Smoking meat and poultry

[mattl]

I was wandering through my local Kroger's the other night and happened on a 11 lb Butterball Smoked Turkey marked down from $35 to $10, could not pass it up. Cut into it yesterday and it has to be in the top two or three turkeys I've ever had. Tender, moist and great flavor.

I've kicked around the idea of picking up a smoker. A year or so ago I was at my cousin's marina and a friend of theirs invited us to dinner, he had smoked 3 or 4 racks of ribs, they were fantastic. He has a $1K pellet smoker and we did some veggies on it and they were great too. A $1k smoker is far from my budget and I know there are smaller electric or charcoal ones out there for $100+. Just wondering if anyone here has experience with them and thoughts on what would be best for a low end unit.

No problem looking on CL or elsewhere, a good cheap unit is what I'm after to experiment with. Just not sure what to look for.

 

[combo52]

Smoked Meats taste Great But

They are not that healthy, You greatly increase the chance of Stomach cancer as well as other cancers.

 

[mattl]

Understood, but it's not something I'd eat everyday.

Thinking back I recall eating some type of smoked fish when I was young, have no idea what kind of fish it was.

 

[rp2813]

Matt, those fish were probably Chubs.  They were always a must for my family any time we went back to Chicago to visit relatives.  Those same relatives would usually bring them out when they visited, wrapped well so they wouldn't stink up the plane or their luggage. 

 

I wish I could find them here on the west coast.  I'd pay a premium for them.  They're great served cold on a summer afternoon and even better just slightly warmed for breakfast.

https://www.bearcatsfish.com/product/smoked-chubs/

 

[chachp]

Traeger Junior

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">We needed a new grill and I wanted a smoker because once in a while I like to smoke a turkey breast or some salmon.  A pellet grill seemed like a good option because I could grill and smoke.  We found one at Costco, loaded, for about $400.  I do see them around this price at different places.  There are also many other brands in this price range.  I don't know if this range works for you, or if you need a larger grill/smoker.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">This one has worked really well for the two of us and I love the functionality.  So easy to turn on, set the temp and go about your business.  I liked this because you get the convenience of gas and the taste of cooking with wood.  Purists will tell you its easy to do these things manually if you know what you're doing and I suppose that is true but I've never really learned so this is a good option for me.  I've grilled, smoked and even made pizzas on this grill and I love it.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">A good friend of mine has a big green egg for big green dollars.  He loves it but he has been smoking for years and he knows exactly how to control all these elements.  </span>

 

[polkanut]

Ralph,

Check this out.

 

Smoked Chubs ~ Bearcat's Fish House

 

 

 

[mattl]

Digging way back in my memory bank I think the fish were called Blind Robbins. A Google search came up with Pinconning Cheese company, If I recall the owner was/ is a member here. They are smoked herring.

 

[thomasortega]

@combo52

"
They are not that healthy, You greatly increase the chance of Stomach cancer as well as other cancers."

...But we die happy. (Sorry, as a fat bear, I couldn't miss the joke)

 

[iheartmaytag]

Moderation is the secret

As with everything, moderation.

I love smoked meats. I have a small Brinkman smoker that I do ribs or a chicken once or twice a year. It is a lot of work, which kind of discourages us having it too often.

It's true if we consume too much of anything it is detrimental to our health, think my beloved Cadbury Easter eggs. The secret is moderation. If we can't enjoy thing in life, what's the point?

 

[mattl]

Exactly.

I'm looking for info with various affordable smokers, affordable meaning $100-$200, and what type of chips are used. Planning for warmer weather at this point.

 

[neptunebob]

Gary the "dirty doctor" does a LOT of smoking...

Smoking ribs, pork chops, chicken, and a lot of other meats. He uses a Masterbilt smoker than looks like a wine cooler but is chock full and usually on during family get togethers. Even though he and his side of the family eat a lot of smoked food, He and and family are still healthy, that side of the family never gets sick. His daughters think it's gross but my sister (his wife) says she puts up with it because it is "God's will she stay married" to him. Be careful, smokers don't get as hot as a grill but he once melted vinyl siding off the back of the house when the unit was too close.