Matt

Bristol

Yep, as well as this type, you can also buy oblong ones that are perfect for cutting down

I've been smoking using these so that the cheese doesn't come into contact with the grate, just sling them in the dishwasher when finished. £1 each from poundland! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toastabags-Quickachips-Tray-Black-36/dp/B001TNEPF8/

Done! 57cm Weber master touch being delivered on Wednesday

Thanks for the comment on the drum. Had our garden done by http://www.tranquilolandscapes.co.uk/ who are coming over for a chat on Friday. There is a perfect part of the garden (below), which we can have paved and something installed. Would like to use the roccbox and a smoker inside and pull bbqs outside. I like the look of yours, offers some protection against the elements, but plenty of ventilation.

I am starting to draw up ideas for an outdoor cooking shack. Thinking about dimensions and not sure where i would go when upgrading from the baby WSM.... Really like the look of the Bristol drum smokers. Any opinions? Self build is not an option due to a combination of lack of skills and poor health.

First bacon using the Ross & Ross kit last week, using their smoky cure. The cut was a bit rubbish as I had the itch to do it that day, but my regular butchers was closed, so picked up a belly joint from Sainsburys. Kept the rind on, which created an amazing crackling crust, taste was good, was very greasy – might be an odd statement for streaky bacon, but I cook my bacon on a tray in the oven and as the commercial stuff is packed full of water, it doesn’t tend to be as greasy. Suspect I will have to change my cooking method to a hot pan….. Have the next piece curing in the sweet cure in the fridge, should be ready the middle of next week. This is a far better cut to order from www.buxtonbutchers.co.uk

Hey Wade, what went wrong was lack of time, experience and preparation! Being the first time smoking anything, I didn’t account for prep time and only had a window of about 5 hours from start to getting things (nuts and cheese) vac sealed. With work, family life and being a fair weather outdoor cook, I need to work out where and how to find time! In the limited time that I had I wanted to smoke some cheese, so cold smoked the nuts as well. I put them on a tray and baked them at 180C in the oven for 12 minutes, I should have let them cool, but threw butter salt and sugar straight in there, mixed it all up and the salt and sugar just clumped together. The taste was lovely, just awful salty/sugary clumps. Smoked for about 3 hours 20, which worked well for me. Will follow the instructions you sent me next time!

Got to find a few minutes to run you though my first nut smoke disaster!

No fish! As she would say, they still breath, feel pain, bleed and have a face

Hello both. Yes, they are both cures in the same box. Fortunately I’m not overly concerned about things like this!

Great looking nuts!

The bottom pic shows nitrate and nitrite. Thanks again for more advice. There was a bit of leakage for the supplied bags, so will vac pack the next ones. The instructions say cure for 2 days, turn over and sit for another 2 days, but as you explained, only because it is only 500G of belly. The day I got the itch to start the process my local butchers was closed, so I got a piece outdoor bred British pork from Sainsbury's, it is very much on the thin side, so definitely speaking the a proper butcher about the next piece, from a more porky pig!

Thanks for the above Wade. Will be sure to allow the cheese to dry out. I've got some raw almonds and cashews to try. Ordered the Inkbird for £24.95 from Amazon, which will be here Sunday

Hi Wade, pics of the sweet and standard cure attached. These are to be used per 500G of pork. Cheers, Matt.

Hi Wade, Thanks for the tips, much appreciated! I was thinking 4/5 hours for the cheese, so will scale this back. I suppose you can add smoke, but not take it away! I will vacuum seal it for a couple of weeks. I'm starting with a cheddar, stilton and manchego. As the ProQ CSG can run for 8/10 hours, I think I'll use the rest of the burn for some nuts and garlic. Any advice on smoking times for these please? I do have a single digital probe, some cheap thing that I picked up from Aldi a year ago. I know that I will need to upgrade this, but am running out of budget for major bucks. Is there something (a double) sub £50, or is that too mean?! Again, many thanks for the advice. Matt.

I got given a Ross & Ross kit for Christmas and have started the first one this week. I've had in curing for 4 days, have washed it off this morning, covered it in the muslin and hanging in the fridge for another 4 days, looking forward to getting stuck in next week! I used the smokey cure, so won't smoke it further, will do on the next 2 in the box (sweet cure and original cure). I've no doubt that this kit is an expensive way of curing bacon, but as Wade said, it's a gentle introduction to home curing bacon.

Hey all, I've just had some cherry wood delivered, which included a card with the address of this group. I’m a bit of a dabbler when it comes to cooking, but over the last 12 months have dipped my water in sous vide and pizza making, using an anova and a roccbox, which are both brilliant pieces of kit. I’ve been tempted to try smoking for a while and jumped at the opportunity of getting a 37cm weber smokey mountain (we are a 2 person household and my wife is vegetarian, so I suspect this will do) when I saw it on offer at Wyevale garden centres for £165 the other week, I didn’t realise at the time that I would be spending over another £100 charcoal, a proq smoke generator, some dust, wood, ash bucket etc! I’m hoping to get some cheese and nuts on this weekend using the CSG, maybe a piece of picanha that I’ve got in the freezer the following weekend if the weather allows. I’ve not got my game together when it comes to bbq and have only cooked on gas (large outback and portable calor), but am getting the itch for a charcoal kettle to get some dirty bbq on!