Ninth Electric Smoke:

Yavapai County, Arizona is in another severe fire restriction 6/25/12. There are no open flames allowed. It is so dry that you cannot target practice. There is no smoking of cigarettes outside, but Electric Smoking of meat is legal. The Wood Smokers and BBQ grills are off limits also.

½ hour pre-heat, 2cups water in pan, vent closed and smoker temperature set at 200*F. Time 2:30 (14:30).

Yesterday afternoon the 2 Salmon fillets with skin on were salted to taste, put in a Zip-Lock meat-touching-meat and put back in the refrigerator to cure for 24 hours.

Today I put them on the counter to dry the surface to glazy-moist tacky (pellicle). It takes about an hour in Arizona with 8% humidity. It takes longer other places.

I have to cut about 1/3 off of the Pork Rib Racks to fit in the smoker. I mopped the Pork Ribs with Bill Johnson’s BBQ Sauce.

 

At 3:00 (15:00) I started all the meat at 200*F.

2 @ Salmon Fillets (light salt)

3 @ Pork Ribs Racks from COSTCO (Bill Johnson’s BBQ Sauce)

12 @ Italian Sausage from COSTCO

I added the first tray of dead/dry Mesquite wood chips.

I added more mesquite at 4:00, 5:00 and at 5:30.

I pulled the Salmon at 6:00 (18:00). It was done perfectly. I turned the fillets over onto a platter and pulled the skin right off clean. Three hours smoked.

I increased the temperature to 225*F at 6:00.

The salmon was tender and juicy. The mesquite smoke is awesome on salmon. Mesquite can have a strong flavor if too much is used. Four trays of wood chips is perfect (about 2 cups total). Green mesquite bark will add a bitter flavor.

 

 I pulled the rest of the meat at 8:00 (20:00) after 5 hours of smoking.

Notice how the ribs have shrunken. Not only is there some bone showing, but they were at the edge of the racks when raw. This is perfect. They are tender and juicy. The smoke flavor is fabulous.

 

Rhonda made 8 of the Italian sausage sliced up with tortellini and a cheesy Alfredo sauce.