MEAT: Favorite Butchering, Grilling & Smoking Techniques

[Darb]

That's what I did earlier, but the link didnt work. However, upon retrying just now, it worked. No idea why.

Hmmmmm .... {looks at unit description}

That looks like a dry-smoker, rather than a smoke-roaster.

Dry smokers operate at a much lower temperature, and are really used for applying heavy (but fairly cool) smoke (usually sawdust, pellets, or tiny chips) to slender cuts of relatively tender meats and fish, and pork belly, to smoke-cure them. The emphasis on the latter is on smoke, and a certain amount of drying, rather than hot cooking. In this type of smoking, the cooler, the better ... preferrably with the meat not hanging directly over the heat source of the smoke (as it is in that unit).

Smoke-Roasters, however, are designed to BBQ meat by classic "low and slow" roasting, with plenty of smoke, and are designed to cook large and/or tough cuts like pork shoulder, brisket, ribs, etc. These type of smokers use charcoal briquettes, hardwood charcoal, and wood, and operate at 180F-270F.

My advice: Go get some fresh pork belly (or a side of salmon), read up on how to brine/cure it, and then give it a dose of 'cool' smoke per the instructions in the owner manual, and then compare it to store bought, to see if you're on the right track. And yes, sawdust for a unit like that is probably fine ... just make sure that the dust comes from untreated wood.

[Hunter B]

Ugly little thing, isn't it Hunter?

Haha, whether you're talkin about the link, or the smoker, I must agree.



BRAD: Thanks for the advice, I knew there was a difference between what you were talkin about, and what I have, I just didn't know what it was. I'll be sure to try somethin out very soon.

[Darb]

Ugly little thing, isn't it Hunter?

Haha, whether you're talkin about the link, or the smoker, I must agree.



BRAD: Thanks for the advice, I knew there was a difference between what you were talkin about, and what I have, I just didn't know what it was. I'll be sure to try somethin out very soon.

As the #4 bartender in a town of 100K+, definitely read up on "cold smoking.".

[daetara]

hey, that sounds like an episode of "good eats"...was it the "where there's smoke, there's fish" episode that he smoked some salmon in?

[Darb]

I vaguelly recall him using a cardboard boxe in one episode - housing a hot plate with saw dust, and a partially pre-cured salmon fillet. I dont recall if he simply gave it some smoke flavor (while leaving it raw), or if he actually hot-smoked the fish until flakey.

[daetara]

well gee, i guess i'll just have to go home and watch it now.

[Darb]

For the numerous bacon lovers on this forum:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/heal ... 071031506/

[Darb]

Good article on hamburgers:

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/ahamburgerto ... perfection

[Darb]

Yesturday, I helped a chef/caterer friend of mine french 50 racks of lamb. I double ground the salvageable trimming and will freeze them for future use. It was a good tuneup for my knife skills, because I havent done much rack of lamb in the past year.

Tonite, time permitting, i'll be helping my friend clean and trim 10 or so fillet mignons, for the same event. I'll probably bring the chain meat home, double grind it, and freeze that too, for future use. Ditto above - it's good practice.

[Darb]

10 Fillet mignons (which were already partially trimmed before they went into cryovac) yeilded about 7 lbs of salvageable trimmings, which I diced and tossed into my freezer ... I'll probably make a big pot of beef burgundy sometime next week, with whatever decent red wine is leftover from my fraternal society's annual holiday party. It'll be too big a batch for just for my wife and I, so I'll probably give away half, or have someone over for dinner, or surprise a few friends with a door-knock dinner.

BTW, have I said how much I despise wet-aged mass-market cryovac meat ? Soft, flabby, soggy, insipid stuff, all too often previously frozen, and which tends to cook up dryish and (for red meat) vaguely metallic tasting. I only freeze surplus scraps if I can't use them right away, other than that, it's almost always better to buy meat that's never been frozen.

[Darb]

Earlier today (onmy way home from post-op physical therapy) I'd stopped by a newly opened halal butcher that had a sale on lamb and goat. On a whim, and because of the great price ($4.50 USD/lb), I grabbed a whole rack of lamb. Unfortunately, it was poorly butched, so after I got it home I had to hack away with a cleaver to get the remaining chine bone off. It was looking a bit ragged when I was done, so I opted to debone it completely and tie up the loin into a boneless eye roast, and grill the ribs separately as a treat for the grillmeister (moi ... I love grilled bones). I rubbed them generously with oil, seasoned them with salt and pepper and some freshly ground dried rosemary, and then let them sit a few hours in the fridge ... then another hour at room temperature, prior to grilling over high heat, until the bones were browned and the loin was a perfect 125F rosy rare (and crusty/savory on the outside).



Here's the boneless eye-roast, sliced. Yum.



Unfortunately for me, I'm still in a lot of post-op pain, so despite one of my favorite meals (grilled lamb), I wasn't really a happy camper.

[voralfred]

The loin eye roast looks delicious, perfectly cooked though already a bit fatty.
But is there anything left on <strike>Vlad's</strike> the lamb's ribs left but some burnt pure fat?
What is your cholesterol level, exaclty?

[Darb]

If my cholesterol were my IQ, I'd have discovered the Higgs Boson by now, tied string theory into a lovely grand unification knot, and solved the world energy crisis.

As for bones ... when I was done with them, they looked like they'd been sandblasted. Few bones escape my household ungnawed or unsimmered. I'm notorious at thanksgiving dinners and buffet carving stations for completely ignoring the carved meat, and asking for things like the wings, wing tips, neck, drumsticks, backbones, skin, etc. Boneless breastmeat is for sissies without tastebuds or teeth.

My wife swears I'm part heyena.

[Darb]

Brad's south east asian flavored turkey burgers:
(this is an improved turkey variant on a pork version I posted elsewhere)

2 lbs ground turkey, 93% lean (or lean ground pork)
1/3 cup chunky style peanut butter (or smooth with finely chopped nuts added)
2 tbsp sriracha chili sauce
2 tsp three crabs thai fish sauce
1 tsp sake, white wine or water (if needed)
freshly minced green chilies
freshly minced flat parsley

Mix well but do not overmix.
Divide into 6 equal balls.
Shape balls into patties.
Spray generously with oil.
Grill hot on well lubricated grill until crispy outside, and 145F inside.
Serve in toasted chibatta bread, rubbed with garlic and dressed with lite mayo.

I hate ground turkey, but this recipe is very tasty.

[Darb]

Yesturday I was able to get a 12 1/2 lb whole beef brisket for very cheap. After rinsing it and patting it dry, I trimmed off about 3lbs of fat, and having no need of barding I had no choice but to discard it. I divided the flat end from the point end, rubbed both with some salt, onion powder and oil, and browned them on all sides in a large stainless pan over about 50kbtus of heat, and then snugged the both of them into my 7qt slow cooker, along with about 2qts of hot stock (some of it used to deglaze the pan). I guestimate about 6 hours in the slow cooker should be plenty, after which the stock will be filtered, defatted, and returned to the freezer for other uses. Some of the meat will go to some hard-up inlaws, and the rest will stay home with us.

[Darb]

After an hour, the slow cooker was so tightly packed that the lid lifted due to the meat plumping during cooking, so I unloaded it, butterflied some of the cuts, and adjusted the stock for salt and also added a sliced onion, salt, a small 7oz can of pineapple juice and a spoon of honey. After four hours I rotated all the meat from top to bottom. The meat should be done after 6 1/2 hours ... the stock is already rich brown.

[Darb]

Here's the brisket, just after I'd browned it, but before being braised for 6 1/2 hours.

[KeE]

Last weekend we had my parents over for a grill&wine session. We grilled a whole lamb's leg over coals and a bit of wood shavings; I just massaged the meat with rosemary, pepper and salt, and slitted pouches for a few cloves of garlic, turned it over ever so often when it was on the grill until the core temp. reached 72'C. Let the meat rest for three quarters of an hour after grilling before I cut out tender,juicy slices.
Tasty and simple. Best served with jacketed potatoes and a fresh salad. And Tempranillo red of course.

[Darb]

Sounds yummy, and a good wine match.

I've generally found it easier to work with to debone and butterfly a leg if I'm going to grill it ... I can season it well, get a higher percentage of savory char without having to overcook it, and it cooks much faster (10 mins total) and more evenly. It's not nearly as sexy and primal as doing it on the bone however. I think I have some photos somewhere earlier in this thread.

Egads, I wish I could get prime lamb or mutton from a small regional artisanal farm, along with fresh offal ... vastly better quality than stuff raised enmass on cruddy food, then cryovac'd, frozen, and shipped round the world.I envy you.

[Darb]

Ok, some leg of lamb photos from a few years back ...

Deboning and trimming

Leg of lamb 3 trimming.jpg

Fully trimmed

Leg of lamb 4 deboned _amp_ trimmed.jpg

Butterflied and ready for seasoning

Leg of lamb 5 butterflied for grilling.jpg

Grilled with ground rosemary and oil.

Leg of lamb 7 hot off grill.jpg