Steve Harford

Thanks Wade

I’m about to start some salt beef. My brisket flat is about 4kg so I need a big container to brine it in. I have what looks like the ideal thing, a stainless gastronorm tray with lid. This is obviously food grade but would it be ok to use with a brine do you think?

I did this ham yesterday and it really is good!

Here they are. Very pleased with these Wade. This was a pre Xmas sample bash. I will now restock with a bigger amount and do a large batch with confidence. Many thanks??

I’ve just got some on at long last. Done the hot smoke over cherry whilst doing the ham. Now in the cold smoker over hickory. 

Fascinating. I too look forward to hearing how it went. 

I’ve cold smoked nuts in the past but they were a bit too smokey. Nothing scientific just bunged in with some cheese and other stuff. I’d like to do a selection for Christmas, including the honey coated ones. I did do these and they were nice but too sticky. 

How would I best go about it all in future?

I’m thinking cashews, peanuts, almonds

This is great. I’ve been wanting to smoke my own haddock for ages. Presumably this would also work with most white fish?  I saw a whole whiting in the supermarket at the weekend and it was dirt cheap. I’m not familiar with whiting to be fair but thought it would be worth a go. 

8 hours ago, Wade said:

My favourite for bacon is a commercial secret but if you ever found out that it was a combination of fresh ground black pepper, Szechuan pepper and dark muscavado sugar I would have to shoot you 

For each Kg of meat I add 10 g Black Pepper and 6 g of Szechuan pepper. Before adding it to the cure zap it in a spice/coffee grinder and then pass through a kitchen sieve to remove the larger fibrous bits of the szechuan. I use the sugar at 50% of the amount of salt.

Dagnabbit ! - How did you get me to divulge that ???

I haven't seen that ! 

I'm not familiar with Supracure but do use an all in one cure at a rate of 30g to 35 g per kilo of meat. Usually loin, although I have got some large collars on the go at the moment. I also add about 10g of sugar per kilo. This has worked for me for a few years now and doesn't come out too salty or sweet. 10% sugar is a lot isn't it?

i also cure it for 7 days but I don't worry if it stays in that state for a couple of weeks. I vac pack. 

Not scientific as Wades but it does work consistently well. 

OK. So here we are, or were, 24 hrs later. I left the dough out, covered with a shower cap, as you do ☺️  Then took out and added more flour to get it workable. It really was quite sticky. 

I split it into three and rolled it out into individual portions. All the while I had the roccbox on max. 

I was going to tweek the heat back but I sort of like seeing if off the dial as I have had trouble getting there previously. Another story. Anyway I slid each one in, in turn, just inside the door. As soon as they got puffy flame side i turned them round. Not over. Kept doing that until I got the colour I wanted. Probably a minute to 90 secs in total. The inside looked after itself and was just perfect. 

A quick lick of melted butter and they really looked good and the taste and texture was superb. Not quite the flavour perhaps of an Indian tandour one but everything else was on a par and far far superior to any supermarket ones which I have had. Well pleased. 

Just another thing. The dough was nowhere near proved at this stage and had shown no signs of swelling up so I guess not bad considering. Mind you I have yet to taste it! ?

Here we go then. Just torn off a piece of the dough as we were doing pizzas anyway so thought I'd make use of the heat. I actually got the thing up to max (500C) on the gauge as I left it on whilst we were eating. Might have been too hot I think. The wife says it looks like a puffer fish and to be fair it really did puff up in the oven. Took only 30 seconds so, as I say, maybe a bit hot. 

If it works ok then you will get some 

I'm planning on doing them in the Roccbox. Probably be cooking them tomorrow once the dough has proofed

Coincidentally I am just half way through making the above recipe. Ordinary plain flour though

I've got loads of jalapeños and Cayenne to use up. What is the best way to dry them for powder in a damp dreary UK?

6 hours ago, Genevieve said:

I've always heard that you really want a burr grinder. I have a Kuhn Rikon vase spice grinder with replaceable canisters, but it's a hand grinder. Not sure if you're only looking for electric? 

It is an electric one I'm looking for as I get fed up with my mortar and pestle especially on larger quantities 

2 hours ago, Smokin Monkey said:

HI Steve, yes it was me, Steve Smith.

Of course. Cheers Steve. I can be a bit slow ! ?

Just been diverted here from CWS and pleased about that. This looks amazing. 

3 hours ago, valve90210 said:

For a cheaper option you could give the James Martin Wahl Grinder a try, it's £21.99 at Argos. I got one a week or so ago and have found it to be great thus far. I'm not doing anything like the quantities Wade does , so not quite so much risk of burning it out as long as I'm sensible with it.

Thanks, that is one of the ones I had been considering but some of the reviews had said they burnt out. But then I only need it for occasional use. 

Thanks Wade. Will do. 

Do you have a supplier of readily available back fat?  I can never get hold of it. 

Plenty to go at there !

I've been using Kadhmiri which is nice but I wouldn't be putting two tablespoons in ! ?

1 hour ago, Smokin Monkey said:

That's why I did not answer, because in knew Wade had all the info and I could not be 100% sure I was quoting the correct figures.

 

Yep. I can see now. That Wade knows his stuff ! ?