Best season yet for woodcock

[teach]

Just thought I would share this with you.  Spent all day plucking 14 woodcock and 3 pigeon.  They have now been brining for an hour and are in the smoker as I type ;D

Very excited as they are the first of the season.

[Hopefull Romantic]

Man you are going to have a feast????


I love your smoker. Keep us posted with results

HR

[ronbeaux]

Good shootin! I love that smoker. Tell us all about it.

[smokeitall]

Yeah I wanna see more pics of the smoker....very nice.
SIA

[teach]

Well I built the smoker about 7 years ago from a "hodge podge" of designs from a book "Home smoking and Curing" by Kieth Erlandson. ( the Bible for self built smokers).

It is very simple.  A concrete base

Layer 1: 3 concrete blocks with a quarter inch plate of steel on top. The heat sourse is a wok burner just to heat the plate until it starts to smoke (there is a routine for this moving from the back to the front until you see embers then shut the whole lot off and clsoe the doors). This creates about 8 to 12 hrs smoke.   

Layer 2:  Another 3 concrete blocks with another quarter inch steel plate on top with lots of holes drilled in to act as a diffuser.  Then finally 4 steel rods across the roof for hanging.  The whole thing is clad in timber with natural venting through the joins.  It generates a huge amount of smoke for long periods.  My father wood turns and I have a local contact at the boat yard so mixture of Oak and lots of other hardwoods add to the flavor.

Will add finished results later.

Woodcock tonight Salmon tomorrow or mMonday depending on the weather.

Cheers

and thanks for the interest.

[KevinG]

I sure hope you're hungry!

[teach]

Big dinner party new years eve!  So getting prepared ;D

[teach]

OK smoked the woodcock for 8 hours gentle smoke last night (good night for cold smoking nice frost so good cool temperatures).

All in the freezer now in batches waiting for New Years eve just cover with butter and bacon and 15 mins in the oven and then serve one bird per person as a starter with toast.  Cant beat it :P

And now for the salmon

I knew there was a better use for the wifes clothes airer! ;D

[tsquared]

I knew there was a better use for the wifes clothes airer! Grin

You're a brave man, Teach! Did you catch those yourself? I'm going to do one more batch before xmas for all the get togethers.
T2

[Huntnfreak]

I have smoker envy...........Very nice set up!

[teach]

I have smoker envy...........Very nice set up!

Thanks Huntnfreak

I still want to get a bradley, this is great for volume but it will only cold smoke and uses lots of chips.

[manxman]

I knew there was a better use for the wifes clothes airer!

You're a brave man, Teach!

Very brave, I wouldn't live to even see the New Year in if I tried that!!  ::) ;)

Woodcock make lovely eating, never tried smoking them as yet but due a few off a friend soon so must give them a go in the BS.

[teach]

Hi Manxman

Woodcock are well worth the effort!  1hr in 80% brine, leave to dry for 3 hrs on a rack.  Then either; cold smoke for 8hrs then roast for 15 with butter and bacon or cold smoke for 3 then hot smoke for 2.

[manxman]

Woodcock are well worth the effort!  1hr in 80% brine, leave to dry for 3 hrs on a rack.  Then either; cold smoke for 8hrs then roast for 15 with butter and bacon or cold smoke for 3 then hot smoke for 2.

Thanks teach, that sounds great.

The weather has turned cold but calm over here which beats wet and windy hands down, hopefully my shooting friends will be out over the next few days as I have also been promised some duck!  ;) :)

[wyogoob]