Blue98,
Be warned....smoking meats and cheeses can be addictive and may cut into your fishing time. How ever, if mamma only lets you fish one day on the weekend, smoking is a great hobby for the other day. You end up satisfying the "why can't you spend some time at home?" problem while keeping a beer in your hand (strictly for "maintaining proper temperature") and the end product will have family and friends begging for more!
I've been smokin' for about 10 years. There is some info on the net, but most of it is the same info showing up on multiple sites. Also, people who smoke tend to guard thier recipes and techniques rather closely. I can understand this, as I've spent a lot of time and money learning and still learn something new with each fire.
I recently got a book that is a treasure trove of truly useful information. It's called "A GUIDE TO CANNING,FREEZING,CURING & SMOKING MEAT, FISH & WILD GAME." It's written by Wilbur F Eastman Jr. I got my copy from The Sausage Source in Hillsboro, NH.(603)464-6275. Ask for a catalog. If you want smoked pork chops(and you do) you'll need a bone saw.
Before I hand over my favorite recipe, here's a few pointers.
- Keep the temperature below 200deg. Water boils at 212 and will cook right out of the meat...this is bad.
- If a little smoke is good, then more smoke must be better. WRONG!! Keep the density of the smoke thin. If you want more smoke flavor, smoke longer. A heavy smoke will make the food bitter.
- Never use pine,hemlock, spruce, or any evergreen. All hardwoods are fair game, especially fruit bearing. My favorite all around wood is maple. Oak is stronger and good for beef. Apple is lighter and slightly sweet, good for Cabot cheddar. Alder is very light and good for fish. Maple works on everything. I personally don't care for Mesquite, and having said that, I know that someone in Texas is making a noose. Wait! Texans don't ice fish! I'm safe.
I've experimented with making my own rubs. Got a great one for fish! But for pork or beef, Google Texas BBQ Rub. This stuff is unbelievable!
Here's the recipe for the brine that I use on pork loin and turkey drumsticks. The turkey actually tastes like smoked ham!
2 gal. water
2 cups salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup Prague #1(6.25%)
1 Tbsp pickling spice
1 tsp cloves
Bring this to a boil and simmer 20 min.
Chill to 38-40 deg. (I bought a little fridge from Sears for $99 just for smoking)
Keep meat in marinade for at least 4 days. I've gone for 2 weeks. It's all good.
Keep pork and poultry seperate. You can use zip bags, but for big stuff I use the recycling bags. They're heavier.
Smoke for 6 to 12 hours, depending on taste.
I cold smoke, so the meat is not cooked. To cook the pork (the way they cook boiled ham fully. By the way, boiled ham isn't "boiled") hold pork in a 170deg water bath until the internal temp is 140deg.
A digital roasting thermometer is handy for this.
Roast the turkey drums in a TIGHTLY covered roaster. Put the drums on a rack and add 2 cups of water to the roaster. roast at 225 until turkey is 161deg.
I gotta go make some Pike/Perck chowder, holler if you need help.
