Roll Call

smokin monkey · Jan 18, 2016

Crispyferret said:
Hi,
I'm located in Peterborough Cambrigeshire And have been bbq'ing for years but only really learnt to do it properly in the last year or so.
Has been a load of fun, thanks to the bbq pit boys :grilling_smilie: did a nice pork joint roast 2 days before xmas, much to neighbours amusement, turned out top notch :sausage:

Having a problem with rubs and injections, trouble is that i really like doing them but the Dr has told me to watch the 'ol sugar and salt intake.
Just wondering on ideas of what people use that restrict the use of said problems and without using strong flavours that overpower the meat.

Saying that, the brined and injected Turkey this year was the best we have ever done...so good the mrs wants another one for easter, gonna be tough to get that again without the forbidden ingredients me thinks.

I also brew my own beer which comes in handy for cooking pit beans :drool

Cheers

Hi Crispy, Welcome to our "Family" and "Addiction"

Plenty of good folk on here, ask any questions you can think of, and you will get your answers.

We have had our 2nd UK Smokes weekend, where members attend and cooked over the weekend, dates and plans are already in place for 2016. Please use the link below to view the website.

http://www.uk-smf.co.uk

Smokin Monkey [emoji]133660013031[/emoji]

wade · Jan 18, 2016

Hi Crispyferret and welcome to SMF.

There are a growing number of fellow UK BBQ/smoking enthusiasts on the forum and we also have the benefit of the vast experience of our friends from the USA and elsewhere. The forum is all about sharing knowledge and experiences and from your introduction I think you will be able to contribute positively right from the start. Although there is a lot of discussion about BBQ hot smoking here there are also a lot of other passions - like cold smoking and sous vide. You will also get a lot of good advice on food safety here. The forum follows the USDA guidelines, however they are very similar in most respects to the UK.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask and please do not be afraid to share your experience with other where you think it will help. We do like photos on here so don't forget to include them regularly.

smokewood · Jan 18, 2016

Hiya Crispyferret, welcome to the forum.

There are other substitutes that you can use instead of salt & sugar, Lo Salt is one of the alternatives and has a lot less sodium in than regular salt. As for sugar you want to use sweeteners from the Stevia plant, the product is called Truvia and you can cook and bake with it. Both products mentioned above can be found in your local supermarkets.

hope this helps

crispyferret · Jan 18, 2016

Hi, and thanks for the welcomes.

I have seen the lo-salt and plastic sugars but out of the ones i have attempted to try none have been close to acceptable..(plastic sugar anyway) not tried plastic salt yet. I just cannot stand the taste at all.
Looking for alternative recipies that avoid salt and sugar if possible, I love garlic but it can overpower the meat if over used.
Guessing no salt butter injections will be fine, but what to put in with it..
Previously I was using various fruit juices and beer but this is not gonna go down well with the Dr.

On another note...I often freeze my meat with the rubs applied and then defrost, I find it draws the rub deep into the meat. Never seen mention of this method in the places I have looked...either that or I'm blind, am I doing something wrong here?
I know some say frozen meat is not the same as fresh, but with the flavours and other gubbins applied I can't say it has made any difference to me as long as it's quality meat to begin with.

Cheers

smokin monkey · Jan 19, 2016

Crispyferret said:
Hi, and thanks for the welcomes.

I have seen the lo-salt and plastic sugars but out of the ones i have attempted to try none have been close to acceptable..(plastic sugar anyway) not tried plastic salt yet. I just cannot stand the taste at all.
Looking for alternative recipies that avoid salt and sugar if possible, I love garlic but it can overpower the meat if over used.
Guessing no salt butter injections will be fine, but what to put in with it..
Previously I was using various fruit juices and beer but this is not gonna go down well with the Dr.

On another note...I often freeze my meat with the rubs applied and then defrost, I find it draws the rub deep into the meat. Never seen mention of this method in the places I have looked...either that or I'm blind, am I doing something wrong here?
I know some say frozen meat is not the same as fresh, but with the flavours and other gubbins applied I can't say it has made any difference to me as long as it's quality meat to begin with.

Cheers

Hi Crispy, had a quick search on net for natural sugars, http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9825/the-5-best-natural-substitutes-for-sugar.html

Never tried flavouring meat then freezing to see if the flavours intensifies, but if salt is added, it would act like curing as the salt is absorb into the meat, taking any added flavours with it.

baz senior · Jan 19, 2016

HI Crispyferret, welcome to the forum.

It might be worth trying a vac packer, apparently you have to be careful about how much spice/salt/sugar you put on a product, as it is drawn into it. That might reduce the amount you need to use without compromising on flavour.

primer · Jan 21, 2016

Hi Guys

Just dropping in from Somerset UK

Been grilling on a combination of Weber kettle, Weber Q120, Go Anywhere charcoal and a 5 burner gas and god knows how many other bbqs over the last 15-20 years also built my own Tandoor oven a couple of years ago.

Did a couple of the Weber day courses a few years back (Thrill of the grill part 1 & 2) and now looking into venturing into smoking a bit more in depth than I have been doing on the Weber so I will be pestering people for some advice. I'm doing the (River cottage smoking and curing course in a couple of weeks time, hoping that will give me a bit more knowledge on traditional cold smoking.

I spent my younger years in catering, started working in a pub at 14, then to a 4 star hotel then went on to study Btec national diploma in hotel and catering operations and spent 14 or so years before I'd had enough of long hours and poor pay, then I was an auditor in the hotel and licensed trade for 7 years, pay was much better but hours ended up worse than catering, now got a nice desk job.

Anyway I'm just trying to decide on what type of smoker to get, due to time constraints I'm looking for almost a set and forget smoker that I don't have to continually tend to so I can get on with other stuff (chores etc) and I was almost sold on the idea of a Bradley 4 shelf until I came across the GMG DB wood pellet grill, I will be looking to do both hot and cold smoking of the usual ribs, pork, brisket, chicken etc and cold smoking my own bacon, salmon and haddock etc, so any advice greatfully received in helping me with my decision.

Cheers

Simon

smokin monkey · Jan 21, 2016

Primer said:
Hi Guys

Just dropping in from Somerset UK

Been grilling on a combination of Weber kettle, Weber Q120, Go Anywhere charcoal and a 5 burner gas and god knows how many other bbqs over the last 15-20 years also built my own Tandoor oven a couple of years ago.

Did a couple of the Weber day courses a few years back (Thrill of the grill part 1 & 2) and now looking into venturing into smoking a bit more in depth than I have been doing on the Weber so I will be pestering people for some advice. I'm doing the (River cottage smoking and curing course in a couple of weeks time, hoping that will give me a bit more knowledge on traditional cold smoking.

I spent my younger years in catering, started working in a pub at 14, then to a 4 star hotel then went on to study Btec national diploma in hotel and catering operations and spent 14 or so years before I'd had enough of long hours and poor pay, then I was an auditor in the hotel and licensed trade for 7 years, pay was much better but hours ended up worse than catering, now got a nice desk job.

Anyway I'm just trying to decide on what type of smoker to get, due to time constraints I'm looking for almost a set and forget smoker that I don't have to continually tend to so I can get on with other stuff (chores etc) and I was almost sold on the idea of a Bradley 4 shelf until I came across the GMG DB wood pellet grill, I will be looking to do both hot and cold smoking of the usual ribs, pork, brisket, chicken etc and cold smoking my own bacon, salmon and haddock etc, so any advice greatfully received in helping me with my decision.

Cheers

Simon

Hi Simon, once again welcome to the forum and especially the UK side. I am sure Wade & Kiska will give you their views on the GMG machines.

wade · Jan 22, 2016

Hi Simon - I have started a new thread for you here with some information to consider

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/241254/welcome-primer

Cheers

Wade

kiska95 · Jan 23, 2016

Hey Crispy try ANCHOVIES as an alternative to salt!

baz senior · Jan 23, 2016

It might be wise to have a look at what the stated sodium content is for the Anchovies you are using, it looks like some of them are extremely high for the canned ones.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/526038-nutrition-facts-for-anchovy-fillets-in-oil/

crispyferret · Jan 24, 2016

Thanks for the suggestions Thumbs Up

I want to try to avoid using salt and sugar altogether if possible, but i guess a little lo-salt might be ok-ish, never been a salt fan anyway.

After going through some of the threads on the main site I have found a couple of rubs from people with the same issue so will be trying, and adapting those to see how things go.

Kids are not over excited though, as they like my cola pork :drool

On the plus side..since dumping sugar I have droped a stone..happy days :yahoo:

wade · Jan 24, 2016

Just be careful about using some of the artificial sweeteners as they can leave quite a bitter taste when they are used in cooking. Try them first on something that does not matter too much.

crispyferret · Jan 24, 2016

You'll never catch me using plastic sweetener in anything, can't touch the stuff at all, amazes me how anyone can drink/eat that crap and say it's nice.

smokin monkey · Jan 31, 2016

Crispyferret said:
You'll never catch me using plastic sweetener in anything, can't touch the stuff at all, amazes me how anyone can drink/eat that crap and say it's nice.

Hi Crispy, you might be intrested in this, I read it on a Nutrition Website.
While all the sugars listed above are best avoided, NONE of them are as bad or toxic as artificial sweeteners. I don’t say this lightly and took two years out of my life to carefully research this topic for my bestselling book on the topic – Sweet Deception. So if you must have soda, regular is superior to diet for all the reasons I discuss on the site and in my book.

Many people ask about Splenda, Equal or Nutrasweet (Aspartame). These artificial sweeteners need to be eliminated. There are more adverse reactions to Nutrasweet reported to the FDA than all other foods and additives combined. In certain individuals, it can have devastating consequences. You should also avoid artificial chemicals like MSG.

If you are healthy you can use a few teaspoons of succanat, or better yet, dextrose (pure glucose with no fructose) intermittently. Natural Stevia is also a safe, natural alternative. It is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and has virtually no calories. Some don’t like its taste, but other than that it is nearly the ideal sweetener.

crispyferret · Jan 31, 2016

Thanks for your interest in this 'ere sugar dilemma I am in Smokin Monkey Thumbs Up

Always knew that plastic stuff was no good, I'm thankful that I cannot stomach it at all.
I've seen that stevia stuff in the shops but looking at the price of it, that's where it's staying :biggrin: I have been messing about in the kitchen trying come up with alternatives, been fun.
Did a pork joint a few days ago using an injection I mixed up with ingredients from the local chinese supermarket, also a rub of olive oil plus a few herbs and spices worked wonders, the only salt/sugar was from a small splash of light soy sauce and rice wine.

Who needs the sticky stuff :yahoo:

baz senior · Feb 1, 2016

I was going to suggest Agave Nectar, until I read this.

http://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/the-skinny-on-agave-syrup#1

But it does put Stevia in a better light if you can deal with the taste, at least it's natural.

davey6 · Feb 9, 2016

Hey all,

Just figuring out how to build my own UDS!

Probably will get a pit controller at some stage too!

smokin monkey · Feb 9, 2016

Hi Davey, use the search option for "UDS Build" plenty of people have built them.

You will not go wrong with one of these, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bbq-autom...109850?hash=item3ab9d9019a:g:wUUAAOSwkZhWRDqU

davey6 · Feb 10, 2016

Thanks!

I also stuck up a post about pit controllers and got a list of ones to look at...

Cannot wait for some decent Q!

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