So... The pellet smoker thread got me thinking, because I'm in the market to replace my pellet grill with something else. Initially I thought "gasser", but there are certain things I think a Blackstone griddle might be able to do that I'd like, that a gasser would not. And my other grills (both kamados) can do those things well, but take a lot more intervention. So here's my current setup: Kamado Joe Big Joe: This is my primary smoker, and what I use for "grilling" when I'm cooking... Read more ..read more

I am kicking my Webber gas grill hoping I can get it to finally stop working so I can buy a pellet grill. My wife is not a huge smoke meat fan, but light smoke taste is ok with her. I have been looking at Traeger and Pit Boss mainly. What are your experiences with them? She wants to make sure they can "BBQ" like the Webber, meaning grill marks and burnt hamburgers. LOL. Any pro's and con's for each? Any other entry level pellet grills I should be looking into to? Any and all info is... Read more ..read more

I have a few handfuls of oak chips saved from a batch of merlot I just racked off. They will be dried in a very low oven. Presume some have done this before. Anyone here used them for smoking meat (or cheese, maybe), and your result ..read more

Hi there BBQ enthusiasts. I would like to ask some clarification regarding a few issues that popped up in my quest to learn how to ‘warm’ smoke, i.e. not ‘cold’ or ‘hot’, cured sausage. I am aware there’s a lot that has been asked already and I have diligently written notes and experimented, I however still seem to miss a few simple pieces of the puzzle. +++ These months I have started smoking cured sausage (various meats like beef/pork/duck/venison/turkey) using prague powder #1 on a... Read more ..read more

I hope someone here can answer some questions about Cure #1 & Cure #2 for better understanding. I generally understand the difference between the two. However here is my dilemma. I'm making air dry sausages from venison ground meat. I'm not using a chamber but rather waiting the temperatures to drop below 40F and hanging them outside and/or in my garage. After sausages are cured I vacuum seal them and put them in the freezer for months or until they last (about a year). Later when I need... Read more ..read more

Salami. This time I'm using T-SPX for the acidification culture. I'm looking for less "twang" in the final flavor. These sat in a warm area for 2 days until pH got to 4.9. These casings are called "Budello Gentile", which loosely translated means hog butthole (that's a joke). It's the last part of the intestine and is very very thick compared to most casings that sausage makers use. The benefit with drying sausage is that the thick casing really slows down the drying process, which... Read more ..read more

I've been recently trying my hand at sausage making. I'm about six batches in and have been using the Kitchenaid grinder attachment. I'll be investing in a bigger grinder and want to hear if anyone has experience with a dedicated grinder. Cabela's has their Carnivore brand .5hp for sale at 350 currently. I was looking at the LEM or Meat brands but this seems like a good deal (plus I have a $100 gc ..read more

My local grocer used to stock port butts/shoulders which were great for sausage making. When I went to get some today for my next batch (summer sausage), EVERYTHING they had was "injected with up to 12% solution containing sodium phosphate, blah blah blah". Is this meat OK to use for sausage? I'd prefer to have just the additives that *I* add. I eventually found some better pork elsewhere, but did end up with a few pounds of the injected stuff. OK to use ..read more

It’s been several years since we threw an Oktoberfest party. Just finished prepping 20 lbs of German Bratwurst and 20 lbs of Portuguese Linguica. These will get washed down with 35 gallons of Helles Bock, Festbier, Munich Dunkel, and a Hazy IPA (for the hipsters…) Prost ..read more

So... How would you make something like this? It's from Brooke Williamson's restaurant. We went there for my wife and her friends as a combined b-day as 3 of them have Dec birthdays. One of her friends ordered the pork shank and I'm challenging myself to try to replicate it. I can't find a copycat recipe online. I'm finding recipes for glazed (braised) pork shank, and recipes for molasses/mustard glazes on pork, and thinking I'm going to try to... Read more ..read more