Marking Smoked Items for Identification?

[deke dirt]

Kind sirs,

I was thinking about having an all-fowl/gamebird smokedown, but it occurred to me that, when the smoke clears, I might not be able to tell the pheasant from the duck from the etc.

Any ideas how I can mark everything so's I can tell what's what?

Thanks,

Derek

 

[pineywoods]

I find sometimes I use toothpicks to identify things and other times I just use their position in the smoker to keep track of which is which. With Dutch's Wicked Baked Beans I use pineapple rings on the top of the spicy version to make it appear different than the non spicy version I make

 

[shooterrick]

I have a small cast iron branding iron with my initials.  HMMMM!

 

[deke dirt]

I have a small cast iron branding iron with my initials.  HMMMM!

Very interesting, I think you're going to have to provide more details on this custom brand!  Don't complain, you started it!

I find sometimes I use toothpicks to identify things and other times I just use their position in the smoker to keep track of which is which. With Dutch's Wicked Baked Beans I use pineapple rings on the top of the spicy version to make it appear different than the non spicy version I make.

Toothpicks is a good idea: I should have mentioned, I have a (round) water smoker, so I wouldn't be able to, say, remember I put the chicken breast in the upper rack, left corner!  After a few beers, the tendency to remember I put the quail by the handle to the left of the door would slowly slip away...

 

[cliffcarter]

Are you cooking parts or whole birds? You can probably tell which is which by size and shape if you cook whole birds.