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Post by em on Dec 23, 2023 6:07:14 GMT 12
Why has your pork belly shrunk during cooking?? Too much heat,not basting it often , 2 to 3hrs on direct low heat/smoke basting every 1/2hr after 3hrs wrap in foil leave on smoker for 3 hrs,should be cooking slowly in own juice,check internal temp if at 75c then let it rest for a hr before serving and should pull apart. The art of smoking is to preserve meat.Too much heat and just dries it out. Could cheat by partially cooking in oven and once cooked 1hr on a smoker? Yeah na I’m talking about smoking bacon and one time I got distracted and totally rooted it . |
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Post by harrytom on Dec 23, 2023 7:50:31 GMT 12
Why has your pork belly shrunk during cooking?? Too much heat,not basting it often , 2 to 3hrs on direct low heat/smoke basting every 1/2hr after 3hrs wrap in foil leave on smoker for 3 hrs,should be cooking slowly in own juice,check internal temp if at 75c then let it rest for a hr before serving and should pull apart. The art of smoking is to preserve meat.Too much heat and just dries it out. Could cheat by partially cooking in oven and once cooked 1hr on a smoker? Yeah na I’m talking about smoking bacon and one time I got distracted and totally rooted it . its basically same as cooking belly,just the brining process is longer,once cooked then you can slice it to desired thickness,dont think i would slice first,think thats where you would have an issue. More heat to crisp it?? |
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Post by GO30 on Dec 23, 2023 14:12:21 GMT 12
HT, once brined how would you deal with it?
It's not a huge belly but not tiny.
3hrs on slow indirect in foil followed by a couple out of foil, when I can drop in some Manuka for extra smoke n flavour. That sound like a plan or what?
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Post by harrytom on Dec 23, 2023 15:54:35 GMT 12
HT, once brined how would you deal with it? It's not a huge belly but not tiny. 3hrs on slow indirect in foil followed by a couple out of foil, when I can drop in some Manuka for extra smoke n flavour. That sound like a plan or what? I would dry the brine off the pork,as should of actually soaked in to meat,maybe a baste of some sort to stop drying out,Manukau if thats what you have but I find it leaves a taint taste.Hence why I am using hickory etc. 2 or 3 pieces on hot coals seems to produce 2hrs smoke, Trial and experiment. Takes a few cooks to get what suits your taste,I add chilli to everything along with tumuric. most recipes are a basic guide. |
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Post by GO30 on Dec 23, 2023 19:17:50 GMT 12
My experimenting is paying off. Lets see how this goes when the time comes.
What is your preferred cooking/smoking weapon?
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Post by harrytom on Dec 23, 2023 23:11:15 GMT 12
My experimenting is paying off. Lets see how this goes when the time comes. What is your preferred cooking/smoking weapon? Talking to the nephew tonight.He said a lot of bacons have never seen a smokehouse.Its all artificial and the only time the see heat is when you cook it. Brining/curing/smoking becomes to cost prohibitive, same as corned beef, cant remember the chemical he said they used but he wont eat it. |
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Post by em on Dec 24, 2023 2:36:30 GMT 12
My experimenting is paying off. Lets see how this goes when the time comes. What is your preferred cooking/smoking weapon? Talking to the nephew tonight.He said a lot of bacons have never seen a smokehouse.Its all artificial and the only time the see heat is when you cook it. Brining/curing/smoking becomes to cost prohibitive, same as corned beef, cant remember the chemical he said they used but he wont eat it. Sodium Nitrate or Prague powder or salt Peter . Toxic AF and gives ham/bacon/corned beef that lovely or awful pink tinge . Once brined my own ham without the nitrate and cooked it for Christmas , nearly traded blows with my father cause he said it’s not ham it’s roast pork cause it’s not pink . Quite a few companies are favouring a lactobacilis fermentation over nitrates to preserve small goods . Hendersons bacon and some of of verkerks salami spring to mind . |
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Post by GO30 on Dec 24, 2023 7:02:04 GMT 12
Yeah I ran into Prague Powder in near every recipe.
Couldn't find any so have gone with a way older salt/molasses recipe instead. We'll know in 9 days.
I actively try to stay clear of nitrate based cures. Our local butcher does a range of nitrate and nitrate free yummies.
Xmas is brunch for us (and was 5ha of hay in the arvo but maybe not now) so next to me I have a small mountain of old school bacon from Maungi, yummy with a capital Yum.
Same with corned beef, never ever go near the nitrate stuff. It's texture is just wrong compared to the real deal.
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Post by fish on Dec 24, 2023 8:55:50 GMT 12
I get my ham and bacon nitrate free from sausagesbydesign.co.nz/Very good stuff. Top shelf. Their ham is only $29/kg boneless, which I think is very good. Noting I haven't actually checked the price of any other ham. It is just so easy to pump it full of water, extenders, pea starch, textured vegetable protein and E-numbers. The usual comments on the nitrate free ham from the un-initiated (or ignorant inlaws) - is this cooked properly? what is wrong with it? Did I mention I made 3,500 christmas hams one year? Was in a past life post meatworks and pre OE. We had proper smokers, 4 of them, and a needle injection machine so I could pump them full of water, err, get the brine into them quickly ;-) After doing nothing but making ham for 6 weeks, and smelling of wood smoke every time I got home from work, the last thing I wanted to see at Christmas lunch was a feckin ham, I can tell you that. |
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Post by GO30 on Dec 24, 2023 13:18:57 GMT 12
Did I mention I made 3,500 christmas hams one year? Nope but on Thursday I did decant 22lts of Gin for this Xmas. A London Dry, a London Dry Lemon boosted, Pink Grapefruit and my Xmas Pohutukawa Special.
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Post by em on Dec 24, 2023 21:49:49 GMT 12
Did I mention I made 3,500 christmas hams one year? Nope but on Thursday I did decant 22lts of Gin for this Xmas. A London Dry, a London Dry Lemon boosted, Pink Grapefruit and my Xmas Pohutukawa Special.
In the UK at the moment and the artisan gin market is going gangbusters . Best one we’ve tried is called downpour made in the Outer Hebrides islands it has a dominant citrus after glow . The weirdest one we’ve seen is a marmalade flavoured one also from Scotland . How did you flavour your pootakawa brew ? |
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Post by GO30 on Dec 30, 2023 9:10:49 GMT 12
Did a pork roast on the 47cm Weber last night and it came out perfect.
Used the Cocoshot brickette things and the 2+1 snake lay out.
About 4.5hrs at 125 and yummy.
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Post by em on Dec 31, 2023 6:35:44 GMT 12
Have use the cocoshots a lot over the last couple of years . They are the best bang for buck but having said that the price has nearly doubled . I stopped adding them to the burn pile cause I find the ammonia smell flavours the food a bit so I do them in the chimney first before adding them to an existing burn pile . Anyone here used a “Cobb” brand BBQ on their boat ? Looks like a perfect setup for a coal burner and the cocoshots would be the business in one of those . My thinking would be to put it on a custom rod holder bait board type arrangement , swivelled outboard for safety of course . www.cobbgrillnz.co.nz/collections/featured-collection/products/cobb-premier-air |
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Post by GO30 on Dec 31, 2023 7:48:35 GMT 12
Ammonia smell? Can't say I've ever noticed or heard of that before. Bugger, now I'm going to be looking for it  The team next door to the office are huge on BBQ and we deal a bit with BBQWars so there is always lots of yabber about techniques etc. They put me onto Samba Hot Shots which I also like. But the town neighbour who BBQ's every second day and usually big stuff i.e a chicken is a smaller lump, is raving about for manufactured fuel that is octagonal and extruded with a hole thru the centre, about 150-175mm long. Reckons far better even burn for longer than the rest. Can't remember the name but he buys it in 10kg cardboard boxes from some place down south. I am sussing and will drop the name when I find it.
{edit} - found the stuff.
Commodities NZ Charcoal Log 10kg - Natural wood sawdust charcoal. Made in Vietnam. 35 notes for 10kg so not too silly.
There does appear to be other similar to those offerings out there.
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Post by fish on Dec 31, 2023 9:05:54 GMT 12
Have use the cocoshots a lot over the last couple of years . They are the best bang for buck but having said that the price has nearly doubled . I stopped adding them to the burn pile cause I find the ammonia smell flavours the food a bit so I do them in the chimney first before adding them to an existing burn pile . Anyone here used a “Cobb” brand BBQ on their boat ? Looks like a perfect setup for a coal burner and the cocoshots would be the business in one of those . My thinking would be to put it on a custom rod holder bait board type arrangement , swivelled outboard for safety of course . www.cobbgrillnz.co.nz/collections/featured-collection/products/cobb-premier-airI use the little weber portable charcoal BBQ. Very happy with it. Wouldn't ever use it on the boat though. I use the weber manufactured brickets in a chimney. Then I use welders gloves so I can pour the hot coals into the BBQ. Those Cobbs are advertised heavily around the Fisho types. Supposed to be safe / cool for bait boards and what not. If you could light it without a chimney it would be a big step forward for charcoal on a boat. Personally, I'm still trying to achieve cooking steak onboard with gas. |
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