martin_b

I never smoked  so i dont know what you mean. Coincidentally my wife is currently doing some work for Lol Creme, and we all know how 10cc got their name 😀

I've shot by best ever benchrest rifle 50m groups,  Dined on BBQ chicken, now eating home smoked nuts, having watched England bt Ireland,  and now have Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd and the Doobie Brothers concerts on Sky Arts to watch whilst drinking my home made, beer and Sloe Gin.  All that's missing, perhaps a Cohiba?

12 minutes ago, Justin said:

https://vortexbbq.com/

Thanks.

On 1/22/2019 at 2:43 PM, Tabs said:

10 hours ago, Wade said:

Great looking chicken. The Vortex is a great addition to the kettle BBQ. It helps cook chicken wings and legs perfectly 

Soory newbie alert, ( but a massive fan of Chicken Wings) whats a Vortex?

Only thing i'm a bit confused about is with my method is..

You wet them to help the smoke to stick..  but then Im roasting them in the kitchen oven, so I assume they are fully dried, before they see smoke.

Does that mean I should cold smoke them longer to get the full flavour of the smoke?

cheers

Guys I fancy doing a low and slow piece of meat.. From what I've read it seems to make sense to do  a reasonably sized piece. However  theres no way two of us would finish anything that big so my question is what's the best meat/joint to freeze once its cooked? ( not ribs I guess?)

thanks for this, I'm already covered for cold smokers, I've got the small and the big ProQ already..  though i might try pellets soon as an experiment.

Thanks for this, I was looking at the ProQ earlier this morning it does seem to fit the bill.  It’s also has a couple of features I’m not sure I’ll  use often but are certainly nice to have.  The fact it splits for storage in the shed, and that I could just have the bottom unit and use it as a grill on overnight fishing trips.

The Frontier size looks about right add in a good wireless thermometer, and I'm still well under budget.

cheers.. anything that starts with a bottle opener in the "standard setup" is certainly on my wavelength.

Could i ask for some advice..  I currently have a Weber kettle that I use as a grill and Im happy with in that role, I'd now like to get into the world of low and slow with a dedicated smoker but I stuck on what type to get, let alone what brand.  A bullet, and Egg, an offset? I've not a clue! 

Other info that maybe salient is most of the time I'll be cooking for 2, 3 or 4  people, occasionally maybe 8 or so. and I was thinking of a budget of £500 but this could be flexible,  "Cheap becomes expensive" is a saying i believe in.

cheers

Martin

Not really brewing but its about beer..

Anyone any views on the plethora of subscription beer clubs that have recently appeared? I know its an expensive way to get beer you might not like, but it is convenient.

I used to be a member of Beer52, but the beer choice was just to “exotic” for my conservative tastes. Beer should contain Hops Barley Yeast Water, ( and maybe a few other grain types)  but certainly not.. Cinnamon, Chocolate, Coffee, lime juice, and a selection of various fruits.

I now use Honestbrew.co.uk. which allows me to more tightly specify my preferred type of beer (IPA’s and Pale) and while I’ve had a few that have been just OK I’m yet to get anything truly undrinkable.

Anyone else subscribe to any

After hours of internet research (what else does one do at work on a Friday?) I had a go at making smoked nuts (cashews and Almonds) this weekend.

I used the method I think musicians call a “mash up” of everything I’d read.

So I soaked them for about 5 mins in a warm brine made with smoked salt.

Roasted them in the oven with a bit of peanut oil and a knob of butter and more salt  @ 150C for about 30mins.. I just kept eating one every 5 mins or so, it was obvious when they were done.

Then in the cold smoker for a small ProQ’s worth of Hickory.

Initial results are very promising, but I’ll vacuum a few small packs up tonight and elicit some non-biased opinions from collegues.

I’ve only been on here a day but I’m already inspired to try something new, Nuts!

Two questions

Do you have a link to the trays you use to cold smoke them?

And would it be a cardinal sin to roast them on the cooker before cold smoking?

TIA

Martin

Thats my birthday list sorted!

You'll get the better one's in January  they have had time to grow on a bit. 

Last shoot of the season on Saturday,  it will be beaters day all over the country , so to anyone else who shoots, good luck and stay safe! 

Thanks, for this..  however my tip for clingfilm use tinfoil instead! 😀

58 minutes ago, Wade said:

Hi Martin - great post, thanks 

Just to clarify that Billingsgate market is outside the London congestion zone so you will only pass through the zone if you are travelling to it through central London

Yes, the cool box is essential. The first couple of times I went I didn't take one and my wife complained for days afterwards.

Totally agree about avoiding salt with iodide, which is why I use cooking salt and not table salt.

As you point out, you cannot hang large fillets of fish without fear of the meat tearing unless you leave in both the gill collar and rib cage to support the weight. I am not sure if you have seen this post? Traditional smoked salmon and trout

That’s an interesting thread..  A fine example of the old saying about many ways to skin a cat!

I’ve never wrapped in cling film,  (because its an invention of the devil and impossible to get off the roll without tearing) also as its my preference is for a what might be considered a salty flavour,  i just use a large food safe box, bung the sides in there cover in salt and sugar and go from there.  What i have found is that the strong salt taste doesn’t go all the way through the flesh of the fish, so you can mitigate the salty taste by a longer rinse cycle.

What does intrigue  me is the idea of smoking before filleting, might give that a try after  I visit Dever spring or Avington.

Sorry for the late arrival, I'm a newbie here but I’ve been cold smoking salmon for a while so i thought I'd add my thoughts on the Video..

Ref the Market:  As has been said here, absolutely take cash, and also a large cool box, a dripping salmon does nothing for a car’s interior. (Same goes for Smithfield, but remember you have to be out of London by 7:00am to avoid the congestion charge and if you do go to Smithfield be prepared to buy in bulk for the big savings, a wheeled cool box or a wheeled travel bag and some bubble wrap for insulation is recommended. ( Cow, Pigs and Sheep are heavy!) )   

Curing salt:  I now always use Kosher salt, it has no Iodine and I swear tastes better. I buy it in 25KG sacks so it’s pretty good value.  I also always dry cure, Salt,& Sugar mix. Plus a bit of Dill and White pepper directly on the fish. I cure skin side down and cover the entire fish in the mix, less at the tail and the head, then leave between 12h and 24h.  You can prod it and  feel when it’s done, in Steak terms it goes from  “Blue” to a “Well done”. Next rinse gently under running water for at least 20mins.  Unless I’ve caught the fish myself I don’t freeze beforehand.

Leave for a a day for the pellicle to form then I’ll smoke, usually with Alder dust, but I’ll always smoke the fish flat, I just think it’s safer.  What I’m trying to avoid at all stages it to tear the flesh. On the video you can see where this has happened in a couple of places. I use a large Prow for the smoker and I usually refill it once. Different woods burn at different speeds so the time will vary.

Then  I tend to leave it for a another day in the fridge then cut the side in half, vacuum pack and freeze.

I’ve rambled on long enough!

cheers

HI All, 

New to the forum, but been into BBQ's since the late 70's. and have been cold smoking Salmon and Trout for the last 10 or so years (I’m an avid game fisherman and it was getting expensive paying other people to smoke them for me)

I use a large ProQ and an Amazon "EXTRA LARGE BOX FISH AND MEAT BBQ COLD OR HOT FOOD SMOKER COOKER"  which to be honest isn't that great but after a few mod's, primarily the addition of lots of aluminium tape to seal the leaks, does the job. 

Two other tips I'll give which I’m sure must have been mentioned before, when using the smoker I always place a few sheets of kitchen paper on the top shelf, which the fish on the shelves below to catch any oily condensation drips. and finally the best bit of advice I was ever given..... Microwave the dust/pellets before you start to dry them out and I promise you'll never have another case of premature extinguishation!