What Smokers Are The Best?

Electric, Gas or Straight Wood?

I am one to do a lot of research. Everything from grills to bike helmets, I scour the web. I used to have a Brinkmann backyard special, which was a grill and smoker side by side that shared one gas tank. The thing was a beast. It lasted me for years and I had originally bought it on craigslist, used! Last year I moved and had upgraded to a Webber Genesis grill. I had done months of research on that grill and finally decided it was worth the extra money. I can honestly say I would recommend this grill to anyone who wants a quality grill to use at least a few times a week. 

All said and done though, I passed the Brinkmann on and was without a smoker for the past 6 months. 

After a few months of research, I finally came up with a list that had some of the best smokers. My research came down to 3 for the "under $500" category. The frontrunners were the electric Bradley Original and the Smoke Hollow 38" gas smoker. The Webber Smokey Mountain smoker was my third place runner up, but I wanted the convince of gas or electric. 

The Webber was one of the top rated across the web but requires you to start getting the coals smoking before you add them into the smoker. The Smoke Hollow was praised for its decent construction and ability to seal well, letting very little smoke leaking out around the door. Lastly, the Bradley uses bisquettes, or small wooden disks, to load into a heating unit and smoke in the box without having an open flame. The unit has a heating element as well. Therefore the smoke isn't cooking the meat, the element is. One benefit of having the heating element is you can cold smoke meats such as bacon or salmon.

For safety reasons I did choose the Bradley over the Smoke Hallow. Living in the city close to many buildings, the open flame gas smoker was not going to work. Working for a seafood company, I have access to great fresh Salmon and will smoke a fillet within the next few weeks. So far I have used the Bradley twice and it has been great! One of my favorite condiments, Smoked Blueberry BBQ Sauce, was the fist victim in the smoke. After 2 hours of smoking, the sauce came out perfect! This past weekend I smoked a brisket  The entire 12 pound piece needed to be cut in half, but it came out great and was delicious! 

I will keep you updated on the smoker and products I test with it. The one precaution I would make with Bradley electric smokers in general; make sure to buy plenty of woods bisquettes in advance. Cheers!

The Culinary Chamber, Part 2 - Meats and Cheeses

What to do with your aging machine.

Now that we have our aging machine from part 1, we can move one to creating culinary masterpieces. Meats and cheeses take time to age; patients is a virtue! But, the results are well worth the wait.

I wish I could take credit for some of the Italian cured meat recipes (Coppa below) and variety of cheeses I have worked on thus far, but I can't. I will share with you 2 great books that I have use for creating these items; both I would highly recommend. The first is Charcuterie. This book goes into great detail about a wide variety of Italian meats, sausages, smoked items, sauces, cures and many other delicious creations. NOTE: this book has no photography inside and only shows sketches on some of the pages.

The second book is Artisan Cheese Making At Home. In this book, you will find everything from short term cheddars (below) to brie and multi-year aged cheeses to the recipes you can use them in. I have become addicted to trying new cheeses, but cheese is a delicate item. In part 1, I mentioned propylene glycol was needed for cheeses. When you age cheese, the temperature and humidity need to be perfect. With the freezer and temperature controller, you can achieve your desired temperature. By adding the propylene glycol in the terrarium, you are able to keep the humidity at a preferred 70% without any hassle. The propylene glycol absorbs and releases moisture to keep a consistent 70% humidity.

How about dry-aged steaks?

Have you ever been to a really nice steakhouse where they offer "dry-aged steaks"? What is that? Dry aged steaks are actually old steaks, but in a good way. Fancy restaurants will dry-age steaks by leaving large loins of your favorite cuts of beef in the fridge for 30-45+ days. The meats will form a hard crust on the outside of the loin, preserving the meat inside. The meat will become tender and more flavorful. The loin will lose much of its moisture, making the beef flavor more intense and concentrated. This leaves you with a tender, intense steak that will make store bought steaks seem like hamburgers.

Directions: Set your temperature controller to 35 degrees. Make sure your freezer is clean; wipe it down wipes or a sanitizer. Take a large 15+ pound loin (BJ's, Costco or Restaurant Depot have these, or special order from your butcher) and hang it from your curtain rod using heavy butcher string or meat hooks. I went with bacon hangers to evenly distribute the weight. You don't need to put anything on the meat, but make sure your work area and hands are clean. I placed paper towel with tinfoil under it to collect any drippings.

After hanging the loin for 30-45 days( start with 30 for a less intense flavor), you have a unbelievable steak hiding inside the loin. Start by cutting steaks out of the loin, then trim off all the outer crust (grey color) on each steak. You can vacuum seal and freeze the steaks for up to 6-12 months.

Because so much meat is removed, the steaks become more expensive. About 1/3-1/2 of the loin is wasted in the process. Hence the extremely high prices of $50+ for these steaks at restaurants. Doing this at home will be closer to $18 a steak for the same quality as those high-end steakhouses.

I recommend grilling your steak with just salt and pepper. If you want a little extra flavor, finish with a drizzle of aged balsamic or red wine reduction. Cheers!

The Culinary Chamber, Part 1 - The Machine

The best way to age and cure meat and cheeses at home!

After a short hiatus over the last month (finishing up grad school takes up a little bit of your free time) I am finally done with school and pushing out some new recipes! During my break, I purchased a smoker. The decision was tough - gas or electric. Now, normally I would never have considered electric, but my porch in the city is small and open flames are not friendly in an apartment complex.

How does a smoker help with cheese and meat aging? It doesn't; that was a tangent. Later this week my post will be all about smokers. 

So now, onto the aging machine! 

I have used this machine for about 8 months now and have had flawless results. The magical box will allow you to age beef, cure meats, age cheese or become an everyday backup fridge. The contraption costs about $300-$350 (all new) and the components are easily accessible. So what is it? Essentially it's a chest freezer with accessories. By adding a few devices to your average chest freezer from any box store or craigslist, you can become a culinary artisan right at home.

What you need: Chest freezer (I went with 7.0cu. ft.), temperature controller, small fan, terrarium, propylene glycol, and a curtain rod or 2. The terrarium and propylene glycol are only if you want to age cheeses. Don't get overwhelmed by the propylene glycol either. This item helps hold moisture and is found in cigar humidors and everyday items like toothpaste. 

Instructions: Simply hook the freezer up to the temperature controller and plug it into a outlet. The temperature controller has a copper line that will be placed in the freezer. When the freezer hits the right temperature, the controller will cut the power until the temperature rises again. Next, plug in the fan into a different plug and put the fan in the freezer to circulate the air (the fan is not in the picture, but I place it on top of the terrarium). Tighten the curtain rod to the sides near the top of the freezer and put your propylene glycol in the terrarium and place it on the ledge or in the bottom of the freezer. Your done! It takes 5 minutes to set up. 

So now what? 

Now you can start to create amazing meats and cheeses at home. In part 2 of this post, I will go into more details about aging meat and cheeses, as well as start you off with dry aging steaks on your own! Part 2 will be available tomorrow. Cheers!

The Perfect Summer BBQ Side Dish

Roasted Potatoes w/ Rosemary

This was a summer party “must have” growing up. So simple to do, yet flavorful and always a huge hit. I have taken this family recipe and put my own twist on it. Rather than leaving a potato salad out in the summer heat, add this side to any back yard BBQ. This will be the talk of any 4th of July celebration.

What you need:

Baking pan/cookie sheet with edges, large bowl, tin foil, mortar and pestle (optional)

Ingredients (Makes 10-15 servings):

5 lb bag of red potatoes (if you can find purple, use a combination of red, yellow and purple for a great presentation), chives, EVOO, 1 container cherry tomatoes, 2 yellow or red onions, 1 ear of corn, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, sour cream (optional).

Directions:

 The corn needs to be cooked first. You can use frozen corn, but corn on the cob usually keeps small chucks of kernels together, and is easier to eat with a fork. Boil the corn until it is tender, then remove it and let cool. At this point you can preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Slice the potatoes into bit size pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes and chop your 2 onions into large pieces. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and onion to your large bowl. Next, you want to add a 1/2 cup of olive oil. Spread it over the mixture evenly and toss it all together, lightly seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a healthy amount of fresh rosemary. Chop the small rosemary leaves into smaller pieces, or grind them in a mortar and pestle if you have one. Add about 1/4 cup of ground rosemary to the large bowl. Toss again until the chunks of veggies are evenly coated. Cover your baking sheet or cookie sheet with tin foil. Try to have the tinfoil bend up on all 4 sides like a bowl (you do not want a lot of oil leaking onto your pan). Pour the mixture in your bowl onto your cookie sheet. Spread the contents evenly. I find that if you have the contents piled too high, the mixture cooks inconsistently. If needed, use 2 pans rather than just 1. Let the mixture cook for 40-45 minutes. Around the 20-minute mark, use a spatula and shuffle the potatoes around so they don’t start to stick to the tinfoil. To be safe, you can do this again after cooking for 30-35 minutes. While cooking, slice the corn off the ear from top to bottom. After 40-45 minutes, the potatoes should be a fully cooked and just starting to turn golden brown. The onions and tomatoes should be soft and tender. Using a spatula, scoop the contents into a bowl. Add your sliced corn over the top and lightly toss once or twice. Finely chop 4 strands of chive and add them to the bowl as a garnish. If you would like to add a little extra flavor, add a tablespoon of sour cream and carefully toss until consistent. Let the dish stand to allow the tomatoes to cool slightly, then serve warm. Cheers!

The Magical Broth that Cooks Your Dinner

Pho

Pho (pronounced like Fah) is an amazing Japanese dish that takes hours to make, but the rewords are well worth the wait. The best pho is made up of a meticulously crafted broth that simmers for hours on end, then strained and poured over a variety of veggies, meats and noodles. There are many combinations including veggie, seafood, pork, beef and chicken, or a combination of these mixed into one. I set out to make a pho that was flavorful, authentic, and didn't require most of my day to make. With that said, I give you my personal crafted pho recipe. It makes 4 servings and takes about 4 hours to make, but 3 of those hours are simmering, so you can tend to the other million things going on in your life. Because who has time to spend the entire day in the kitchen, right?

Beef Pho with greens, tripe, hoisin sauceand sriracha.

Broth:
6 qts water
2 lbs ox/beef tail
3 lbs beef neck bone
1.5 lbs beef marrow bones
1 large yellow onion, quartered
6 star anise
4 whole cloves
4" ginger root, halved
1 cinnamon stick
4 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp coriander
1 Tbsp fennel
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Bowl options:
1 lb thin sliced beef
1 lb sliced tripe
1 lb fresh (or dried) pho rice noodles
Thinly sliced onion
Bean sprouts, soaked in water
Lime wedges
1 finely sliced Thai chili
Scallions, soaked in water
Cilantro
Thai basil
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

Directions:
Parboil 3 sets of bones for 10 min. Remove bones, flash chill in cold water. In a clean pot add 6 qts water. Add bones back to water. Broil ginger and onion so slightly toasted and add to water. In a skillet, lightly toast anise, cinnamon, coriander, fennel and cloves for 5 min. Place in cheese cloth and add to water. Add fish sauce, salt and sugar. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer for 3 hours. Remove any oils or residue floating on top. Remove contents and strain broth with a fine metal strainer into another pot. Remove any remaining oils floating with a spoon or baster. Bring back to a simmer and the broth is ready to serve over selected contents in your bowl. Soak dried noodles in hot water for 15-18 min or cook fresh noodles in boiling water for 20 seconds. Fill a pho bowl 1/3 full of noodles. Add remaining desired ingredient options. Pour the broth over all ingredients until almost fully submerged. Add additional sauces (Hoisin/Sriracha) to meet your desired flavor. Cheers!

The Greatest Condiment On Earth

Bacon!

Lets talk bacon. Clearly its one of the greatest creations. You head to your grocers "bacon section" and you have center cut, thick cut, maple, honey, brown sugar, lean, 0% sodium, 0% pork and everything in-between. Then you look at the price and it never makes any sense. I always liked thick cut bacon, but who are we kidding, Ill eat any kind put in front of me, even turkey bacon! 


Shortly after I started curing meats, I learned that there are 2 major curing agents; curing salt #2 and pink salt. Most meats that are cured will contain one of these 2 ingredients to help preserve the meat. Bacon needs a basic cure mix made up of regular salt, sugar and pink salt. Adding your mixture to a nice, fatty slab of pork belly with a few extra flavors added in will give you some of the best bacon you've ever had! I would recommend buying maple sugar for a sweet bacon and garlic, cracked black pepper and spices for a savory bacon. 

The Basic Cure

• 1 pound (450 grams) kosher salt

• 8 ounces (225 grams) sugar

• 2 ounces or 10 tsp (50 grams) pink salt 

The Process

Let me start off by saying its easy, so don't feel overwhelmed. Go to your grocery store and ask the butcher for a 5 pound slab of pork belly. Pork belly is pretty cheap by the pound compared to bacon, so you won't be spending very much. I usually will purchase a whole 15 pound belly from Restaurant Depot (membership required) for around $40. Place the slab of belly in a gallon sized ziplock bag or a non-reactive (plastic or glass) covered container. You want to spread about 4 Tbsp of your basic cure mixture all over the belly. Then, choose a flavor from below and spread that over the belly as well. Place the container in the fridge for 7 days. You want to turn the meat over every other day. The moisture from the meat will start to be extracted from the cure mixture and pool in your container. Leave all of that goodness in there! The meat will soak in that salty liquid and become cured (hence the turning every other day). After 7 days, dump out the liquid and soak the meat for 2 hours in fresh water. After 2 hours, dump out the water and leave the meat in the fridge overnight to let any extra liquid drain from the belly. 

Flavors (per 5 pounds)

Sweet:

1/2 cup maple sugar

3 Tbsp burbon

4-5 drops liquid smoke (optional)

Savery:

4-5 smashed garlic cloves

2 Tbsp whole peppercorns, cracked (place in a plastic bag and hit with a rolling pin)

10-12 Bay leaves

1 tsp toasted fennel seeds

1 tsp toasted coriander seeds

Cooking

After the meat has drained overnight, take the meat out. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the belly in a roasting pan, or use a cooling rack in a cookie sheet if you don't have a roasting pan. Let the belly cook for 2-2.5 hours. Ideally you want the center of the meat to be 145 degrees. When you're done, pull the meat out, let it cool enough to handle, and cut it up into thin slices (you choose how thick you want it). Thats it, you're done! Fry a few pieces up whenever you want some bacon! Keep the bacon in your fridge or freeze (vac-sealed is best) any extra you want to save. Use the refrigerated bacon within about 2 weeks. Cheers!

Forget Store Bought Salsa...

Homemade Salsa

Salsa has become as common as ketchup or mustard. The difference is that there are hundreds of kinds of salsa. The grocery stores have entire sections of salsas. They come in multiple flavors, different levels of heat and even with famous baseball players and celebrities on the label. I have made many of my own flavored salsas. The one element that sticks out in my mind with homemade salsa is freshness. When you crack open a jar of homemade salsa a few months after making it and it tastes as fresh as the day you cut the vegetables, there is an amazing sensation that comes over your taste buds. I have yet to find a jarred salsa in the grocery store that can match such a fresh and wonderful taste. After multiple attempts, I have come up with a recipe that is fresh, consistent and well rounded. One small change and you can make the batch as mild or as hot as you would like. You can even split a batch and have mild, medium and hot just by adding additional hot peppers as you go. This recipe needs to simmer for at least an hour and an additional 45 minutes in the canning bath. 

What you need:

Canning equipment (jars, lids, pot, etc.), Large stockpot

Ingredients (Makes 10 quart-sized mason jars):

24-26 salsa tomatoes, 3 onions, 1 green pepper, 3 limes, 3-15 habaneros (depending on the level of heat you want), bushel parsley, bushel cilantro, 3 cans petite diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup ketchup, salt and pepper. 

Directions:

Some people choose to de-skin the tomatoes. I personally leave the skin on. If you choose to de-skin the tomatoes, dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 second (until skin begins to split), then remove and peel the skin off. Slice the tomatoes vertically in half. Lightly squeeze the seeds out (some seeds can stay in the tomatoes). Dice the tomatoes into small even pieces. Add the tomatoes to the large stockpot and place the heat on medium. Add the cans of petite-diced tomatoes. (Why use the cans of tomatoes? The cans add liquid to the salsa without watering it down. I found this helps the flavors blend better.) Add the ketchup and the juice of the 3 limes. Cover the pot and begin dicing the 3 onions and green pepper. Add the onion and green pepper to the pot. Next, mince the habaneros and add them to your salsa mix. (Be careful! Gloves may not be a bad idea and DO NOT touch your eyes or nose after cutting, it will burn!) This step is where you can decide how hot you want the salsa to be. Mild should be 3-5 habaneros, medium 6-10, hot 10-15, and extremely hot 15+. (See note below for multiple levels.) Add salt and pepper to taste, I would recommend a tablespoon of each. Let the mix simmer for 1 hour. Prepare the fresh cilantro and parsley by chopping them into fine pieces. These will burn if you add them now. Wait until you have simmered the salsa for 1 hour, then add them and stir with the heat off just before canning. While you wait for the salsa, prepare your canning jars by sanitizing them in a solution or running them in your dishwasher with the heated dry cycle on. Begin boiling water in your canning pot. Once ready, ladle the salsa into the jars leaving a 1/2” space of clearance from the top of the jar. Carefully put the self-sealing lids on the jars and place into the canning pot of boiling water for 45 minutes. Remove the jars, let cool, then label and store your salsa until you are ready to enjoy! Cheers!

NOTE: For multiple levels, add additional habaneros as you jar the salsa. If you split the batch in two, add half the recommended amount of habaneros to your second portion of the batch. Example: For half medium and half hot, start with 6-10 habaneros for the entire batch. After canning the first half, add only 2-3 habaneros to the second half of the batch.