NapDogg

Oh for sure! They'll be a cast iron skillet of beans with lots of extras smoking under a few racks of ribs shortly...

Cold smoked pork belly and jowl. Equilibrium dry brined for 8 days, smoked for ~3.5 hrs (KK Cold Smoker w/ Pecan chips) and refrigerated for 2 days. It was 80 F ambient and I was not sure not sure how much heat the KK CS would contribute so it put the pork in straight from the fridge. The grate temp ranged from 75 to 84 F, so no worries. One thing I found interesting was that the indicators for cold smoking (bronzing and a tacky pellicle) were less pronounced than I expected. But after a day in the refrigerator, opening the door filled the kitchen with smoke aroma and the color continued to develop. Best bacon we’ve ever had .

This is a T-Rex Jowl I picked up at the gift shop last time I visited Jurassic Park. I smoked it old school Texas style with just an SPG dry rub and little cayenne --no cane sugar. Last 1/2 hour I gave it a couple light coats of East Carolina/blackstrap molasses/honey/coffee glaze. Served caveman style --no sides, no utensils, no napkins. Good times were had by all.

Nice job! I love that color.

@tony b Let us know how it goes. I am told it transitions quick at the end, meaning it can go from sliceable to shreddable fast. I was planning to make some burnt ends but it finished late and went into a sous vide rest over night. It didn't look quite firm enough the next day for burnt ends. Where do you get your pork? I think Porter Road is tough to beat, but they're sometimes out of stock on ribs, especially ahead of holidays.

I have been meaning to try this cut for a while. It's part of the shoulder where Flat Iron steaks are cut from. It's similar to a brisket but much more manageable for 2 people at 5 lbs and quite a bit less expensive per pound. I cut two steaks off the end and smoked the rest on coco + post oak. Just salt & pepper rub. I heard it can have an even more beefy flavor compared to brisket being from a working muscle. I would have to agree with this one. Porter Road doesn't disappoint. There is connective tissue that separates the top fat-cap layer from the bottom. The top is fattier like a brisket point and the bottom is more like the flat. Top melts in your mouth.

Άσπρο πάτο !

@5698k The bread was great and did its job. Light and airy enough to soak up the juices without turning the crust to a messy mush. I'm not an advanced baker. I just follow Ken Forkish, (Flour Water Salt Yeast). Tiny bit of yeast and give it lot's of time to make flavor. It's not complicated, but you do have to plan a day ahead. Once you get the dough started, you're on its schedule. Pretzel buns baked in the KK:

There's an Irish Pub in New Orleans called the Erin Rose where we got this a few years back. It was too good not to try to replicate. Smoked pork belly with a Dark Rum and Ginger glaze, mustard/garlic aioli, and slaw on home baked baguette.

@Tyrus No worries at all. Agreed, with a KK where air flow is controlled, the combustion is slow, and you want a lighter smoke profile --KD seems like a smart choice. For an offset smoker it might make a bigger difference vs. air dried wood. I used to run a home built water smoker and tried soaking wood chunks overnight to prevent flare ups. It didn't seem to make a difference. I cut a chunk open to see what it looked like and the water barely penetrated the surface. Sorry to hear about your dog. Losing a pet is tough. We just lost 2 cats in the last year. One cat was named Napoleon and had a lot of dog-like behaviors, so that's where that came from. When I created the account I thought Sarah & I might share it so picked a name for both of us. You can call me Eric. Cheers

Gumbo!

@Tyrus After further review... you are correct. I wonder if there's much difference in the smoke produced. Could high kiln temperatures cook off some of the aromantic compounds? KD wood (lower moisture content) might burn hotter, faster and cleaner --but maybe slightly less complex flavor.

@tony b Ha! Yes "Purple Crack". Definitely want to micro dose. A few berries go a long way.

A woodworker trick to dry out those green branches... put the chips in a cardboard box with a light bulb (some even use Christmas tree lights). I would be careful about using cut-offs from a wood shop. Most of that wood is kiln dried with some nasty chemicals.