Rotating smoke ("Spin the Turtle")...

[Ka Honu]

Memorial Day weekend is time for 'que and grillin' but before I get started, please join me in raising a glass to absent friends. That is, after all, what it's all about.

Okay, the cupboard was bare so I set up Friday as "larder replenishment and hang with the guys day."  A 5½ pound butt, a 7-pound shoulder, a 3½-pound corned beef pastrami, and some salt for the house.  A pot of pintos, a moose-pig fatty, some ABTs, and 5 big turkey tails for the guys.

Prepped the pork, pastrami, and turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday using "Krewe Rub" on the butt/shoulder, CT on the turkey tails and the usual stuff on the pastrami. Cooked the beans on Thursday while I played with the ABTs (cream cheese, pulled pork, kim chi, & creole seasoning) and the fatty (a pound each of ground moose and Bob Evans breakfast sausage with the rest of the ABT filling plus caramelized onions & mushrooms and a bacon wrap).

Plan on a mix of alder and oak - should work for all four meats (pig, cow, bird, & Bullwinkle) as well as making a salt that will go with most anything.  That's my story, it's a good story, and I'm sticking to it.

Oh, crap!  One of the guys just called (Thursday afternoon) and wants to add two 5-pound butts to the smoke.  No room so I'm gonna have to get creative here.  Hmmm - I  can rotate racks to the oven (as they get as much smoke as they need) and replace them with fresh meat.  Hey, if I can do that, I can also cook the 6 racks of baby backs I have to do for our pool party on Monday.  That'll save me a ton of time and energy on Monday; all I'll have to cook from scratch then is the chicken.  Gonna be fun trying to figure out what to take out when and what temps to use in the oven but I think I've got the idea down.

Okay, it's Friday morning, the smoker is preheated, and the first load is racked and stacked. 



I plan on pulling the fatty, ABTs, and maybe the turkey tails after about three hours and replacing with the other pork butts and some of the ribs and on and on. Maybe I better write this down:

0800 - Put in first load (butts, pastrami, ABTs, fatty, turkey tails, & salt).



As you can see, I don't take photos as well as some (like squirtthecat with his big damn camera and actual photographic ability).  Get over it.

1100 - ABTs, fatty, & turkey tails to 350^o oven.  Pull salt.  Replace with more butts and ribs.

1200 - Pull pastrami for rest (to steam Sunday morning).  Take ABTs, fatty, & turkey tails out of oven, reduce temp to 225^o and replace with original butts.  More ribs to smoker.



Time for lunch.  We even had veggies (pinto beans and home-made kim chi).  Four diners - no leftovers.



Spent the rest of the afternoon shuffling ribs into the smoker and then into the oven.  Ended up with 6 racks of baby backs smoked for three hours and foiled in oven for two hours.  Will leave them in the foil and refrigerate until Monday.  The butt and shoulder came out of the oven about 2200.  Don't need them until a party late next month so will pull and freeze after FTC.  Tried to take a picture but got a "This memory card is locked" message.  Dunno what that's about but not gonna worry about it tonight.  Snuck a sliver off the shoulder and a tiny rib off the end of one of the racks.  Both are definitely good eats and will be even better when they're finished.

I even got the place pretty well cleaned up before SWMBO came home from work. It's not always easy being me (but it's always more fun than should be allowed).

[deb415611]

wow, that's alot of food and it looks like it was a great feast

[Tenpoint5]

The turtle was might busy!! Some good looking grub my friend.

[wyoduke]

Great looking food  ;D

[squirtthecat]

Looks great!

[KyNola]

Marathon smoking!  Nice work Paul.

[muebe]

Looks real good Turtle ;D

You got me interested in the homemade kimchi. I love kimchi but have never made it. Do you bury it in the ground to ferment?

[Ka Honu]

. Do you bury it in the ground to ferment?

Nope - just leave it in the garage for a day before refrigerating.

[ghost9mm]

Man what a feast...have a great weekend...

[Ka Honu]

...Tried to take a picture but got a "This memory card is locked" message.  Dunno what that's about but not gonna worry about it tonight.

Dumbass me!  I totally forgot about the little tab on the SD card that locks it. I could have been trying to figure that out for years if it hadn't been for Google.

[Quarlow]

Wow good looking grub Paul. You rocked that like a turtle on its back.................ow that was uncalled for. Sorry.  ;D But still, aewsome looking feed.

[Smokin Soon]

Nice looking feed! Care to share the Kim-Che mix? Here in the SF Bay area there are probably 5 distinct variety's based on country of origin. Call me strange, but I like it on pulled pork.

[Ka Honu]

The one in the photos is won bok (Chinese cabbage) kim chi.

Cut up and salt one head won bok at room temp for 6-8 hours, then rinse & drain

Mix & add to cabbage
     1/3 cup kochu garu (Korean red chili flakes/powder)
     1/4 cup warm water

Then add
     1 T minced garlic
     1 T minced ginger
     3-4 sliced green onions
     2 T anchovy sauce or fish sauce
     Blend of 1/2 apple, 1/2 pear, 1/2 onion, or
     1/3 cup sugar
     1 cup water

Pack in jar and ferment at room temp 24 hours; then refrigerate.

[Smokin Soon]

Thanks for the recipe. I have been using the Filipino fish sauce called "patis". I have been thinking to try the Korean version "Jeotgal" only because the best Kim-Che I ever had in my life was from an old Korean woman that is not longer with us. I will also look for a anchovy sauce to possibly replace the Patis.

[Ka Honu]

I generally use Thai fish sauce (Tiparos) because that's what I've got in the house and occasionally add a smidgen of anchovy paste to it.