Is Bradley Flexible Enough

West Coast Kansan · March 14, 2009, 08:40:42 AM

From time to time we wonder if the BDS is really as flexible as we would like ... most any smoker will let us smoke something...so thought I would see what I could do this weekend. I have not planned anything really except I was going to do a couple of Butts this week end but I just came from the store and had a thought.

Thought was,,,

Chicken breasts for my lunches
Pastrami (from store bought corned beef - :-X )
The butts origionally planned
15 lbs of jerky
whatever....

Going to plug in the bradley.

More later

Mr Walleye · March 14, 2009, 08:48:57 AM

Quote from: West Coast Kansan on March 14, 2009, 08:40:42 AM
From time to time we wonder if the BDS is really as flexible as we would like ... most any smoker will let us smoke something...so thought I would see what I could do this weekend. I have not planned anything really except I was going to do a couple of Butts this week end but I just came from the store and had a thought.

Thought was,,,

Chicken breasts for my lunches
Pastrami (from store bought corned beef - :-X )
The butts origionally planned
15 lbs of jerky
whatever....

Going to plug in the bradley.

More later

Lookin' forward to it WCK! ;)

For a weekend your not doing much.... Looks pretty busy to me! :D

Mike

West Coast Kansan · March 14, 2009, 09:20:55 AM

Chicken is seasoned and in the smoker with Pecan. Nice and light. The corned beef is soaking the who knows what they use stuff out of it.

Slicer is dug out and cleaned off and butts are slathered with rub and rolled in plastic wrap in the fridge.

Also decided to add some Salmon to the mix that Ade will bring home later.

It turns out that we have a Geek (Best Buy guy) coming to set up a wireless network sometime in the next 4 hours,

Gotta get to the Gym some time this PM

Church this evening ... routine is to go to Dinner with some friends after

Mr Walleye · March 14, 2009, 09:26:08 AM

Quote from: West Coast Kansan on March 14, 2009, 09:20:55 AM
Chicken is seasoned and in the smoker with Pecan. Nice and light. The corned beef is soaking the who knows what they use stuff out of it.

Slicer is dug out and cleaned off and butts are slathered with rub and rolled in plastic wrap in the fridge.

Also decided to add some Salmon to the mix that Ade will bring home later.

It turns out that we have a Geek (Best Buy guy) coming to set up a wireless network sometime in the next 4 hours,

Gotta get to the Gym some time this PM

Church this evening ... routine is to go to Dinner with some friends after

WOW! :o .... What are you going to do with your spare time WCK! :D

Your a machine this weekend! ;)

Mike

FLBentRider · March 14, 2009, 09:55:09 AM

I've never tried to bend my OBS.

Let me know how it turns out.

;D ;D ;D

West Coast Kansan · March 14, 2009, 10:58:47 AM

Turned off the smoke on the chicken breasts. They are at 135 and should be done in a short bit.

The london boil is trimmed and in the freezer to stiffen a bit for slicing.

The wana be pastrami is seasoned and waiting at room temp.

No Geek guy yet

Ka Honu · March 14, 2009, 12:46:55 PM

WCK - Let me know how the "quick" pastrami comes out. I've always been told to soak for 24-48 hours before seasoning and then let it sit for another day before smoking (I just rubbed up four of them puppies this morning for smoking Monday). Maybe I've been wasting time and refrigerator space.

West Coast Kansan · March 14, 2009, 03:09:53 PM

On real pastrami I have never soaked for more than a couple of hours usually just an hour when I cure my own brisket. This got a little more than two but I figure it is nuclear stuff - butand only an hour to "dry". That is too short. I would like that to be overnight or at least morning to evening.

So yea, anyway I will let you know...

It is in the smoker and has gotten some Oak smoke and now it is getting some alder smoke cuz I put some Salmon on the top shelf with some Halibot below that.

Use some of the non-stick screens to catch drippings and divert them and still let the smoke through... not sure "fish flavored pastrami would be too good ;D

I am hoping the brisket is up to temp and done about an hour - and should be about the same time as the fish and salmon. That will let me put in the butts before 5. They are 9 pounders so they need to get into the BDS soon.

Still no GEEK yet. They say between 4 and 8 was the original time. I know better but what do you do... >:(

Brisket Lover · March 14, 2009, 04:05:50 PM

How do you make your pastrami? Ive been wanting to make some.

FLBentRider · March 14, 2009, 04:21:12 PM

Quote from: brisket_lover on March 14, 2009, 04:05:50 PM
How do you make your pastrami? Ive been wanting to make some.

I don't know about WCK, but I use Habs recipe and it turns out great!

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=185#post185

If your brisket is thicker than an inch I would cure an extra day or two.

Gizmo · March 14, 2009, 10:17:20 PM

Sounds like you need some help putting all that food away. Just let me know when to be over. :D

West Coast Kansan · March 14, 2009, 11:30:29 PM

I started with and still use Hab S posting. See it in the receipe site. Great stuff. I diddle with the seasoning a little... really just more pepper and coleander (ground).

I consider Hab S posting to be the Holy grail of pastrami - simple and great everytime - but you should do your own cure. This is a cheaters deal, but if its good I may not tell. 8)

So the only thing left now is the butts and two nine pounders are at about 130 with fresh water and another 9 hours and 40 to go. Trying to gets some pictures to load in photobucket. It is acting up somehow.

Geek showed about 6PM - geez...

Gizmo, If my pictures load I will share the driver behind the activity...

West Coast Kansan · March 14, 2009, 11:36:31 PM

This is some canada bacon from last week or two. Has nothng to do with this but the photo is in photo bucket and I want to try this side of what ever I am struggling with...

I made some slices length wise on the tenderloin for sandwiches. Usually this goes away with cheese and crackers.

Looks to come out of PB ok, will try to get more photos in again.

West Coast Kansan · March 15, 2009, 12:00:22 AM

I started with the chicken breast. I season them with Lemon Pepper, a bit of paprika and some smokey sweet bell pepper (has become a favorite for color and flavor). I gave the breast 2 hours of Pecan.

After about two hours, I killed the Pecan and once the chicken was done went to Oak.

This is how the chicken looks coming out of the smoker. These are skinless so no worries about all that.

The butts total a touch over 18 lbs.

The cheaters Corned Beef brisket is cued and ready to be loaded into the smoker to have a go with some Oak.

I started slicing the London broil for jerky while the chicken cooked and the brisket rested - hands get too cold to finish it all at one time so some is sliced and some is waiting on me to suck it up and finish.

This is some of the jerky strips laid out waiting on the cure.

I leave space between them and sprinkle them twice - then flip everything and push them together to pick up what lands between them and then finish with the measure of cure on what was the bottom. They get packed very tightly into a large glass jar that then goes into the fridge for 24 hours.

These are the pastrami with the Oak rolling.

West Coast Kansan · March 15, 2009, 01:02:50 AM

While the pastrami was moving along / I again switched wood from Oak to this time Alder.

Put some Salmon and Halibot in the tower for some Alder smoke.

The fish looks pretty golden. These get a similar seasoning - pepper, and the smoky bell pepper and paprika for coloring

Salmon In

Salmon Out

The pastrami was still in the smoker with the fish. I slid in a couple of offset non-stick screens to catch drips off the fish and salmon. Worked real well actually.

I also figured the pastrami was not going to mind a couple of hours of Alder Smoke at that point anyway.

Pastrami came out looking and smelling really nice.

Looks right also... into the fridge to mellow out...

The trimming from slicing the jerky / parts that are not sliceable and the pieces that are too narrow to make strips went into a pan with a touch of EVOO, Steak Rub, minced onion, minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, and teaspoon of beefer upper. It cooks and stirs until it is crazy tender and makes nice bite sized pieces of beef.

So what all this leads up to is making lunch and dinner for the weak.

This works out pretty well for my new diet. Trying to stay below 1500 calories per day. Each one of these containers is between 300 and 400 calories.

Bfast is a shake, and a couple of low cal snacks during the day and I am down 40 plus pounds since the end of December. There is of coarse the Cardio work and also the trainer at 24 hour fitness. But the job is getting done.

I thought all this led to a question about the BDS and whether it was a smoker that had the flexibility to support the preparation of a variety of foods. _ So far pretty good. The butts are coming up to the plateau and will be out when I get up in the AM. The jerky will be ready to go in just after noon and should be done by 7 or 8PM latest.

Not a drill that a person would do everyweek end but the machine sure seems to hang in there for the routine weekend smoker. :)