Socrates

What kind of smoker? Butt is good and easy. But, 185 is overdone IMHO. 165 (170 max)and let the carryover heat take it up to its final temp. That should kill any bugs. It's moister that way. Brining is important. There is a brining FAQ somewhere that someone should post to you. Soc.

The perfect stock. Soc.

Caesar Salad.

Something I have said to Xanthippe on many many occaisions!

Bass Ale. Life is to short to drink bad beer! Soc.

Yup Soc.

Xanthippe and I render pork fat for the lard. Usually, it's fairly liquid at room temp. and I'm also thinking about just injecting rendered fat into the mussel tissue. Soc.

I'll get some. Soc.

BTW--Here's a picture of the pork I smoked. Soc.

I've eaten other cuts off this same animal--fully dressed it filled a 15 cubic foot freezer locker--and it isn't gamey at all. Elk tends not to have that real gamey flavor that deer or wild water foul tend to have. In fact, I find elk very mild in flavor. It is very lean and not sweet like pork, so I'm thinking that a little extra sweetness in the brine might be in order. Trich. is not a problem on animals that are vegitarians; wild pig and bear have to be cooked well done. Because of the leanness of this meat, should I brine it more, or less, than say a cut of beef? I was thinking about larding the meat with some pork fat for extra flavor. Anyone have experience with larding and smoking? Soc.

Impressed with my current efforts, a hunting buddy reminded me that he has a couple of elk roasts left from his last hunting trip in Montana (a 5x5 bull). He has offered me one to smoke. Do I dare at my junior level of smoking expertise? Any advice? Soc.

I think brisket is next. I'm a red meat man. When it come to poultry I like dark meat, but maybe smoked the white meat would be OK. Xanthippe might have a say in this. Soc.

Saturday, I smoked my first shoulder. It turned out great. I'd just like to thank Klink and the rest of the gang for the advice they supplied on this fourm. I'm much too modest to talk about it, so I'll let Xanthippe wax eloquent on the subject. Soc.

How many engineers are there around here? Love the SIG. Smite them and smite the vegans mightly.

Nope! This is strictly an analog problem. Soc.

I am one of those engineers too! But, you'll have to ask Xanthippe if I am cute. Tell you engineer buddies that the trick in not designing a control system that uses microprocessors, but to design a system that requires no electricity at all! That's what my little mind is working on. Socrates.

Ok, So I have my smoker set up and I have been playing with it. No meat yet, I just want to get a feel for controlling the heat before I toast a piece of meat unnecessarily. (The gods of smoking frown on burnt meat). Any comments from the smoking community would be greatly appreciated before I commit a mortal sin to a pork shoulder. I am smoking with my new Char-Griller Smoking Pro (with side fire box) and I have the following observations. 1. Temperature control is largely a matter of small adjustments. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for any adjustment to be fully realized in the smoke chamber's temperature. 2. Flue adjustments are as important as fire box vent adjustments. In fact, the temperature is less sensitive to flue adjustment and therefore is the preferred "tweak" for small temperature changes. 3. You have to watch it like a hawk. Things I would change about the Smoking Pro if I was in charge of the world: 1. A longer flue pipe. 2. A thermostatically-controlled damper in the flue; I think this would even out the temperature changes a little. 3. A vent control between the fire box and the smoking chamber. This along with a separate flue pipe on the fire box would allow better control over the temperature. Am I being too much of an engineer here? Actually, a bimetallic spring controlled damper on the flue pipe (s) would not be hard to build. Something to ponder in the wee small hours of the morning. Questions: 1. I am unsure about the quantity of wood to put in the fire box. Is it better to add small amouts of wood frequently, or larger amounts less often? Socrates

I met my darling Madam X when she was an English Grad student. I'll have to say her skills in the kitchen are eclipsed by her abilities as an editor. That's not just my opinion either! When she talks about writing she knows of what she speaks. Soc.

Is this something I need to know about?

The boy sounds like a Virginian! Soc.

My dearest Xanthippe and I cook steaks and burgers with a technique similar to CK's. Rub one or two, inch and a half thick Ribeyes with garlic, coat with oil and liberally salt and pepper the meat. For an inch and a half Ribeyes we turn the oven to 500 F and insert the cast iron skillet. When the oven reaches temperature let it soak for a bit. If you are using an electric stove about three minutes before you are ready to start turn the largest burn on high. When the burner is glowing cherry red pull the skillet out of the oven and put it on the burner. Put the steak in the pan and don't move it for thirty seconds; turn with tongs and let it sit for another thirty seconds. Pop the skillet back in the oven for two minutes per side and remove to a cutting board and loosely tent with aluminum foil. Let rest for five minutes. Then enjoy the medium rare meat. Serve with your favorite cholesterol lowering medication BTW--if you don't have good kitchen ventilation you might want to remove the battery from your smoke detector while you do this. We have modified this technique for burgers, chops and fish fillets. The modifications are mostly timing. As an asside, while waiting to be seated for dinner at one of my favorite dinning spots I had a chance to watch the head chef prepare one of the specials of the evening, Filet Mignon. It was about an inch and a half and he used the same timing and technique.

Truly old school would be to convert that car, that you have up on blocks in the front of your house, in to a cold smoker. Those old 60's vintage Caddy's had a lot of room. Seriously, find a refrigerator with a enameled metal interior and gut it. Soc.

Madam X and I have been so impressed by the Klinkster's meat that we ordered a smoker like his. The Smokin' Pro looks like a good deal and I am looking forward to producing Texas and Kansas style BBQ soon. (pull that pork ) I suspect it will be a while before ours is as good as the Col.'s, but I suppose you learn to make BBQ the same way you get to Carnegie hall—practice, practice, practice. I have high standards for BBQ, I was raised in Oaktown (Oakland CA, a nice place to be from!) and they have some good 'Que there. El Klinko is right up there with the best. I notice the Col. is building a cold smoker; with the Salmon available in that area I suspect some good Lox will be flyin' around. Most folks I've met who,do cold smoking seem to prefer converting old refrigerators. How are you building yours, CK? BTW--My mother dated Werner Klemperer during WW2. Thank God she didn't marry him, imagine having the real Col. Klink as your father Soc.

Uhh . . . Madam X , who owns the domain name www.naggingislove.com, and I will be celebrating or 23rd anniversary soon (4-13) so I must be flying close to right. Soc.

Uhh . . . Madam X , who owns the domain name www.naggingislove.com, and I will be celebrating or 23 anniversary soon (4-13) so I must be flying close to right. Soc.