The Benefits of Smoking Your Own Meat
While I have mixed memories of my time living in Texas, one of the passions I picked up while there was the passion for smoked meats. It’s been kind of a crazy summer and I haven’t pulled the smoker out of the garage very often this year. Even the neighbors had started to notice.
Just a few comments to and from the mailbox or taking the trash out suggesting that the neighborhood didn’t smell like Tennessee very often anymore.
Now if the truth be told, while I’m living by the letter of the law, it may not be what was intended by the neighborhood association. The “rules” say only gas grills on decks and patios so I pull the smoker out on the driveway. (I read the rules from cover to cover. Twice. Nothing about driveways.)
Oh, by the way, for those of you interested in the great bacon experiment here’s an update: Hormel is safe for the moment. I give it a B to B – though it did get positive reviews from fellow pork aficionado Nick. (He’s got an interesting blog, so I’d recommend you check it out at: http://factmeetsfiction.wordpress.com/). Successful enough that I’m preparing more for the big Labor Day camping trip with my little brother and his family.
One of the great benefits of smoking your own meat is that it forces you to slow down – at least for the day. It’s not something that can be rushed. It’s not a meet and greet but a committed relationship. Nothing good comes fast.
It took me a while but I’ve learned the secret of the fire. Frankly, it’s the difference between quality and a wasted day. I pull the car out of the garage and park it in the visitor’s section of the complex and then comes the smoker out of the garage. It’s only a one car garage so it’s a bit like a puzzle getting everything to fit in and out.
I love the natural charcoal. Not because it costs more or it’s “greener” but because it provides a consistent heat and it doesn’t add any unnatural flavors to the meat. I always have a variety of wood chunks on hand to flavor the smoke appropriately but for today’s efforts, it has to be hickory.
The night before I’ve added my proprietary spice rub to both the brisket and the pork butt and rubbed it in. (Insert your own inappropriate comment here.) Now it’s resting on the counter getting to room temperature before landing on the smoker.
Once on the smoker, it’s there for the next 10 to 12 hours. Not going anywhere today. A camp chair and table in the garage holds me and a drink and a book or the paper. And this is benefit one of smoking your own meat.
You see, as the meat smokes gently over the next few hours my only concern is to ensure that the temperature is hovering around 250 to 300 degrees and there’s nice smoke coming across the food. And for the next few hours I feel the troubles of the world leave my shoulders and hitch a ride on the coattails of the smoke coming from the smoker and floating down the street.
Now I get caught up on the events of the week or lost in a good book. Because, as Emeril would put it, “as the meat gets happy,” so do I.
The only thing better than smoking your own meat is what you do after it’s been smoked. You eat it.
I must say that the most recent effort was a delicious success. There’s nothing better than slicing into a brisket, seeing that beautiful smoke ring and having the meat melt in your mouth. It makes me very happy that I’m not a vegetarian. The only thing left to do? Head to bed relaxed, refreshed and ready to face the challenges of another day.
Cooking up Ideas 