Simple Smoked Salmon

Quick & Easy Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

• Some fresh or thawed salmon fillets

• Some dry brine: (Mixture of ⅓ kosher salt and ⅔ brown sugar and a touch of freshly ground pepper)


Instructions:

• Remove any pin bones left in the fish.

• Wipe down the fish. Cover it with the dry brine. Rub it in some. be generous. Let it sit for between 2 and 12 hours.

• Choose Alder, cherry or apple chips. Pre-heat the smoker to 175° F. (I always add secondary smoke, as 175° F isn't hot enough to generate much smoke.)

• Rinse briefly. Wipe off the excess liquid, put the salmon, skin-side down on aluminum foil, and transfer to the smoker (still on the foil).

• Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 145° F and let it rest at least five minutes. Expect less than an hour for this. 

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Ingredients
(for six individual servings; scale up for larger quantities.)

• 1 pound pork sausage
• 12 slices bacon
• 6 jalapenos (stems, core, and seeds removed)
• 4 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 2 TBSP Homemade Sweet Rub
• 1 cup BBQ Sauce

Instructions
Preheat your smoker to 250° F (120° C). Pretty much any smoking hardwood will work; what do you like?

•  In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and 1 Tablespoon of the sweet BBQ seasoning.

•  Spoon some of the cream cheese mixture into each of the cored and seeded jalapenos. Use the back of the spoon to press the filling all of the way into the jalapeno.

•  Wrap each jalapeno with 1/6th of the pork sausage (about 2½ oz each). Use your hands to ensure the sausage is covering the entire jalapeno and roll back and forth into an egg shape.

•  Wrap each sausage covered jalapeno with bacon. Count on two pieces per pepper. Secure with toothpicks.

•  Place the bacon wrapped peppers on the smoker over indirect heat and close the lid. Smoke until the internal temperature reads 165° F. This usually takes around 2 hours at 250° F, depending on the size of your peppers.

•  If you want soft, bite through bacon, brush the peppers with BBQ sauce and serve immediately.

Or,

•  If you want crispy bacon, brush them with BBQ sauce and then increase the heat to 400 degrees and cook for a few minutes or transfer the peppers to a baking sheet and place under your oven broiler for 1-2 minutes.

•  Serve hot and enjoy!

From Bill Carney

Basic Beef Jerkey

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sirloin trimmed of fat [will be cut into 1/4-inch strips]
  
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 TBSP kosher salt
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 2 TBSP molasses
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp (roasted?) garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 bottle stout or dark beer (divided into 2)
• Hickory wood chips or pellets
  

Directions:

Place the steak in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make your marinade: Combine all of the other ingredients, using only 1/2 of the beer in a large baking bowl.

lice the semi-frozen beef into 1” wide x 1/4″ thick strips. Place these in a bowl and cover with the marinade. Put the mixture into a gallon size zip-lock bag and leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

The next morning, remove the beef strips from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels.

Remove the racks from the smoker and layer the beef on as many racks as you need, leaving a little air space around each strip. 

(Optional: Fill the water pan with the remaining beer and some water to bring it to 1/2 full. I've been preferring to smoke these dry, not with steam.) 

Add wood chips to the bottom tray. Turn the smoker to 150˚-180˚F. Place the racks with beef in the preheated smoker.

Check the wood chips (and liquid?) at 2 hours. Add more if needed. 

Test to see if it's done starting at three hours.

Allow the jerky to cool on the racks. Store in the refrigerator, or eat immediately!

Smoking Times and Temperatures