The rub should mostly dissolve and turn into brown liquid in the tray. You can use this liquid to make a reduction that can be served as extra sauce.

Heat BBQ to about 80-110C, place salmon on the grill and smoke for at least 30 minutes. Do not let the internal temperature of the salmon go above 40C. Once smoked, remove salmon from BBQ and increase BBQ temperature to 200-250C. Oil the grill and return salmon to BBQ. The high temperature will crisp up the skin and add some colour as the brown sugar caramelises. It's a good idea to have a temperature probe in the thickest part of the largest portion so that you can monitor the internal temperature and only open the BBQ once - when it's done. I like mine done to 52-55C, wife prefers it 60+C, kids love it whatever way.

The neighbours have a standing order with us to give them a days notice when we plan to do smoked fish - they like to bring theirs over and get it cooked at the same time. I can understand why, you just can't buy that much flavour from a shop and the vast majority of restaurants can't do it either.

 

[shaunous]

Unless your making cold hung meats like Salami with some European family thats been doing it since Jesus Christ played football for Jerusalem and handed the recipe down through the ages in consistent similar climatic conditions, i would be using pink salt / curing salt.
Risks aint worth it.
Its like having unprotected sex with someone carrying AIDS, for a small quick satisfaction there is the high risk of death.

My 2c

 

[shaunous]

Will definitely try that fish recipe Peteru. Cheers.

 

[Bribie G]

Crossover thread post here:

I'm getting a Sous Vide cooker on Wednesday - I'll be an Aldi tragic hanging out at the door for them to open - I'm getting the vac sealer anyway so might as well go the whole hog.

Now I really want to do smoked chicken breasts but don't want to toughen them by putting them into a hot Hark smoker after x hours in the sous vide.

I was thinking of doing the sous vide thing, then slide them out of the bags and put them in the oven at the initial smoke burst, remove as soon as possible then sear off in hot skillet.

How long does it actually take to coat meat with a reasonable smoke?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I'll be an Aldi tragic hanging out at the door for them to open -

 

[djar007]

Have you thought about reversing the process Bribie? Smoke and or char the chicken quickly then sous vide to finish. That way you will avoid drying out of the meat. I find poultry in the sous vide is succulent and moist when freshly cooked but can dry out quickly. So I try lock the moisture in then cook.