Recent content by slotown

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
  1. slotown

    Dried Beef Step by Step (Great Stuff)

    Thanks for posting this. I too have his index bookmarked and follow his methods closely. Prayers for his family.
  2. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    This is the only way I eat ham. I only do it once a year. I absolutely detest spiral cut and store-bought hams. I vacuum pack the remainder and consume it throughout the year. I usually run out in early December and I start all over.
  3. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    2021 Cook - 24lb ham - 4:00 PM smoker set to 150 with ham in - 4:00 AM set smoker to 175, refresh pellets - 8:00 AM set smoker to 195 - at 1:00 PM internal meat temp 152 degrees, bumped smoker to 200 - 3:00 PM set smoker to 225 to get meat to 165 - 4:30PM internal temp Is 162. Turned smoker off...
  4. slotown

    BACON (Extra Smoky)

    I do a partial vacuum on mine. I find the vacuum seal is better than a ziploc bag. I do keep it loose with partial air so the juices can flow everywhere.
  5. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    Dave, I have been making this for new years for the past three years. My wife looks forward to this every year as her favorite cook. I usually read this entire thread to remember how to do this once a year cook. This year I decided to consolidate all the pieces into a single post. I think...
  6. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    Thanks! Cut it off the bone today. 13 freezer bags each about 1 1/2 pound. I'm set for awhile. Wait, that's what I said about Bears extra smoky bacon a while back....
  7. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    Yes it was much closer. But you could also tell it came from a different muscle group as well. Maybe getting up into the shoulder area? I'm not an expert on pig anatomy, so I don't really know.
  8. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    Thanks! We ate about 3 lbs of the 22. Swing by I can help you out. I will definitely do this again but hopefully throttle back to 12-15 lbs.
  9. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    The flavor was better than expected. My baseline was 40 years of store bought hams, then glazing them and warming them up. This had no added glaze, just the smoke and OK I did use turkey broth from our Thanksgiving dinner. I really did not expect the bold flavor straight from the smoker. It...
  10. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    BTW, I use a mailbox mod for the smoke pellets and one of those little rat maze gizmos. Filled the gizmo up three times. The pellets were beech and I ran the smoke for all 24 hours.
  11. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    Glad I used the stocking. It would have ripped right out of the hook without it. This meat was so tender. Note the cross-hatching. The skin was so thick I was afraid it would block all the smoke. Glad I scored it before the smoke. The skin rectangles pop off like puzzle pieces. The...
  12. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    At 1:00 PM, magic time it hit 165 internal. Oohhhh. Isn't she pretty? Wife was shopping so I cut the temp back to 130 and let it coast till 4:30 PM. Today was cold with temp high at 42 degrees. The ham cooled to about 140.
  13. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    So after nine days in the cure into the stocking, it went. Almost an oops here. I purchased the 36" stocking. Needed the 46". The beast barely fit: Note how nice and clean the wood is. 24 hours later it has that great looking patina. I set the MES on 200 at 12:30 on Sunday. I figured...
  14. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    Dave, 1st thank you for all your great help and encouragement. When I got home with that 22lb beast I was initially quite overwhelmed. Wasnt really sure what I got into. Oh well, go big or go home... After injecting the cure I discovered I did not have a sandwich bag big enough to fit the...
  15. slotown

    HAM from fresh picnics.. update 10/21 ... MONEY ..

    Thanks. Local Publics had fresh whole ham shanks on sale for $1.49/lb. I bought one - it's a monster at 22lbs. I doubled your cure ingredients. I plan on letting it cure for 9 full days just in case. I may cut the skin off before the smoke. Skins really thick I had to slam the syringe in...
Clicky