Just wondering what all everyone is planning smoking/grilling for the triad of holidays Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year. Have kids coming for possibly a couple of the holidays and if weather cooperates I want to possibly try something new/different so whatcha doing? I know smoked deviled eggs are already requested and if I need to order something because you tempted me I want to have time to get it.
Easy appetizer suggestion would be smoked cream cheese (add a sweet heat rub to top/sides) with jalapeño/hot pepper jelly & Wheat Thins or your favorite crackers. Here be a link to the recipe I follow although he offers a different top sauce:
We're doing Thanksgiving for my side of family on Saturday Smoking Pork butt Ribs Whole chicken Something different if never done before is loaded smoked baked potatoes. Smoke em whole for a while, the cut load up with favorite goodies (bacon cheese butter) then smoke them some more
calling SKEETER , he'd be the one with some different things for you. I know that turkey is coming up but after that not sure.
I make the deviled eggs like usual. Then I place them on a rack in the smoker while it is cold. I then get my chips pan heated with a torch til they are smoking well. I then put them on my burner in the smoker and turn the burner on at its lowest setting. Give them 20-30 minutes of smoke and pull them. If the eggs get too warm they get rubbery and when they are smoked just right the whites get just a little firmer. Let them cool, and as they are cooling I sprinkle half with smoked paprika and the other half with parsley flakes-it gives them a nice festive look and people can pick if they don't care for one flavor. Once cool I place in a Tupperware overnight to let the smoke mellow. The following day they are amazing and you would swear there is a hint of bacon flavor with the smoke. A few never make it that long.
Get a brisket Brine/ cure it. Have corned beef and smoked cabbage. then smoke the other half and have pastrami with smoked Swiss
Nuts, hard and soft cheeses, salt, onions that will be used in cooking the same or next day. Try white fleshed fish, everyone smokes salmon but white fish is exceptionally good smoked. Rockfish, halibut, actual whitefish, albacore, just go slow and super low heat since they don’t have much natural oil. Owl
Excellent suggestions Owl! Without rabbit-holing a search on temps, what range are we talking about in terms of “low?” I wanted to ask my dad 5 years ago, but then he went and left the earth with a single shot…
My preferred way. Brine of choice(simple), your brine will be the biggest part of the preservation in a slower colder smoke. Definitely less than 125 to start. I try for 60 or less until you can feel it firm up and get the skin on it nice a tight. That skin will hold your moisture and oils then you can *slowly* increase temps to finish around 120 - 130 and timed to the firmness and dryness you like best. Thinner blue-er smoke, take your time and don’t rush. If you’ve ever seen smoked fish with that white-yellowish goo on top, it got too hot to fast, the skin cracked and the oils came out and settled on top. If you want a quick, hot smoked fish, *30 min* buried in rock salt, rinse and pat dry, let air dry for an hour then hot smoke to your preferred dryness about 2 1/2 hours in a traeger style pellet smoker, quick smoked fish after work. Heat cooks to preserve. Good but not nearly as good as the above process. If you can smoke at ambient outside air temps, when it’s below 35 try a stick or two of butter for an hour and a half or so. We smoke all kinds of stuff, daughter likes the smoked butter and smoked salt in her smashed potatoes now and then. People think that because it’s smoked it has to get used up right away. Butter, fish and meats will refreeze, salt will keep in a mason jar, nuts will also freeze because of their oils. Use it as you and your family sees fit. I hold our smoking for this time of year for low to below freezing ambient air temps so I have more control. Be happy you had your Dad as long as you did. Think about the good times and smile. Set a piece of something somewhere out of the way for him to try when you’re done, I do this for a few people I’ve lost along the way. Owl
Well we are done eating and sorry but no pic's. For the smoker part of the menu, we had smoked pulled pork, smoked turkey, smoked cream cheese (first time I made it and it definitely is a do again), and finally smoked deviled eggs. The 2 people who were the most leery when I pulled out the deviled eggs ended up plowing through about half of them. Merry Christmas all!
