Hey Guys,
I made Venison Snack sticks over this weekend and they came out pretty good but I had some shrinkage and a little pooling of fat.
I have a Masterbuilt propane smoker and I hung them from the top rack. With this smoker the lowest temp I can get is around 200 degrees. I have a kamado joe ( like a big green egg )so I use the ceramic plate setter on the bottom shelf of the smoker to block some of the heat but it still got to hot. I kept the door cracked and that kept the temp down a little bit but apparently not enough.
Any suggestions on how to get the temp to stay lower, around 140 degrees while the protein binds with the fat.
Hey Jeff. For the Kamodo cooker, you can try less fuel, or possibly adding some fire bricks on top of the ceramic plate to help diffuse the heat a bit.
Hey Al,
How you been?
I didn't use the Kamado Joe since I don't have a rack for the links and I could fit a lot more in the Masterbuilt propane smoker hanging them from dowels from the top rack slots.
I might use the kamado joe next just to see if they come out better. I can get a low heat from the Kamado joe no problem and it will hold that temp for ever.
They really didn't come out bad, just a little pooling of fat on some links and that might have been where I had some air bubbles.
Thanks for the tip though, I'll try the fire bricks. I was thinking of maybe using a ceramic tile since the kamado joe heat diffuser is round and the propane smoker is square I think heat is moving up the sides where it is open.
Al made a good point above regarding the use of firebricks in the Kamota Joe. I also own a propane MasterBuilt smoker. Because of its rectangular shape, the firebricks might be perfect for use in the MasterBuilt smoker to help with lowering/controlling heat. Think I'll give it a try and get back with you. Thanks for the suggestion. :campfire:
Sorry Jeff, I mis-read the post. All is well Thank God. Hope all is well you too.
I love using firebricks as heat diffusers in my homemade barrel smokers. I can pretty much get any environment I want. They are inexpensive as well. I have some that are the size of regular bricks, and others that are about an inch thick. I can totally block my fire/smoke if I choose to, only letting in the least amount of heat/smoke.
Thanks Al, I'm going to see if I can pick some up at Lowes or Home Depot.
Try a masonry yard, where they sell bulk sand, pavers, and bricks, etc...
Soak them in cold water after you take them out, this will keep the skins from wrinkling.