Just bought a smoker

[missjordan]

Just wondering if anyone has tried smoking anything with deer or elk. Just bought a smoker and I want to test it out. I'm going to smoke some pulled pork this weekend and want to try an elk or deer next. What recipes and cuts of meat do you use to smoke both species? I'm very new to using a smoker but I'm very exicited to try something different!

 

[Tim McCoy]

What kind of a smoker did you get? It is easy and fun. You can smoke about anything, for deer/elk etc. I mostly smoke sausage and make jerky. Turkey smokes well too. Some of what you can easily accomplish will depend on the type of smoker you bought. There are zillions of recipes on line. Most of my brines will be brown sugar, salt, soy sauce and garlic based. In descending order of amount used, the garlic is powdered, we like the soy garlic combo.

 

[Retterath]

Did all this sausage and jerky on the cooking forum get u hungry?

 

[go_deep]

Antelope and deer pastrami and some fish

Smoked elk roasts for sandwich meat.

Do small amounts of meat try a few different recipes till you understand when to pull the meat so it's not dry.

 

[missjordan]

Did all this sausage and jerky on the cooking forum get u hungry?

Yes! We had smoked prime rib for Christmas dinner and it was amazing. Just can't take the cravings any longer!

 

[dead river]

I have 2 smokers and continue to learn with each time i get one out. The green egg i have was a present my wife got me after i had a lot of frustration keeping the temps up and constant with a Bradley biscuit smoker. I now pretty much only use the egg and I feel like i am doing what i wanted all along at this point. there are some awesome forums on just this subject and full of information.

Game meat:
I have done Nilgai, white tail, ferrel pig, duck, turkey and it works great on everything. I use a robust flavor chip on venison and everyone likes it. It is good with simple rubs. To keep it moist as much as possible, i always brine everthing, religously. It is a huge difference.

Best thing i ever got to enhance my fun with smoking was buying a duo grill/meat wireless themometer (mine is geen egg brand but does not matter who makes it). I can watch the meat temps and know that the smoker temp is without constantly checking the meat and do so from in the house if i have a long smoking time. I highly recommend getting one since it will improve your success.....wild meats do well under cooked vs. over cooked so if in doubt, pull it off the heat and call it a day...

have fun. My smokers have added to my overall outdoor experience..

 

[missjordan]

What kind of a smoker did you get? It is easy and fun. You can smoke about anything, for deer/elk etc. I mostly smoke sausage and make jerky. Turkey smokes well too. Some of what you can easily accomplish will depend on the type of smoker you bought. There are zillions of recipes on line. Most of my brines will be brown sugar, salt, soy sauce and garlic based. In descending order of amount used, the garlic is powdered, we like the soy garlic combo.

It's a master built electric smoker. It's fairly big,

 

[dead river]

if you have trouble holding temp in winter you may need to wrap it in a blanket to cut the wind... my heater element kept messing up but when it was working it was really easy to use. i replaced it and it works well again.

 

[Tim McCoy]

It's a master built electric smoker. It's fairly big,

I think mine is too. Meat probe, timer and digital temp control? If it is the same/similar one as mine, it works great, and you can do a lot with it. Everything from smoking to slow cooking.

 

[missjordan]

I think mine is too. Meat probe, timer and digital temp control? If it is the same/similar one as mine, it works great, and you can do a lot with it. Everything from smoking to slow cooking.

Yep sounds like the one! Do you think you can leave the smoker in a garage or should all the cooking be done outside?

 

[Tim McCoy]

Yep sounds like the one! Do you think you can leave the smoker in a garage or should all the cooking be done outside?

If you plan to use wood chips, outside. I've used my covered porch outside many times with no problems. It will put out a bunch of smoke. If using it to cook, probably in the garage is OK, but I'd have it by an open door. Depending on what you are cooking and how you set it up, it can still create smoke from drippings etc. You will love your new toy. I probably smoke more fish than anything else.

 

[missjordan]

If you plan to use wood chips, outside. I've used my covered porch outside many times with no problems. It will put out a bunch of smoke. If using it to cook, probably in the garage is OK, but I'd have it by an open door. Depending on what you are cooking and how you set it up, it can still create smoke from drippings etc. You will love your new toy. I probably smoke more fish than anything else.

One more question I have is the kid at sportsman's warehouse who sold me the smoker told me if I smoke fish in the unit it will always have a fishy smell that will linger around and can possibly make normal meat taste fishy. Have you experienced any problems with the smell being a nuisance?

 

[Tim McCoy]

Never been an issue for me and my smoker smokes a bunch of salmon/steelhead. I just take out and clean the water holder/drip shield stuff after fish. What helps with fish filets, is after brining, a quick rinse and pat the exposed meat dry with paper towels, then I let it air dry for several hours on the racks in the kitchen, it forms a tacky semi crust. Forget the name for it. Helps keep it moist and reduces dripping a bit. I have not tried smoking fish and game at the same time, that could present fishy taste issues.

 

[CrossCreeks]

I also have smoked about everything in my smoker including a variety of fish and never had a problem with a fish smell. I too remove and clean the drip or liquid pan right after using. I don't know of anything you can not cook in smoker (Wild game wise ) , I am sure there are some things but have not found them. ( Maybe wild Goose and Duck they were a little dry )

 

[missjordan]

Fantastic, thanks for the tip!!!

 

[Tim McCoy]

Let us know how your efforts turn out. One other tip, if you only use one or two loads of chips early in the process, leaving the ashes in the smoker can impart a taste I think. Not saying to use chips early, but if I do, I'll usually dump the ash. I suspect it could be an issue the hotter temp you pick. I noticed it with the older non temp controlled units where the burner is on all the time. It is the only explanation I could come up with for a few failed early attempts that had a bad aftertaste. I tend to smoke at relatively low temps, bring the temp up at the end if needed. Generally I'll use a few chips all along the process and have not had any issues with that.

 

[jlmoeller]

I bought a master built smoker last spring and I love it. I highly recommend buying this thermometer, it lets you know how the meat is doing with out opening the door to look:
http://www.amazon.com/Ivation-Range-Wireless-Digital-Thermometer/dp/B00ANCXJR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421957473&sr=8-1&keywords=wireless+meat+thermometer

I like to make pulled pork with a bone in pork shoulder/butt pumped with a 4% solution. I get mine at walmart. Smoke with apple wood until it reaches 203 deg.
My Dad made some cranberry deer summer sausage that we smoked on Christmas day. That turned out really well. Now he wants to buy a smoker as well.

Jason Moeller

 

[libidilatimmy]

It's a master built electric smoker. It's fairly big,

I also have one of these smokers. One trick I've found is to not preheat the smoker before putting the meat in. When you start your meat with a cold chamber, the heating element stays on constant as it's warming up and produces more smoke while the meat is receptive to the flavoring.

 

[missjordan]

I bought a master built smoker last spring and I love it. I highly recommend buying this thermometer, it lets you know how the meat is doing with out opening the door to look:
http://www.amazon.com/Ivation-Range-Wireless-Digital-Thermometer/dp/B00ANCXJR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421957473&sr=8-1&keywords=wireless+meat+thermometer

I like to make pulled pork with a bone in pork shoulder/butt pumped with a 4% solution. I get mine at walmart. Smoke with apple wood until it reaches 203 deg.
My Dad made some cranberry deer summer sausage that we smoked on Christmas day. That turned out really well. Now he wants to buy a smoker as well.

Jason Moeller

That has to be the most wicked thermometer I've ever seen!

 

[missjordan]

I also have smoked about everything in my smoker including a variety of fish and never had a problem with a fish smell. I too remove and clean the drip or liquid pan right after using. I don't know of anything you can not cook in smoker (Wild game wise ) , I am sure there are some things but have not found them. ( Maybe wild Goose and Duck they were a little dry )

My brother made smoked jerky from duck and goose the last time we went hunting with my dad's smoker. It came out too wet so he actually pulled the water out and threw it back in for a bit to dry it out. After letting it dry out, it tasted pretty good. at least with his experiment it didn't come out too dry but I'm assuming since they were cut thin they really wouldn't.