Gas Pains

Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.

Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

Hunt'n, Talking Turkey, Terrific Cooking, Turkey Hunting, Home Cured Meat, Smoked Meat, Smoked Wild Turkey

I have smoker envy.

This is my smoker.

It is a modest and unassuming device fired by propane and capable of smoking whatever can fit on its three stainless steel racks.  It would be challenged by an entire whole turkey but generally meets my needs.

Here is Little John's smoker.

I have a metal shop building like Johnny's and am inspired by this lean-to addition.

Everything about Little John is larger than life - including his smoker.  It's huge.  It can smoke two whole pigs and a half-dozen whole turkeys simultaneously.

With room to spare. 

Or the entire neighborhood's Thanksgiving turkeys. 

Yes - this has been done.

It isn't fired by propane, natural gas or a bowl of wood chips - but by means of real wood logs.

What you see here is hickory and cherry.  Once the firebox is nice and hot it will be stoked with additional cherry logs.

I got to see this baby in action when Little John smoked a dozen racks of baby back ribs and five monstrous Boston butts.

You sit in your lawn chair, sip a cold one while working on your tan and get-up to mop your bbq every half hour or so.

Me?  I filled my brine pail with a double batch of the signature brine and added a couple of butchered wild turkeys.  Leaving them to soak on the porch for a day and a half - I loaded all the parts into my tiny little smoker...

And cooked everything for four hours over apple wood until the internal temp was 165.

This is going to make for some good eats in the coming year.

Yum!

Gas Pains' Signature Brine

2 - qt of cold water

1 - c  Kosher salt

1/2 - c  brown sugar

2 - tsp seasoned salt

2 - tsp pickling spice

1/8 - c  Morton® Tender Quick®

Little John's Signature Mop

4 - c  lemon juice

2 - c  vinegar

2 - c  soy sauce

1 - c  Worcestershire

2 - T  chili power

2 - T  granulated garlic

1 - T  salt

1 -T  pepper

2 - bottles of Italian salad dressing

Bring to a boil.  Cool.

Mop your meat every 30 minutes while smoking. 

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