# First fatties ans not impressed?



## pandemonium (Aug 11, 2009)

i pretty much went and bought a smoker just to make a fatty after seeing all the ones on here i had to try, but i am not wanting to make another one. i will post pics soon anyway i overcooked a little bit. i made a pizza one and a taco one pizza one had meatballs pepperoni,onions,mozzarella cheese,pizza sauce and black olives inside wrapped in a bacon weave anyway you cant taste the bacon on the outside? is that normal? just wasn't what i thought they were gonna be like? can anyone help me with a temp probe so i don't overcook anymore? is there a good article on thermometers because i see pics on here and some people have it shoved in a potato? any help would be great thanks. ohh i have the gourmet brinkman charcoal smoker
Gary


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## forluvofsmoke (Aug 11, 2009)

Hi Gary! Welcome to the forum! You may want to drop by roll call and tell us a bit about your cooking experience and equipment. That will halp others who wish to lend you some help in the future so they can pull you up by name and refresh their memory.

About the temps: the stock thermometers on most smokers are not very accurate out of the box, so you need to verify the temp reading with another accurate temp gauge or digital thermometer.

The smoker you have can be modified from it's stock configuration to get alot better temp control and more even rack temps...this info is found in the charcoal smoker threads. I just did several searches for mods and came up with alot of hits here...pretty broad, but narrowed it down to 16 threads with this search:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...earchid=257030

Don't get frustrated though, the first time anyone uses any smoker will carry a learning curve. You need to find out what makes the smoker happy (how it likes to run). The mods are always benificial and worth taking the time to do.

The basics to smoking can't be learned overnight...you need some time and a little practice.

The fatties probably aren't the easiest thing to smoke straight out of the gate. Something smaller and simpler like chicken pieces won't take as long and won't try your patience so much either.

Jeff's free 5 day ecourse: http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse.html will help you get alot better understanding of how the basics of smoking come together to help you create great Bbq.

Don't give up! We'll get you headed down the right path towards successful smokes. When you have an idea for a smoke that you want to try out next, just give a shout and someone will come and give you a hand and help you put it all together. That's what we're here for...

Eric


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## scottyaz (Aug 11, 2009)

Don't get too frustrated.  I've made a couple fatties and still struggle with getting them "Just right".

Like forluvofsmoke said, you have to "get to know" your smoker and how it cooks and things will get better.

Smoking is like a marrage, it has it ups and it's downs, and those times you want to break something.  But it gets better and better with time.

Welcome and I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing about more smokes in the future!


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## fire it up (Aug 11, 2009)

What exactly was it you didn't like/expect from the fattie?
The bacon, well it has a little flavor but by no means does it have that "cooked in a skillet bacony goodness" when wrapped around a fattie.
Also, a fattie doesn't need to be stuffed, basically it is only a chub of sausage smoked but stuffed fatties are all the rage.
Was it overly smoky, not smoky enough, did the ingredients not work well?
If you have any left try this, sometime cut off a slice, reheat it in a hot skillet and try it on a fresh biscuit with some eggs and cheese, see how well that works out for you.
Maybe fatties just aren't your thing but I have yet to meet someone who hasn't loved them so maybe there is something that just needs a slight adjustment.


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## hilbillyinca (Aug 11, 2009)

I have to say, my first fatty was awesome. The several I've done since then have me being a little more critical. 

The thing I don't particularly care for regarding fatties is the dense texture of the sausage after pressing it flat for the roll.  I like my breakfast sausage in with the consistency of a hand formed patty.

That being said, I just a post from Ducksndogs at http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...threadid=80326 for a fatty pie.  Now THIS looks awesome.

I'm doing a KCBS competition this weekend and expect to give this a shot for Sunday morning breakfast.  I think by using a pie tin, I can form the "crust" and top crust with a little less pressure.  

I think "TheDudeAbides" mentioned perhaps poking holes in the pie tin, so the grease can drain out and the pie would not need to be removed from the tin.  This sounds like the way to go for me.
I'll be putting up q view from the comp and definitely of this fatty pie when I do it!


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## forluvofsmoke (Aug 11, 2009)

If you are seriously considering a pie, may I suggest you have a look through the methods here...they work very well, with repeatable results.
They're progressive, so follow them through to the end and read the tips along the way:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=78356

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=77100

PM me, or post your ?'s on the thread if you like...either way I'll help you get started.

Enjoy!

Eric


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## pandemonium (Aug 11, 2009)

just thought for the money and all it wasnt that great? i did 3 racks of baby backs the week before and they were awesome. i like all the ingrediants of the different fatties maybe just not my thing?
i will try another one sometime. i had a chicken sittin under the fatties and let me tell you that was the best chicken ever, came out perfect


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## pandemonium (Aug 11, 2009)

thanks for the links


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## athabaskar (Aug 11, 2009)

Pandemonium, maybe sausage for a fattie is just not your cup of tea. Try ground beef flavored the way you like it, turkey, or even chicken. Something is bound to ring your bell. My favorite ever was venison. 

You can even try smoked sausage as an ingredient in another dish. Queso dip with Rotelle tomatoes and smoked sausage is a hit in my house every time.


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## mballi3011 (Aug 11, 2009)

First off the bacon on the fattie is only there not really so much for taste it's more help to keep it from falling or busting apart with alot of stuffings. You might get alittle flavor. Like Fire said fatties might not be your thing but don't give up on them yet. Try a differant meat Hamburger, Venison, turkey, or even chicken. As far as your temp probe questions first thing is you need at least 2 one for the smoker (cause the factory one are always wrong) that is where you see them poked in a potatoe or block of wood. Then you need one for the meat or what ever you are smoking. Always remember we smoke by temp not time except for spare ribs everything else is by temp. So don't give up keep tring and you will soon be happy you didn't quit.


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## fmcowboy (Aug 11, 2009)

pandemonium:

Don't get discourged. I do have a couple of tips as I just made my second fattie this weekend and it was also awesome. Ok for a stuffed fattie, stick a digital temperature probe into the center (filling) of the fattie and smoke until it reaches 165 degrees. Pull that bad boy, let rest for 10-15 minutes, then slice and enjoy. Using a temperature gauge is the smartest thing I ever did. Only started since smoking a few weeks a couple of months ago and everything has come out perfectly cooked. It tells you when it's perfect. You can get a good digital temperature probe for around $15 at Walmart or the likes. 

Now the potato thing. As others mentioned, the temp probe built into smokers isn't very accurate (a lot of times they run to cool to what the actual is, sometimes the other way) Again you can use that Walmart or similar digital temperature probe or a second one to monitor you smoker temps, not the meat temp, the smoking chamber temp. People stick them through a potato or the like to keep it suspended for more accurate reading as opposed to hanging in space or layed on the metal surface.

Of ocurse you can spend more money on more expensive probes or even wireless probes (scored me a nice one on WOOT.com earlier this week for $20, even lights up and talks LOL.) Or do what I have been doing for wireless, have my daughter go and check and tell me what it says. LOL

Hope this helps!!!  Give it one more try. :)


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## mistabob (Aug 11, 2009)

If you can't taste the bacon, you could always make a bacontastic fattie like mine:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=79359

;)

Anyway, smoking food is tricky business. The first two times I tried smoking meat were both on pork ribs... and they both were compete failures. Just takes practice.  As far as fatties go, the ratios of ingredients seems to be tricky to get where you want it, and the bacon weave on the outside doesn't add as much flavor as say cooking something in a skillet with that much bacon clearly would. Just keep experimenting and eventually you'll be hooked.  Most people end up loving fatties once they get one just right.  Plus, they look impressive to people who are over for dinner.


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## planeguy (Aug 12, 2009)

Keep Tryin - Smoking Food is something I always try to improve on. I experiment with new ideas and try to out do myself.

My 1st smoke was a disaster...I tried to do ribs, had a massive fire in my ECB and peeled all the paint off it. 

Everyone on SMF has helped me one way or another and they are always looking to help.


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## jerseyhunter (Aug 12, 2009)

Try a regular breakfast fattie ...JD sausage, cheddar cheese green peppers and onions.  My first pizza fattie wasn't what I expected, and I used Italian  sausage not breakfast.  And I don't wrap in bacon, I start it out in a pan for an hour than remove and turn upside down on the grates to complete the smoke. Good Luck and never surennder, never give up.


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## thestealth (Aug 12, 2009)

Tough too say.  I loved my first fatty, but oddly enough, it tasted better the second day than the first...kinda like chilli.


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## curious aardvark (Aug 12, 2009)

Wow that's tragic. 

Okay, bacon weaves are only necessary if you are buying in your sausage meat (store sausage meat is very high in fat, water and salt and doesn't hold together well - plus in my opinion it tastes like crap). 
Make your own and you can put the bacon where it belongs - on the inside of the fatty !

My basic fatty/sausage meat mix: 
use lean pork shoulder or country style 'ribs' (pork shoulder steaks.

for every pound of pork shoulder add: 
1 heaped tsp mixed herbs
1 level tsp salt (or 1/2 tsp heaped)
1/4 tsp cbp
1 tbs porridge oats (quaker oats fine)

Chop the pork into smallish cubes, discard any obvious lumps of fat (but no need to get carried away). 
Mix in seasonings and oats. 
Either grind through a coarse grid or use a food processor to grind/chop the mix into sausage meat. 
Rest it in the fridge for an hour or two before making the fatty. 
This also makes excellent breakfast sausage.

This sausage mix will hold firm, won't shrink or be dry - I've never wrapped in bacon and never got a blowout.  
Once you've made it a few times you can adjust seasoning or add any other seasoning you like. 

The oats act as moisture retention and binding agent - so you don't need to add water or fat to keep it succulent. They also reduce cholesterol, but that's just a cool side effect and not why I use them :-) 

I usually roll 1lb fatties (ie ilb sausage meat per fatty) - these take 2 hours at 200f. I always use a temp probe (fantast from ikea are great and only about $7). But I've got a mate who does them in the oven at 200 for 2 hours :-)

An excellent basic filling that works well with this sausage meat mix:
chop sweet pepper and oinion and saute in butter. Add crispy chopped bacon and a sharp cheddar, season well with cbp and paprika. mix it all up and use to stuff fatty.





I use a low fat cheddar because it doesn't melt away like a full fat cheddar - so the filling tatstes better :-) 


If you don't like that with home made sausage meat - then we can conclude that fatty's just ain't for you :-)


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## pandemonium (Aug 22, 2009)




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## thebattman (Oct 22, 2009)

some folks don't care for the fatties with lots of extra stuffing.  I have found that a more basic fattie - maybe some cheese and carmelized onions and maybe soem hash browns are about enough.  I am not as big of a fan of the pizza, taco, or other fatties.  And I have found that I really love just taking a chub of sausage, throwing a little of my rub on the outside (not too much), and putting in the smoker while I am doing other meats... is about my favorite of all - and it doesn't get much easier.

Also - the type/flavor of sausage you use can make a huge difference.  Somewhat surprisingly, the one that has worked best for me is the Kroger value brand - their cheap-o breakfast sausage seems to have just the right blend of fat and not too much spice - picks up the smoke great and tastes awesome after the smoke.

Also - for a change of pace, try the Jimmy Dean branded sausage in "Maple" - very good and neat flavor when smoked.


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## catlike4 (Oct 22, 2009)

Where can I find the recipe for fattys? I would like to know what are used, I'll be using regular ground pork and making my own sausage but lost the list of ingredients when my computer crashed.


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