Yes, Deer...

Get it, deer?  A doe, a deer, etc...  Anyway, a friend of mine processes his own deer every year as it has gotten very expensive to have one butchered and processed into bologna and hot sticks.  When he makes the bologna, he usually just slow bakes in the oven to bring the temperature up to 155 F internal.  This year, he asked if I would smoke it for him.  So, I give you, Smoked Deer Bologna...

The basic recipe for the stuffing was 25 lb of ground venison, 10 lb of ground pork (our deer comes very lean and fat free around here), bologna spices, and a proprietary hot pepper blend for some kick.  Just stuff in natural casing, tie off the ends, and bring to an internal temperature of 155 F in a 190 F oven.  I chose oak wood for the bologna because oak mingles very well with pork fat.

So, I fired up the smoker and brought to a temperature of 190 F.  Then, we hung the rings of bologna on wooden dowel rods, string side up.  I only used oak for the first 3 hours of the smoke...

6 hours and 15 minutes later, the internal temperature of the bologna was 156 F.  Here is what it looked like...

The smoked added a nice deep red color to the bologna.  We placed the bologna in a cooler and covered with ice to stop the cooking process.  When he got home, my friend individually vacuum packed each ring and froze to enjoy throughout the year.  We sliced one for our enjoyment and some quality control.  The pepper blend added a nice kick to the bologna goodness.  I would love to fry up a few pieces for a nice sandwich.  The oak flavor was present, but not overpowering.  A nice accompaniment with the spices added to the meat.  Overall, Larry said it was the best deer bologna he had ever made.  Another satisfied customer!

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Slow Smoked Fresh Kielbasa

It is the holiday time of year and during that time, my local butcher (Dave's Country Meats) has some products that you cannot get year round.  One of the these tasty treats is fresh kielbasa...

In the winter time, he tends to make ring kielbasa and in the summer he makes patties for grilling.  Each have their good points.  I like the ring kielbasa for smoking and the patties for grilling out.  Either way, his homemade kielbasa is outstanding.  Perfectly seasoned with spices that you can actually see, unlike the store brands.

So, when I was picking up other holiday treats, I picked up a five pound ring to smoke.

First, I bought some untreated dowel rods and cut them down to size so that they would fit across the top rack of my smoker.  They are perfect for hanging any sausage.

I cut the ring in two pieces so that I could do two types of cooks.  More on that later.  First, I brought my smoker temperature up to 165 F and added oak wood in the ash pan for smoke flavor.  Take my word for it, oak wood goes very well with any type of sausage.  The fat just soaks up that oaky goodness.

Once the smoker was up to temp, I arranged my kielbasa on the dowels for placement in the smoker.  As you can see, I attracted a lot of attention...

Then, I took the dowels outside and hung on the top rack of the smoker...

It was a very cold and snowy day...

For 3/4 of the ring, I smoked for about two hours until the internal temperature of the sausage was 150 F.  This leaves the sausage about 15 degrees F short of being safe for consumption.  Again, I attracted a lot of attention...

I plunged the kielbasa in cold water for 10 minutes to stop the cooking process...

Then, I rinsed with fresh water, patted dry, cut into bun sized pieces, and vacuum packed for summertime grilling...

The remaining kielbasa stayed in the smoker until it's internal temperature reached 165 F.  This internal temperature thoroughly cooks the sausage but leaves the fat intact.  Remember, don't eat any sausage that has not been cooked to at least 165 F internal temperature...

As you can see, the color of the sausage is darker due to the longer cooking time, the added smoke, and the partial rendering of the fat.  These tasty treats were cut up and will be served with cheese and crackers for a nice appetizer over the holidays...

There you have it, two different ways to cook and serve fresh kielbasa that you can buy at your local butcher.  Both are excellent ways to prepare this tasty polish treat.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Biltong. Call it What you Want, but don't Call it Jerky...

Biltong?  What is that?  Sounds strange, but it tastes wonderful.  For those who don't know, biltong is spiced, dried beef, South African style.  Biltong can also be made with ostrich and other game meats available in South Africa.  Don't call it jerky, or you might find yourself in a pointed discussion with a Springbok vehemently arguing the finer points between jerky and biltong.  What are the main differences?

1. Biltong is usually cut thicker than jerky.

2. Biltong has a sweeter taste than jerky due to the spice profile.  I'll agree to this point when compared to traditional jerky.  But there are so many jerky rubs and marinades on the market now, this is not necessarily the case these days.

3. Biltong gets a vinegar bath.

My brother in law introduced me to this South African delicacy  many years ago while I was visiting him and my sister in London.  Ever since we purchased our smoker, I have toyed with the idea of making a smoked variety.  I finally got down to some serious R&D this past week...

The main spice and flavor profiles come from sugar, coriander, and the vinegar marinade.  I had no idea where to start for a recipe.  So, after some diligent web research, I found one that sounded good.  I used this recipe on Food.com that received some good reviews by South Africans whose biltong was confiscated by US Customs and were in need of a biltong fix.  I have found other recipes that use cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.  I ran out of red wine vinegar, so I made up the difference with cider vinegar.  I liked how the cider taste came though, so I think for my next batch, I will use entirely apple cider vinegar.  You could use other types of vinegar as well to adapt to your own tastes.  

First, I took an eye of round and trimmed as much of the fat and silver skin away that I could...

After cutting in half, I cut 1/4 inch slices with the grain of the meat.  When I came to the end of the slicing and my fingers came into play, I flipped the remaining meat on its flat end and cut thick, 1/4 inch strips...

Next, I packed the sliced meat into a bowl and covered with the marinade.  Swim time?  30 minutes...

Then, I ground up some coriander and black pepper into a bowl and thoroughly covered the meat with the spices after the marinade...

Here is the part that some of you that are salt conscious might have trouble with.  Take the spice covered meat, place into a bowl, and bury with the salt, sugar, baking soda mix...

Don't worry, we'll take care of that salt later.  The meat stays buried for 3 hours.  During that time, the salt acts to remove the water from the meat which starts the drying process.  After three hours, I removed the meat from the mixture, leaving as much of the solid behind as possible, and placed into a clean bowl.  See how the salt pulled the moisture from the meat?  The meat even felt firmer.  

The meat then went back into the reserved marinade for five minutes to start the rinsing process...

After five minutes in the marinade, I rinsed each piece of meat in fresh apple cider vinegar to remove as much salt as possible.  Do yourself a favor and add this step like I did.  It ensures that you actually get dried meat and not dried salt sticks.  After rinsing, I place the meat in paper towels, then squeezed as much of the liquid out of the meat that I could...

Here is what the meat looked like after squeezing.  As you can see, the salt has started to dry the meat already...

Here is where I really deviate from biltong making, but it was a necessity to add that smoke flavor that I was looking for.  The traditional way to make biltong is to tie a piece of string to each piece and hang in a dry place for anywhere from 3-20 days to dry out the meat.  I place the meat in my smoker at 125 F so that I could add some smoke while drying out...

Picking this temperature allowed the meat to: stay uncooked for the most part, it allowed me to impart some smoke flavor (I used oak), and it shortened the drying process to about six hours total.  Here is the final product...

The smell of vinegar, coriander, and oak smoke was intoxicating while the meat was on the smoker.  I couldn't wait for that first bite.  As it turned out, I did a really good job for my first time making this South African treat.  The meat does have the texture of boot leather.  But, once you start chewing, the vinegar comes out and mixes with the coriander with a shot of flavor that is hard to describe, but satisfying none the less.  If you are tired of the usual jerky, I suggest that you give biltong a try.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Smoked Sausage with Peppers and Onions

After all of the practice for KCBS lately, I had a taste for something smoked without sauce ;). So, I bought some hot and sweet sausage and fired up the Baby. First, I thick cut some sweet onion and bell pepper, tossed with some olive oil and S&P, and made a bed in some 9 x 9 foil pans. I then laid the sausage on top...

I also split this bottle of Penn Octoberfest between both pans...

By the way, this beer rocks on its own: nice, full bodied, and smooth... But, I digress... 45 minutes at 350 F on the middle rack for the sausage. Real good stuff... Hot links...

Sweet...

I used oak wood for this smoke. The fat in the sausage just sucks in the oak flavor. The sugars from the caramelized onions and peppers mingled well with the malty Octoberfest. We served on crusty sausage tools with spicy brown mustard. I highly suggest trying this sometime soon.

 Thanks for stopping by...

 Bill

Brisket Practice, Part 2...

For the next to last brisket practice, I went back to my stand by injection (The Colony Sauce) and a hybrid rub...

For the rub:

1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/4 cup sea salt
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Mustard Powder
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Thyme

Injected the brisket, rubbed, and wrapped in plastic wrap for overnight happy time...

After unwrapping in the morning, I gave a fresh coat of rub.  I will not do this again as I believe it makes the rub dry and takes away from the bark.

I brought the Baby up to 250 and placed on the 3rd rack up with straight oak wood.

Smoked for 9.5 hours.  The brisket was 200 internal and my Thermapen was sliding into 80% of the meat like butter.

I foiled, wrapped in a towel, and placed in a cooler for 2.5 hours.  Then pulled and sliced...

Nice bark.  Moist and tender inside.  Passed the Son of Texas test with my Texan friend at work...

I think this is our competition recipe for 2012 unless the scores say otherwise...

Enjoy,

Bill