Good food while on the ice

[Osage]

I envy all of you who get to spend time on the ice in a shanty.I really envy those who get to eat cooked meals on the ice.For those who need a great snack that passes for a nice easy to fix meal,for when you may not want the mess may I suggest brined and smoked meat.I am in the prepping stage right now and will be smoking Monday.Every deer season we cut most of our venison into roast,saving the loin and a few select cuts for the skillet.Come spring we have made it deep enough into the freezer to use the roast.If you don't know how to brine and smoke,U tube has many videos on it,as usual we tweaked it to suit our flavor,here is what we do.

1-select enough roast( we separate ours into each muscle when we butcher.)we usually do 5-7 roast at a time,they keep very well and can be vac packed.
2-use a large stainless pot,to resist the salt.
3- fill pot with enough water to cover meat.
4-use canning salt,or sea salt,but any will do,mix salt into pot of water untill water no longer will absorb the salt.The water will be very salty,this is the secret to brining,it makes the meat hold its moister and promotes taste.
5-mix brown sugar into the salt water untill a salty sweetness is tasted.
6-I add as much black pepper as we like,cloves and red pepper can also inhance flavor if you choose,but salt is absolutely required.
7- place the roasts into the brine mix and place a large heavy glass plate on top of the meat to keep it submerged.
8-Refridgerate for 3-5 days to insure the brine completely penetrates the meat.
9- remove from fridge and place brined roast in as many cake pans as needed.
10-slice roast several times across the grain ( slice only half way through the thickness )
11-Cut slices of bacon into thirds,and stuff a slice of bacon into each cross slice of each roast (this adds a bit more flavor and helps add moisture to the meat.
12-Light smoker and soak some fruit wood chips or pieces in water while smoker is warming up.I have tried many woods,but we dearly love the flavor sassafras gives the meat,but use apple or cherry works well.Place a pan of water in the smoker to aid in moisture helps also.
13-Place roast in the smoker as far from the heat sorce as possible,rotate roast according to doneness,my smoker will hold 15 whole chickens,so keeping the roast far from the heat is easier.the closer the meat to the heat the faster it cooks,we like to slow smoke,but both taste good.Toss in wet wood chips as often as you feel you need to.
14-when meat is done,it will appear a reddish pink part of the way through when slicing a roast open,with the middle a light brown.
15- remove roast,slice off thin pieces with cheese and crackers is our favorite way to eat it,but warmed on sandwiches are killer also.

      The meat will keep several weeks in the fridge,makes a great meal or a snack.We also brine pork roast,beef and chickens.If you have never tried brined smoked meat you are missing a wonderful treat.Sorry it was so lengthy,hope it is understandable,once you do it,it is very simple the next time.I smoked some pork for our pastor recently,he vac sealed and took it on a trip overseas.Normally they have to eat mres,he said it made the trip much more enjoyable and begged for more?
13-

[krcat40]

Smoking turkeys is awesome too. Way better than deep frying, just inject the turkey with a water and spice mixture.

[wipike]

A while back there was a recipe for duck presciutto from Field and Stream, and I figured what the heck and made some.  Holy cow is that good with some crackers, combine that with a portable Hot Tottie (premixed in a thermos) and some great local cheese and I'm not going anywhere.

 

Sure beats the usual coffee and hotdogs! 

[bart]

Shortly after Thanksgivings I'll be preparing precooked/frozen meals for the ice. I reheat them on the Buddy Heater. Usual meals, Mac & Cheese, Chili, Egg & Sausage and always looking for great ideas.

[BIGFISH]

looks good !!!

[Clear_Ice]

Shortly after Thanksgivings I'll be preparing precooked/frozen meals for the ice. I reheat them on the Buddy Heater. Usual meals, Mac & Cheese, Chili, Egg & Sausage and always looking for great ideas.

The grill that you have on top of your heater looks really good. Where did you get it?

[bart]

I ordered a Buddy Heater grill, delivered at $11, modified it as a cooking surface. I drilled two holes and it lays across the original grill, it pops on and off in a snap. It holds two small tins or a large tin sideways, usually for hotdogs & beans.

[PsychologicalPerch]

thats awesome, i gotta try that. any issues with that system?

[bart]

None as of yet, it's been working like a charm.

[gearheart]

For all you guys drooling over that buddy heater setup,  check out the "cooking with mr buddy thread at the top of the page.  It is a sticky so it's always there, and worth looking at from front to back.   Lots of good ideas there.

[Clear_Ice]

Thanks Bart! I wasnt able to find it for sale on their website, but I will do a little snooping around.. Im sure I will find it!

CI