[deepsouth]

You have really nice lighting in your kitchen, or is that the camera?

Food looks great too.

the camera is an iphone 4.  i don't know much about cameras, but we put a lot of time and thought into the lighting in our house when we designed it and we had a lighting specialist assist us in how many and what type.  she probably did a good job.

[jeffy]

I set up my smoker yesterday for a big club event and smoked a bunch of malts for different folks, but also smoked some cheese and some whole hops.  The hops smelled fantastic and went into a hop back for a hoppy smoked amber ale.

The cheese was fantastic.  I cold smoked some sharp cheddar, some mozzarella and some sliced havarti all for about an hour over pecan wood chip smoke.  I don't think I've ever tasted cheese as delicious as that havarti.

<edit to change the type of cheese from muenster to havarti>

[bluesman]

i seasoned this fish with olive oil, dizzy pig shakin' the tree and tsunami spin along with some sea salt.  crab stuffed potatoes...

Very nice!

I also like to grill salmon after marinating in a honey bourbon teriaki sauce. I get the grill as hot as I can get it and sear the fish direct. The caramelized outer layer really lends itself well to the fish.  It is fantastic! I'll try to post pics the next time I grill it.

[deepsouth]

tuna, sea salt, sesame seeds....

[markaberrant]

I also like to grill salmon after marinating in a honey bourbon teriaki sauce. I get the grill as hot as I can get it and sear the fish direct. The caramelized outer layer really lends itself well to the fish.  It is fantastic! I'll try to post pics the next time I grill it.

This is a real easy and super tasty marinade for salmon that glazes up nicely:

3/4c maple syrup (I have also used honey)
1/4c soy sauce
a touch of sesame oil

Apply a generous amount of coarsely ground, fresh black pepper before grilling. 

[markaberrant]

Anyone made their own pastrami before?  I was thinking of trying it, and then possibly steam in beer to serve.  Our club has a potluck coming up in Feb, and you have to incorporate beer into the dish, so this was an idea that popped in my head.

So I started my pastrami yesterday.  Went with this recipe - http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pastrami.html, but swapped the tenderquick out for salt and more sugar.

I'll smoke it with pecan wood on Wednesday.  Should be interesting.

One thing I was trying to figure out is the difference between pastrami and Montreal Smoked Meat.  I read some really awful and lengthy discussions on the chowhound forums, but I think the general consensus (not that one could be gleaned) is that MSM is made with a dry cure, and pastrami is made with a wet cure.  So maybe I am making MSM, I really don't know.  Or care.  As long as it is good.

[hamiltont]

Anyone made their own pastrami before?  I was thinking of trying it, and then possibly steam in beer to serve.  Our club has a potluck coming up in Feb, and you have to incorporate beer into the dish, so this was an idea that popped in my head.

So I started my pastrami yesterday.  Went with this recipe - http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pastrami.html, but swapped the tenderquick out for salt and more sugar.

I'll smoke it with pecan wood on Wednesday.  Should be interesting.

One thing I was trying to figure out is the difference between pastrami and Montreal Smoked Meat.  I read some really awful and lengthy discussions on the chowhound forums, but I think the general consensus (not that one could be gleaned) is that MSM is made with a dry cure, and pastrami is made with a wet cure.  So maybe I am making MSM, I really don't know.  Or care.  As long as it is good.

That looks like it should work. I cheat & just buy Corned Beef (It's cheap around Saint Patrick's Day), rinse it, give it a good coating of fresh coarse black pepper & coriander (run that through the pepper mill 1st) & smoke with hickory. Tastes great but I'm really interested in how this turns out. Cheers!!!

[tschmidlin]

I've been doing more cheese smoking, and it's generally turning out great.  The latest batch is a mix of cherry/hickory, and it's really nice.  I've been having trouble with the smokinlicious cherry dust, it just won't stay lit by itself.  I've been in touch with them and they are helping me trouble shoot, but it's still not going yet.

I bought some other dust from Maine Grilling Woods, but I haven't tried it yet.  I got a sampler pack, it comes with packages of 10 different woods.  Each package is about 185 grams give or take, although the cedar was only 63 grams.  The total was 1687 grams, including the weight of the little plastic bags.  It looks like the pieces are quite a bit larger than the stuff from smokinlicious, so I'm not confident it will work well with the ProQ smoker, but I'll give it a try and let you know.

Does anyone have a source of dust that has worked reliably with a ProQ smoker?

[nicneufeld]

I'm sure somewhere in this thread I referenced PS Seasonings, but I've had mixed luck, good and bad with it, depending on the time.  Sure is cheap though!

[tschmidlin]

I've been looking at their stuff, their prices are great until you add in shipping.  Still good though.  So the same wood has worked better/worse depending on the batch you got or on when you tried it from the same batch?

I found this place that is cheap and close to home, with free shipping on some stuff, but no dust right now.  And their dust looks really coarse though and I don't think it would work.  I emailed them though, asking if they knew how it works with a ProQ.  I might order some anyway to see.

[tschmidlin]

Have you tried this place?
http://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=21

Their prices aren't quite as good as the PS Seasonings, but their dust is made for a similar product so I'd have more confidence in it working.

[euge]

I picked up a wedge of Smokehaus Blue Cheese on Sat. Whew! Unwrap and it's already smoky in the nose. Doesn't overshadow the salty pungency. Finally! Something moldy and smoky...

[bluesman]

Have you tried this place?
http://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=21

Their prices aren't quite as good as the PS Seasonings, but their dust is made for a similar product so I'd have more confidence in it working.

Prices aren't bad. I'd give them a try. The 5lb standard looks like the deal to go with. It's worth a shot IMO.

[phillamb168]

Hrm, smoked bleu... That's got me thinking, in the winter-time here a traditional dish is oven-baked camembert. Typically you slice it in half, on the horizontal axis of the cheese, put a spoonful of creme fraiche on top and put it in a 375 deg oven for about 20 minutes or until it starts to brown. I've seen elsewhere that some people cold smoke camembert, but it seems to me that combining the two would be a worthy endeavor.

[bluesman]

I picked up a wedge of Smokehaus Blue Cheese on Sat. Whew! Unwrap and it's already smoky in the nose. Doesn't overshadow the salty pungency. Finally! Something moldy and smoky...

Never tried it but it sounds tasty.