# Greetings from Saudi Arabia



## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

Hello everyone

     I've been following the forum for a few years now, great community and a lot of great info and tips.

I was a smoking enthusist until around a couple of years ago where I decided to turn it into a mini bussniess as there were no smokehouses in my country.

Working with the most unefeccient offset barrel smoker (no other options available, nor anyone who can custom make one from a tank)

Happy to have joined


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## crazymoon (Jan 17, 2018)

HMQ, Welcome and enjoy this great site!


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

crazymoon said:


> HMQ, Welcome and enjoy this great site!



Thanks

Sure will


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## SmokinAl (Jan 17, 2018)

Welcome to SMF!
Glad to have you with us!
Al


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## bluewhisper (Jan 17, 2018)

Welcome to the board! What woods are  available for smoking there?


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## PerazziMx14 (Jan 17, 2018)

Please remove


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## indaswamp (Jan 17, 2018)

What kind of meats do you smoke over there in Saudi Arabia? Lamb? Mutton? Beef? 
Anything more exotic?


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## Bearcarver (Jan 17, 2018)

Welcome HMQ !! :)
Glad you joined us!!

Bear


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

Thanks everybody for the warmest welcome ever


bluewhisper said:


> Welcome to the board! What woods are  available for smoking there?


The only type of local wood here is acacia which i dont really like, so i'm sticking with apple and hickory imported from the US.



PerazziMx14 said:


> If you can find someone with some welding skills you can have a offset made out of something as simple as a oil drum or steel tank and some plate steel.
> 
> Or you could build a traditional smoke house with the help with some basic carpentry and/or masonry skills.



Unfortunately i couldn't find anyone who can build an offset smoker. But I sure am thinking about a brick one :)



indaswamp said:


> What kind of meats do you smoke over there in Saudi Arabia? Lamb? Mutton? Beef?
> Anything more exotic?



I usually do beef brisket, chuck, short ribs and chicken. Sometimes lamb shanks or even salmon. might try camel meat next ;)


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## motocrash (Jan 17, 2018)

No Pork  :eek:


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

Hehehe unfortunately no, as it's prohibited in islam to eat pork, so i only get to enjoy it while abroad ;)


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

bluewhisper said:


> Welcome to the board! What woods are  available for smoking there?


Oh and sometimes when i'm lucky oak.

We have weber chips in stores but no chunks and no logs. At least not in my city (which is the capital). Only store that sells logs is in another city and i get it shipped from there


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## motocrash (Jan 17, 2018)

How is the quality of the Halal meat there? Obviously fresh...


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

motocrash said:


> How is the quality of the Halal meat there? Obviously fresh...



Well. It is fresh. But not really that great (i'm talking about beef) the quality varies a lot as there is no grading system or anything like that.
I get most of my meat imported from australia (chilled premium black angus). Canadian AAA is hard to find and for some reason we don't have american meat yet (i think soon they'll start importing from the US)
Lamb on the other hand is mostly good


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## mcokevin (Jan 17, 2018)

HitManQ said:


> Hehehe unfortunately no, as it's prohibited in islam to eat pork, so i only get to enjoy it while abroad ;)



I lived in the UAE for a couple of years and the challenges of getting good pork is what prompted me to get in to smoking meats upon my return to the USA.  I feel your plight, and I'm sure it is much harder (or impossible?) to get pork in Riyadh than Dubai.

Welcome!


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## gary s (Jan 17, 2018)

*







 Good morning and welcome to the forum from a cold, cold day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about everything.*

*Gary*


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

mcokevin said:


> I lived in the UAE for a couple of years and the challenges of getting good pork is what prompted me to get in to smoking meats upon my return to the USA.  I feel your plight, and I'm sure it is much harder (or impossible?) to get pork in Riyadh than Dubai.
> 
> Welcome!



Hehehe you got that right, i think foreigners here buy pork in the black market as if they were buying drugs. Dubai is like vegas to us
Man Mcdonalds had to change the name of "hamburger" to beefburger because some people thought it has something to do with ham not hamburg germany


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

gary s said:


> *
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks Gary


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

smokinal said:


> Welcome to SMF!
> Glad to have you with us!
> Al


Thanks


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## HitManQ (Jan 17, 2018)

crazymoon said:


> HMQ, Welcome and enjoy this great site!


Thank you


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## HitManQ (Jan 24, 2018)

Hey everyone

Indaswamp's question about the types of meat we have here made me smoke a piece of a camel's thigh.

Turned out very similar to a beef chuck, though the piece i found had little marbling. I just wanted to share a few pics (i have a video but i'm not sure how to share that, i'm guessing through a link to another upload site or something.











Cheers


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## Bearcarver (Jan 24, 2018)

Looks Good, HitMan!!-:)---Like.

How'd it Taste???

Bear


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## motocrash (Jan 24, 2018)

Looks great!..I guess...'Cause I don't know what camel is supposed to look likeo_O
Shoulda named the thread "Humpie the Camel" :D


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## HitManQ (Jan 24, 2018)

I also smoked a chuck for pulled beef


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## HitManQ (Jan 24, 2018)

bearcarver said:


> Looks Good, HitMan!!-:)---Like.
> 
> How'd it Taste???
> 
> Bear



Thanks man

A lot like beef


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## HitManQ (Jan 24, 2018)

motocrash said:


> Looks great!..I guess...'Cause I don't know what camel is supposed to look likeo_O
> Shoulda named the thread "Humpie the Camel" :D



i should have :D:D:D
Thanks


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## motocrash (Jan 24, 2018)

HitManQ said:


> i should have
> Thanks


If you've read any of my threads you know I get "creative"o_O:eek::D


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## dls1 (Jan 25, 2018)

Looks great HitMan. Nice job on both the beef and the camel.

I thought SA put a ban on the sale of camel meat a couple years ago because of fears that it was associated with the MERS virus. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe the ban was lifted.

I've had camel a number of times, primarily in Egypt, but also, Syria and the UAE.Maybe it was just the dishes I had camel in but I enjoyed it very much. I also found the flavor superior to the beef that was available. The last time I had camel was around 4 years ago in Abu Dhabi. In one of the restaurants at the hotel I was staying at, The Emirates Palace, the signature item is a camel burger served on a bun glazed with 24K gold flakes. It was served with truffle mayonnaise and a side dish of chickpea fritters dusted with 24K gold. It was actually very good but only something you would find in the Middle East.

Again, great job and good luck with your business venture.


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## oddegan (Jan 25, 2018)

Given a choice I'd rather have a homemade Humpy sandwich from HMQ than a glitter covered fancy burger.


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## Bearcarver (Jan 25, 2018)

oddegan said:


> Given a choice I'd rather have a homemade Humpy sandwich from HMQ than a glitter covered fancy burger.




Me Too, but I've never been to "Yabba-Dabba-Dubai"!!:rolleyes:

Bear


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## HitManQ (Jan 25, 2018)

dls1 said:


> Looks great HitMan. Nice job on both the beef and the camel.
> 
> I thought SA put a ban on the sale of camel meat a couple years ago because of fears that it was associated with the MERS virus. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe the ban was lifted.
> 
> ...



You're right there was a ban but not for too long, i think it was just a few weeks. People here consider camel meat a very huge thing, especially the middle and north regions of KSA.
I mean usually presenting a whole cooked camel over rice is a sign of honor and respect especially to Bedouins.

Yeah i figured stuff like that can only be seen in Dubai or abu Dhabi. Btw did those gold flakes make any difference in taste?

Oh and thanks i really appreciate it :D



oddegan said:


> Given a choice I'd rather have a homemade Humpy sandwich from HMQ than a glitter covered fancy burger.



anytime you're in KSA i'll be happy to make you as much as you want ;):D


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## mcokevin (Jan 26, 2018)

dls1 said:


> The last time I had camel was around 4 years ago in Abu Dhabi. In one of the restaurants at the hotel I was staying at, The Emirates Palace, the signature item is a camel burger served on a bun glazed with 24K gold flakes. It was served with truffle mayonnaise and a side dish of chickpea fritters dusted with 24K gold. It was actually very good but only something you would find in the Middle East.



Only in the UAE! lol.


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## dls1 (Jan 26, 2018)

HitManQ said:


> You're right there was a ban but not for too long, i think it was just a few weeks. People here consider camel meat a very huge thing, especially the middle and north regions of KSA.
> I mean usually presenting a whole cooked camel over rice is a sign of honor and respect especially to Bedouins.
> 
> Yeah i figured stuff like that can only be seen in Dubai or abu Dhabi. Btw did those gold flakes make any difference in taste?
> ...


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## HitManQ (Jan 26, 2018)

Hehehe yeah that is insane, i can't even come up with a name for that, camgofichicricegg :D:D:D:D. And yeah me niether, and i'm saudi :p

Seriously a mini gold bar vending machine, as if the "small" part makes any difference :D:D

What is really good here, at least in my opinion is a whole lamb on rice, aka "mufatah" now that's tasty and is a must in any major social event:cool:

Btw here is a picture of a whole camel on rice (i've never eaten one btw)






And here's the whole lamb


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