Home made bisquettes

Brewmaster · September 18, 2003, 12:47:40 AM

Has anyone made there own "Bisquettes" , as I have alot of great hardwoods, a 40 ton shop press, and can make a 2.25" mold?

The box states that "2% Collagen Hydroised" is used as a binder? I have been told that Bradley uses "Suet". How this product as a binder?

Chez Bubba · September 20, 2003, 02:56:30 AM

My brother-in-law has attempted the process & met with mixed results. He used Knox gelatin as the binder, the bisquettes burned so-so, but the labor involved turned him off.

At 35-40 cents per bisquette, that's a buck an hour to smoke. How much is your time worth? Personally, I'd prefer to spend it smokin' more food & relaxing than making bisquettes. JMHO.

I don't know how Bradley makes the things, they won't even tell us dealers. But I can't imagine they use suet. All that grease & fat in suet would either ignite or cause a gooey mess.

http://www.chezbubba.com

Brewmaster · September 28, 2003, 04:45:43 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Chez Bubba
 My brother-in-law has attempted the process & met with mixed results. He used Knox gelatin as the binder, the bisquettes burned so-so, but the labor involved turned him off.

At 35-40 cents per bisquette, that's a buck an hour to smoke. How much is your time worth? Personally, I'd prefer to spend it smokin' more food & relaxing than making bisquettes. JMHO.

I don't know how Bradley makes the things, they won't even tell us dealers. But I can't imagine they use suet. All that grease & fat in suet would either ignite or cause a gooey mess.

http://www.chezbubba.com
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Bubba,

You missed the point! Making my own bisquettes is not about time and money, its about smoking with other woods that I have used and like, such as; Grape wood, French Oak, Persimon wood, etc.

If smoking meat was about time and money, I would have not wasted my time or money on a Bradley Smoker, but rather go out to a BBQ place & eat.

Any other Idias on a "binder"[?]

Kevin · November 16, 2004, 04:24:22 PM

have you tried a solid piece of wood of the rite size My tried it after my motor faild in the genrator and it got my smokin done for this batch till I can get it fixed.

smokin

Chez Bubba · November 16, 2004, 11:40:45 PM

Sorry, I didn't catch the reply question earlier.

I'm no scientist but to me "collagen" = Jello. "Hydrolised" is the mis-spelling[;)] of "hydrolized" meaning suspended in water. Mix the slurry, dump it into the molds, add a little pressure and maybe some heat to dissipate the moisture & I think you'd have pucks.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

bigbubbacain · September 25, 2010, 03:21:12 PM

Quote from: Brewmaster on September 18, 2003, 12:47:40 AM
Has anyone made there own "Bisquettes" , as I have alot of great hardwoods, a 40 ton shop press, and can make a 2.25" mold?

The box states that "2% Collagen Hydroised" is used as a binder? I have been told that Bradley uses "Suet". How this product as a binder?

Hey all you inventive types, I've though of 2 points here to consider:

1. Is this "2% Collagen Hydrolised" 2% by volume or weight? Is it 2% dry collagen material added to water? That's such a vague reference and we really don't know what it means, but I'm willing to try it all and keep notes on the various outcomes.
2. It's very difficult to create a fully dissolved, yet highly concentrated collagen solution from dry gelatin. I learned this the hard way when I started making my own version of those certain "curiously strong peppermints", the ones that come in the red/white metal tin. But that's another story.....

What I propose for use as "hydrolised collagen" is what is commonly sold at health food stores as "predigested liquid protein". It's the exact same thing. Be sure it says "unflavored" on the label.

standles · September 26, 2010, 09:01:40 AM

"predigested liquid protein"

Well isn't that a lovely image. Reminds me of well never mind.

BuyLowSellHigh · September 26, 2010, 10:11:11 AM

Standard measures are percent by weight unless specified otherwise. If it were me I would use ordinary unflavored gelatin. First blooming in cold water for ~ 30 min's then heating to about 120-140 °F with stirring should give you complete dissolution of gelatin up to near 30% by weight in water. Much hotter than ~ 140 °F and the gelatin will begin to degrade. Once dissolved it is usually stable and when cooled it will gel (think Jello). To get the 2% you would dissolve enough in the water you use to equal 2% of the dry wood weight when all of the water is absorbed by the wood. Basically what this makes is old fashioned animal glue, the kind that was heated in a glue pot by woodworkers. Part of the trick is to apply and use it before it gels as it cools. The bond is reversible - apply moist heat and it will redissolve.

F1D2 · September 26, 2010, 03:25:01 PM

That's way to much work for me, I've always used whole wood for smoking until I got the Bradley. I started cutting my own using seasoned maple, oak and pecan branches.

ddtdustin · February 13, 2015, 06:31:22 PM

here's something I came across just now.Collagen Hydrolised is Carboxymethyl Cellulose. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/161434/an-idea-for-making-bisquettes-for-bradley-smokers

Way too much work and the binder is not gelatin, it's Carboxymethyl Cellulose, AKA Dippity-Do.( see if your daughter has some) That's what's in your briquettes. I got to go through a briquetting plant once (no, it was not Kingsford) and they had a pallet of CMC there and I asked about it as we use it in drilling fluids both as a viscosifier and a fluid loss control agent and was told exactly how it was used. Gelatin would not stand up to the heat and you'd have sawdust. Oh, I hope you have an arbor press and the molds, going to need them to make briquettes.