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Thread: What was your prep of the day?

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    Dinky Dau Just Sayin''s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inor View Post
    I use at least 20% fat by weight. Then I also leave them in the fridge for 12-24 hours after I have stuffed them but before I smoke them. But, try the bourbon trick. It is awesome!

    I know what you are saying on tending the smoker. My big wood smoker has to be constantly baby sat. I have also found that it is MUCH easier to control the smoker temp, when the outside temp is 40 degrees rather than 80. The final test of the new smoker is tomorrow. I am doing ribs. I do not expect there will be a middle ground with how they turn out either. They will either be as good as the Commissary place you took me to when I was in Memphis last spring or they will suck worse than Dickies.
    I've found that it's not only the fat content (by percentage), but what kind of fat you use. Our local grocery store will save all the pork trimmings and that has worked the best, but we also use bacon ends occasionally. You're right about the outside temperature affecting how easy or hard it is to regulate the smoking temp. Another aspect that I've found to affect the quality of the sausages is the grind of the meat and the fat. Courser grinds and grinding the fat at almost freezing temps seems to produce the best summer sausages, while the "snack sticks" seem to do better with a little finer grind.

    Ribs are hard to cook consistently, period. They always either turn out fall apart in your mouth good or like an old Cocoran boot sole. I'm beginning to believe that size matters when you talk about grill size and ribs. Let us know how yours turned out...

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    Purchased some 2X4's and roof patch. Gonna be a busy weekend, between work, weedwacking, installing a evaporative cooler, spreading roof patch, and making some jerky.

  3. #13
    Just this guy Inor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Sayin' View Post
    I've found that it's not only the fat content (by percentage), but what kind of fat you use. Our local grocery store will save all the pork trimmings and that has worked the best, but we also use bacon ends occasionally. You're right about the outside temperature affecting how easy or hard it is to regulate the smoking temp. Another aspect that I've found to affect the quality of the sausages is the grind of the meat and the fat. Courser grinds and grinding the fat at almost freezing temps seems to produce the best summer sausages, while the "snack sticks" seem to do better with a little finer grind.
    You are absolutely right. When we use either bacon ends or rendered bacon fat, they always turn out great. Using fat from a port roast is a challenge. We do usually grind our meat with a fine grind, but we also grind it semi-frozen. That seems to work well for pork and venison. Beef, on the other hand seems to come out "gritty". I.E. It has the consistency of eating gravel. I have not found a solution for that yet. What do you do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Just Sayin' View Post
    Ribs are hard to cook consistently, period. They always either turn out fall apart in your mouth good or like an old Cocoran boot sole. I'm beginning to believe that size matters when you talk about grill size and ribs. Let us know how yours turned out...
    Okay, I was wrong again... I said the ribs would turn out either absolutely awful or "out of this world, I will do crime to get one more, stupendous". They did neither. They tasted great. But that was more a function of Mrs Inor's brine and her dry rub. (I will try and coax her to post the recipes.) In terms of consistency, I like ribs that are not fall off the bone mushy, but I also do not like shoe leather. These did not hit either of those. But... I also like ribs that are firm and pull easily away from the bone in one chew. I did not hit that either.

    I think I heated them too high, too early. I smoked them at 170 (about the lowest my propane smoker can go) for about an hour. Then, I brought the smoker up to 200 for and hour. Then, I brought the smoker to 220 for and hour. Then I turned smoker off and left ribs in it for an hour, before finishing on grill.

    In all, they were not awful. But I have done better. I think next time I will try 170 for 2 hours then 200 for an hour, and sit for an hour. They were far from dry and awful, but they were not really good either.

    Guess I'll just have to practice more...

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    Just this guy Inor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deebo View Post
    Purchased some 2X4's and roof patch. Gonna be a busy weekend, between work, weedwacking, installing a evaporative cooler, spreading roof patch, and making some jerky.
    You'd best be bringin' some of that jerky to OK next month boy-o!

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    Just this guy Inor's Avatar
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    Roasted up another pound of coffee. I refuse to go through the apocalypse decaffeinated.

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    Evangelist inceptor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inor View Post
    Roasted up another pound of coffee. I refuse to go through the apocalypse decaffeinated.
    Life without coffee??

    Not on my watch.

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    BlackDog (06-03-2014)

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    Summertime prep. This morning I installed the new evaporative cooler. I was about to remove a window, when I decided to just cut a hole in the unused back door. Surprised how damn cheap a mobile home door is. 1/8 inch aluminum sheet over a cardboard honeycomb.

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    Dinky Dau Just Sayin''s Avatar
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    Ordered the wife a Condor MOPC vest and soft level 3a inserts. Just in case.

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    Dinky Dau Just Sayin''s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inor View Post
    You are absolutely right. When we use either bacon ends or rendered bacon fat, they always turn out great. Using fat from a port roast is a challenge. We do usually grind our meat with a fine grind, but we also grind it semi-frozen. That seems to work well for pork and venison. Beef, on the other hand seems to come out "gritty". I.E. It has the consistency of eating gravel. I have not found a solution for that yet. What do you do?
    I can't help you there, Bud. I have not done anything with beef, only pork and venison. If I had to guess, I would think that it more a matter of the cut of beef, but I really don't know. Maybe adding a tenderizer?

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    one dozen hard boiled eggs in a "spicy tavern brine" which consisted of white vinegar, pickling spice, kosher salt, and red chily flakes. Also, purchased good old beer, I have been drinking a fifth of Southern comfort, and I just couldnt eat any of those "sweet hot pickles" with whiskey. Unfortunately, the beer is in the truck, warm, and cant be braught inside work, so I will freezer burn one (wrap a wet paper towell and freeze for 10-15 minutes) in the morning while I install the "new axle bearings, rear end, and chain" to the quad in the morning. Gotta get some of this damn stuff done, so i can enjoy the gathering and vacation.

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