Homemade Sausage Making

This first smoker is the one affectionately known as the Buzzard Burner. I made this one in 2007 from 22" pipe. The horizontal portion of the pit is 48" long and the vertical is 36". The firebox is 24x24x24" and is made from 1/4" steel plate. The buzzards are cut from stainless steel.







This one is going to be known as the Bubba Burner.

It started out as a telecom cabinet. The entire cabinet is powder coated stainless steel and now has 2" of insulation on all walls, ceiling and bottom. I made this smoker for long term cooks with minimal effort on fire control. This is GREAT for cold and low temperature cooking, but it will easily cook at 350° if needed.

It is still a work in progress, but cooks just fine without all of the fancy things I am going to do to it over the summer.



It holds a LOT of meat too! This is just over 100 pounds of brisket.


If you have any questions please let me know,

Charlie

Nice Work! Beautiiiious!
That Bubba Burner should fit nicely on my back deck!
Hey Cranky, what are you spraying on the meat?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Thanks CW.

When the Bubba Burner gets finished it will look a LOT different. The problem is that is tends to have a fire going in it too often for me to finish it out!

The liquid I am spraying on the briskets is a "mop sauce" that is spritzed on instead of being mopped as some do. With the spritz I get good coverage that is even for color and taste. Not to mention that the spritz also contains olive oil to assist in creating a bark on the meat that assists in sealing in the natural juices.

Charlie

CrankyBuzzard wrote:mop sauce

which is what? vinegar, olive and booze?
Can we have your recipe? Do you use this one just for brisket?

Siara wrote:

CrankyBuzzard wrote:mop sauce

which is what? vinegar, olive and booze?
Can we have your recipe? Do you use this one just for brisket?

HA HA HA!!! I knew someone would ask!

A good mop sauce that is NOT tomato or sugar based will assist in keeping your meat moist within, as well as giving it a nice color. ALL pictures I post of my meats have NO SAUCE on them, but the spritz helps to add a nice color that is not only appealing, but very tasteful. Tomato and sugar based mops tend to caramelize too quickly and scorch, which can give your meat a bitter flavor.

The "mop sauce" spritz is really simple.

Equal parts of the following will be a good start. I say a good start because some people's tastes differ. I use the following blend (with an addition or 4) for my spritz used in competitions. Experiment a bit and you'll find a perfect blend for you and your guests. I've added whiskey, beer, rum, lemon juice, pineapple juice, etc., with good results. I hope everyone understands that I can't give my special recipe out, but I will give the base for it.


The MAIN 2 ingredients are going to be the EVOO and the cider vinegar. Beside each ingredient I post WHY it works well.

Soy sauce - provides a slight salt flavor and color
Worcestershire sauce - provides a distinct flavor and color
Cider vinegar (not malt, or white vinegar) - is acidic and assists in the tenderness of the OUTER potion of the meat, but you still get a "bark" on the meat surface.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - assists in sealing the outer surface of the meat to assist in holding in the natural moisture of the meat being cooked.
Water - is used as a carrier for the other ingredients.

Once you mix up this "mop spritz" you will quickly see that it wants to stratify within the spray bottle; you will have to shake well prior to spritzing and also while you spritz.

I typically start the spritz after 1.5 hours and then every hour after until the meat is done.

I use this on ALL meats except sausage.

Charlie

Here's my smoker. It's called a Stumps "Stretch".

kinda indistinct against the truck.