Wade

I was really referring to filleted fish rather than shellfish or shrimp. It just seemed to lose its texture. Lobster worked well but I have not tried scallops Sous Vide.

Hi Genevieve. San Diego is a great place to visit. I have worked there a couple of times and have visited there too on holiday. Three things that I remember vividly... One time I did a night dive there and it turned out I was on the first boat out at the start of the lobster season. I was on the local TV . The next day i did a cage dive with sharks... But the most memorable experience was sitting in James T Kirks captains chair at the Star Trek exhibition

Hi Mel - Welcome to the forum

What cheese are you going to smoke? Remember that 2-3 hours smoke is usually sufficient. Afterwards let the surface of the cheese dry in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) before packing and don't try to eat it for at least 2 weeks as it takes time for the smoke flavour to penetrate and to mellow. If you eat it too soon it will taste like you have just wiped the cheese around an ashtray. After a couple of weeks the magic happens and it is transformed into something exquisite.

It is just placed in the bottom of the charcoal basket.

Similar for me too. I now also go for flavour rather than raw heat. A few years ago I did a cookery course in Santa Fe and part of it was appreciating the different kinds of chilli and where to use them. It was a real eye opener which changed the way I cook with chilli.

Today at or local B&Q offering end of season "reductions" on Weber Kettles. Unfortunately they were still more expensive than you can buy elsewhere online.

Hi Jackie - yes. I saw some of your courses advertised in the BBQ Mag earlier in the year and I nearly came along. I too offer BBQ and smoking courses on a smaller scale than you and it is great to see the enthusiasm grow as people start to realise just what can be achieved on the BBQ. There are a few others around the Ashford area from the old BBBQS too but I am not sure if they are still active. It sounds like we need to arrange a gathering at some point...

Hi Cidermonkey - welcome to the forum. Don't be frightened of the Brisket - it is just another piece of meat. So long as you have your temperature control mastered it will be fine. It likes a nice long slow cook and then resting in foil for a couple of hours before it is served. Once you have done your first one you will wonder what all the fuss is about

Hi Genevieve and welcome to the forum. Where in the UK are you?

I made a vegetarian version of this over the weekend and it was very popular with both veggies and non-veggies alike. I used chestnuts instead of the bacon and a herb stock in place of the chicken stock.

Hi Keith - welcome to the forum. The Weber is a great smoker and is used by many at home and for competitions too. What have you cooked on it so far? Have you mastered the low temperature control on it yet for the low-and-slow smokes?

Looks like boy and girl pigs - a perfect match for sure

Yes I use both and they both work well. I use more pellets than chunks though as I have a lot of them available for my FEC-100 Here is a minion photo I use for training that shows using both pellets and chunks

That is great. Most meats work well with Sous Vide but personally I have not found it particularly good for fish. I was recently asked why you could cook meat using Sous Vide at temperatures that are lower than the published safe cooking temperatures. The answer is that safe cooking is a combination of both temperature and time. There is some more detailed information about that here. Understanding Safe Cooking Temperatures

Hi Scott. They all look great. It is a pity about the pork - but we all get some meat that does not work out exactly as we want sometimes. I did a brisket this weekend ... It looked great when it was being prepared and it was in the smoker for 10 hours - with another 3 hours resting. It was still tough !! I noticed that but my guests didn't. Sometimes we can be a little too self-critical too.

I had one of those but it only lasted me about 3 months before it burned out . Maybe I was just pushing it too hard...

We are all aware of the published "safe cooking" temperatures for different meats**, however cooking to these temperatures can result in the meat ending up overcooked. The reason for cooking to these temperatures is to ensure that any surface bacteria on the food are killed and that the food is safe to eat, even after a subsequent period of chilled storage. What is often not understood is that the cooking to reduce bacteria is not all about the temperature reached but also about the time it remains at that temperature. The published safe cooking times are the temperatures at which any bacteria on the food is killed immediately however the same result can be achieved at lower temperatures by maintaining the meat that that temperature for a minimum period of time. ** Link to UK FSA minimum safe cooking temperatures Does cooking make all meats totally safe? Whilst taking the food to the required temperature and keeping it there for the minimum period of time will reduce any surface bacteria to a safe level there are some bacterial spores that will not be killed. These include Clostridium botulinum, and Clostridium Perfringens, which can actually thrive in the raised temperatures as the meat is cooling down after cooking. This is why it is important to chill cooked meat quickly after cooking and that it is stored chilled if it going to be eaten later. Also, whilst the heat will kill off most harmful bacteria, if the meat has not been handled safely prior to it being cooked then bacteria may have already produced levels of toxins that can cause food related illness. Some of these toxins are not broken down by normal cooking temperatures. The important things to remember are: Make sure that the meat has been correctly handled before it is cooked - Sourced from a reputable supplier and remains chilled until cooking. It is cooked until the centre of the meat reaches the appropriate temperature for at least the minimum period of time. Cooked meat that will not be eaten immediately is chilled quickly after cooking and is then stored refrigerated. Below are graphs showing the minimum safe cooking time at different temperatures for Beef and Poultry (Pasteurisation Tables). Remember though that by cooking to the minimum safe temperature/time simply ensure that the meat is safe to eat - not that it is the best to eat. Cooking at higher temperatures does not only kill bacteria but it also changes the structure of the meat itself, often making it more palatable. Click on the graphs to expand The data used to generate these graphs is from USA FSIS reference sources and can be downloaded here Pasteurisation Tables PDF.pdf

Hi Brian and welcome to the forum. The 57 cm Weber is a great all-rounder. The pig sounds very interesting... Do you have a photo?

There were some unbelievable deals on Heat Beads posted in CWS over the past few days. £2 a bag...

Back fat can be a little tricky to get at short notice as most butchers use it in their sausages. Give your local butcher a bit of notice and they should be able to put some aside for you.

Welcome to the South East Group. Having co-run run the UK section of the US Smoking Meat Forums for several years I have been a lone voice from the South East as most there have been from the Midlands. It is great to see that I am not alone . Where in the South East are you from? I am in Woodchurch, between Ashford and Tenterden.

Hi Sue - welcome to the forum. Where in the UK are you?

The last 4 meets have been in Lincoln which has been a 5-7 hour drive for me from Kent. We are currently looking for a new venue that is a good compromise for as many people as possible. Do you have any venue suggestions?

That is one of the hazards of the trade LOL