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There are certain types of meats which are best to be thrown in the smoker. Listed below are my favorite meats.
Ribs of Pork
Smoking of pork ribs is widely prominent. The ribs are known to be ideal for the smoking process as they contain tremendous amount of collagen and fat. Although boiling for a large interval of time and further baking is another process used to make ribs consumable, the smoking of ribs stands out for its unbeatable taste.
Most of the market places have ribs available at affordable prices. Apple-wood and Hickory are the commonly used woods for smoking of pork. Upon smoking, the meat easily tenderizes and moistens having a sweet heavenly zing, making you crave for nothing but more. These excellent mouth-watering delicious ribs however, will not taste the same without proper preparation before throwing it into a smoker.
Firstly, there is a thick sheath present behind the rack which may be easily pulled off. Nevertheless, some are of the opinion that the sheath needs to be left on while smoking.
However, the ribs will not retain the original flavor and zest, giving the ribs a reduced taste. The spare lower ribs and the proper ribs are the two parts available in the market. These two parts are held together by ligaments.
Some market areas do sell the entire rib section as a whole, however, mostly the meat packaging industry separate the two parts at the packaging unit itself and are sold separately.
One can separate the parts into lower and the upper easily, according to your smoker size. However, the taste of the ribs is most enjoyed when the parts are together and not separated.
The Turkey as a Whole
A well-known tradition during the Thanksgiving season is the preparation of Smoked whole turkeys, most people spend one or even more than one week enjoying smoked turkeys with neighbors and friends.
Preparation of the awesome bird ‘Turkey’ tastes best when it has been smoked. Other methods of preparation turns this delicacy into common chicken.
Smoking turkey brings out a greasy yet firm and sweetened essence from the wood with tangled flavors. None would regret taking extra pains to smoke a turkey around the appetizing smoky aroma.
The procedure specifically requires smoking for half an hour/pound at 225 degrees Fahrenheit or 107 degrees Centigrade. Ensure that there is water placed in a drip/water pan. Also, ensure that the turkey rests for about half an hour before slicing it.
Brisket of Beef
Yet another favorite of the smoker is the beef brisket which has been termed officially as the barbecue meat by many. The naturally available brisket is hard, gummy and has almost no flavor by itself. However, once it is thrown into a smoker, it starts changing its texture brilliantly, as the smoking process melts the tough collagen into flavorsome gelatin soaking the meat and making it wonderfully appetizing.
Smoking also melts the fat present which passes on its smoked essence to the fibers of the meat cell-wise. The initial hard and gummy like leather piece of meat transforms itself into a divine delectable of sponge-like soft, sweet strings of meat we call Barbecue.
Russian Boars, Razorbacks, Feral Hogs and Javalena
For a smoker, all the above mentioned four species may be the same. Being an enthusiastic hunter, I am lucky to be living in an area with an excellent number of Russian Boars and Feral Hogs.
Cooking these species of animals is absolutely different from cooking domestic pork. However, wild pork which is slowly smoked turns out to be the one of the ultimate tender and juicy meats.
Having this smoked meat on your platter once in a lifetime is the most delicious meals one can have on this planet provided by nature itself.
Carp Fish
The meat of the much defamed fish Carp, has a sweet taste and is quite firm with medium fat content. The fish taste is not fishy and not oily as well. Among the fresh water fish, the carp has a wonderful taste as per me.
The walleye, crappie and Salmon may be exceptions as they are probably some of the fresh water fish that betters the Carp in taste. The preparation of Carp is a bit cumbersome and hence the negative views on the fish, but the outcome more than makes up for the effort put into making it.
The process is actually quite simple, fillet the fish and make sure to cut out the jarred red meat strip sidelong since it does not taste quite good. Further, spot the bones by the side with a Y-shape. Slice off the bones with the Y-shape and further, cut off below the Y shaped bones too.
Redo the slicing on the other half of the fish. Each fish shall give you four good broad strips. Some detest the fishiness in the fish, in order to avoid it; prior to its smoking, one can submerge the strips of fish for a few hours in buttermilk, saline or plain milk.
This process of soaking extracts plenty of fish oil from its meat. Fishiness, basically is a result of the oils present in fish. Wood of Mesquite is one of the best known for smoking of carp. The specific procedure for smoking of a pound of carp is smoke for 180 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit i.e. 107.2 degrees Centigrade and further lower the heat for another 45 minutes, to 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit i.e. 82.2 to 93.3 degrees Centigrade.
The smoked carp may be immediately plated or may be left to cool for about one day and further plated and served cold, which also tastes exceptional.
Deer Meat
The smoker can transform the usually dry and strong wild flavored deer meat into the best smoked meats one can indulge in. Although, the tenderloins and shoulders are the parts of the deer which turn into wonderful smoked meat, all parts of the deer may be smoked.
The trick to ensure flavorful meat is by overnight brining the deer meat, as the brine provides the wetness to the meat while the process of smoking evaporates its strong wild flavors. Oak wood may be used while the apple-wood makes the best for deer meat smoking.
Also, one may use fruit-woods like cherry in order to extract out the strong flavor of the meat. Well smoked deer turns into partly stringed meat which can be compared to well roast beef.
Conclusion
‘Smoking’ is one of the best methods of cooking meat to retain its original flavor. Hope this article was a delightful insight into the concept of smoking. We appreciate you reading the same. Further, continue surfing our website to know more about smoking, its current trends, advice, secrets, recipes or any beneficial notifications.