Category: Bbq Products And Accessories

Submitted by: Barbecue Smoker Recipe Man

Ive seen many lists about wood chips and what meats best accompany them and its always struck me that this is approaching the problem for the wrong side. The wood chip is choosing the food and in my book it should be the food choosing the wood chip! So when you scroll down to view my list its written in a way that hopefully will allow you to decide on your barbecue recipes first and let the flavouring follow. To be honest, hickory takes a lot of beating (especially on ribs) but theres an incredible variety of wood chips to choose from these days so its worth experimenting a little.

The idea behind smoking is that wood burns when heated but by reducing the oxygen available to the fire, the wood smokes rather than burns so by adding wood chips to your barbecue smoker, a beautiful range of flavours can be imparted to meat or fish. The best wood to use is green wood ie. wood thats not fully dried out because green wood burns at a higher temperature, it makes more smoke than aged wood and it lasts a long time. When buying wood chips in a bag its important to soak the wood for 30 minutes to get moisture into it before popping it on the coals.

One last tip from me before the list:-

If you have a BBQ grill rather than a smoker, try wrapping some wood chips in aluminum foil and then puncture the foil a few times with a fork or the point of a skewer. Pop the foil pack in hot coals and see what you think but do try with one of the stronger smokes otherwise youre unlikely to notice any difference.

The following chips are good with all kinds of meat so its good have some in stock:-

Acacia a strong smoke

Almond – sweet and nutty (as youd expect)

Apricot – mild and sweet and an interesting alternative to Hickory (just a little milder)

Cherry sweet & fruity

Cottonwood – a very subtle flavour, worth a try but not my favorite

Grape Vine – beautifully aromatic and sweet if you can get hold of it

Nectarine again similar to hickory but sweeter and quite mild just like the Apricot

Peach – slightly sweet flavour

Pecan strong smoke similar to oak but just a little more gentle

Plum – similar to hickory but milder and sweeter

For red meat try the following:-

Grapefruit a good medium smoke with a fruity note

Lemon again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma

Mesquite – strong and earthy so try it with beef

Mulberry – beautifully sweet apple flavour

Oak – really heavy smoke so definitely one for beef

Orange another fruity one with medium smoke

Lamb of course is a red meat so any all in the above category can be used but Ive got one recommendation dedicated to lamb:-

Lilac its light and subtle with a floral hint

Pork:-

Alder – supremely sweet

Apple – sweet with dense fruity smoke

Birch – strong and earthy

Grapefruit – medium smoke with a fruity hint

Hickory the original pungent smoky bacon flavour ready for your ribs

Lemon – medium smoke with a light fruit aroma

Maple – strong and earthy

Mulberry – beautifully sweet apple flavour, pork and apple goes so well together

Nectarine – similar to hickory but sweeter and quite mild and still good for ribs

Oak a really heavy smoke so go easy

Orange – medium smoke with a light fruit hint

Pear – Another one with a slightly sweet flavour

Plum – similar to hickory but milder and sweeter, compare it with Nectarine

Most wood chips have now already had a mention further up but that doesnt mean they dont go well with Poultry:-

Alder – sweet

Birch – strong and earthy

Grapefruit – medium smoke & lightly fruity

Lemon – again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma

Mulberry – sweet apple flavour

Orange – more medium smoke with a light fruit hint

Pear – another one with a slightly sweet flavour

Game, generally strong smokes for strong flavoured meats, but there are some exceptions:-

Alder – sweet

Apple – sweet with dense fruity smoke

Maple – strong and earthy

Mulberry – beautifully sweet apple flavour

Oak – really heavy smoke

Pear – sweet flavour compare it with Alder

Walnut – very heavy smoke and can be bitter so put it with a strong well hung meat

Fish sometimes works well lightly smoked and sometimes its good to go for a really heavy smoke

Alder – sweet

Apple – sweet with dense fruity smoke

Ash – light and distinctive flavour, it burns fast so ideal for fish

Lilac – light and subtle with a floral hint, fantastic on seafood

Oak – really heavy smoke

Ive got two recommendations for Vegetables both of which are strong and earthy:-

Maple

Mesquite

Hopefully thats given you a few ideas to try at your next barbecue, just dont forget to soak them before putting them on the coals. Happy smoking!

About the Author: The Barbecue Smoker Recipe Man writes

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The Perfect Sausage Recipe

by

Adam MarianskiWell, stop looking, it does not exist. The good news is that you can make the perfect sausage yourself every time as long as you obey the basic rules of sausage making. There are millions of sausage recipes floating for free on the Internet and your own creation will be as good or better. How do you know which ones are good? Do you think the professional sausage makers have time to play with recipes on the Internet? Many of these recipes are compiled by people who make a living off the Internet and they are college students, housewives, journalists and others.

The easiest sausage to make is a fresh sausage which will be cooked on a frying pan, barbecued or grilled. Basically you are making a hamburger which will become a sausage once it is stuffed inside of the hog casing. Making smoked sausages requires more knowledge and here you have to observe your smoking and cooking temperatures. Fermented (air-dried) types are harder still and you have to worry about relative humidity.

1. First ask yourself what would you like to have inside of your sausage: pork, beef, chicken, garlic, oregano, paprika etc. If you make a sausage for yourself or your family you don’t need any recipes; think of preparing a family meal that everybody will like.

2. Keep it simple. Meat has its own beautiful flavor so don’t kill it with unnecessary spices. Many people add only salt when making a ham, saying that even pepper distorts the flavor. Polish Smoked Sausage is made of pork, salt, pepper and garlic (optional marjoram) yet most recipes include dozens of unnecessary ingredients and spices.

3. You can use any type of meat or meat combinations. Just remember that meats containing sinews, gristle and tendons will have to be ground twice with a small grinder plate otherwise they will get stuck in your teeth. For a home based sausage maker nothing beats pork butt; it has the right fat to lean meat proportion, it is inexpensive and its little bone is very easy to remove. A sausage needs about 30% fat so don’t use only lean meats. Our commercially made fresh sausages contain up to 50% fat and our low calorie hot dogs can have up to 40% water and fat combined. Yes, we are paying dearly for water though it can not be seen. This magic is performed by a chemical called phosphate which traps and holds water inside.

4. Salt in most modern recipes remains at about 1.5% – 2%. Original sausages were made with preservation in mind and the salt content was higher, up to 3%. Air dried products like countryside ham contained even more salt which was needed to prevent the growth of bacteria. Anything over 3% will taste too salty. Weigh in your meat, multiply by 0.018 (1.8%) and you will get the perfect amount of salt (1.8%) that will be acceptable to everybody. Salt plays the most important role in your recipe as this is where you can ruin your sausage. Once it is too salty, the only remedy that remains is to soak it overnight in cold water (in a refrigerator).

5. Grinders. For thousands of years we have made sausages without grinders and certain classical sausages are still made by chopping meat with a knife (Polish Krakowska or Ham Sausage, Spanish Longaniza, Chorizo or Sobrasada). Don’t pre-occupy yourself too much with grinder plates. 3/8″ size will take care of most tasks, unless you want to make emulsified sausages like hot dogs or bologna which will require grinding meats at least twice through a 1/8″ plate. Commercial processors use a meat cutter which is more effective.

6. Cold smoking was a method of meat drying for preservation and is seldom practiced today. Keep your hot smoke temperature at about 140 F (60 C) as you don’t want to cook your meat. Remember that meats smoked at this temperature are not safe to eat and must be cooked.

7. Cook fresh sausages to 160 F (72 C) internal meat temperature. Smoked meats are normally cured with salt and sodium nitrite what provides additional safety and can be cooked to a slightly lower internal meat temperature of about 154 F 160 F (68 72 C). They may may be poached in water at 176 F (80 C) or baked in an oven at the lowest temperature setting (below 190 F, 88 C) until desired internal meat temperature is obtained. Smoking or cooking sausages at too high temperatures will melt the fat inside, they will taste like bread crumbs and will be greasy on the outside. Remember, smoking meats is an art that is different from barbecuing or grilling.

Adam Marianski has co-authored two books on meat smoking and making sausages. He runs the web site

Wedliny Domowe

where you can find more about making quality meats at home.

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