My husband received a Christmas gift this year that turned out to be a family favorite…an electric meat smoker! I have to admit I wasn’t sure about this smoker…not that I wouldn’t like having it but it might be so favored by my husband that he would spend ALL of his weekend hours tinkering with this thing and not tend to the growing “to do” list of an old home! But, as luck would have it, this new “toy” is bringing such deliciousness to our dinner table AND it programs itself…leaving plenty of time for house maintenance! After our wonderful Beef Bourguignon evening we vowed that we’d set aside as many Sunday nights as possible and dedicate them to creating a family meal together! Welcome the smoker! Still a work in progress, we’ve only attempted a few meals so far…the first–smoked pork chops. This dinner was about as smoked as you can get…no fault of the machine. When the recipe called for two hours of smoking, the boys thought 4 would be MUCH better. Let me tell you that by merely cracking open the tupperware container filled with left-overs would make the entire kitchen smell like a campfire! Fortunately the next attempts were much more successful…due to following the recipe suggestions! Two of those meals consisted of smoked salmon…and I’ve gotta say they tasted every bit as good as the expensive stuff sold in specialty stores! And since this kind of cooking involves a really cool machine…the boys have taken an active interest making the family meal truly a family experience! Have a peek…
smokin’ salmon!
our new Bradley electric smoker has really been fun…for all of us! fun to use…and more importantly, fun to eat what comes out of that smoke-filled box! and an even bigger bonus…we’re able to serve up really healthy meals–like salmon! so the first thing to do is soak it in a brine to help draw out the moisture in the fish and give it some extra flavor…
and pat it dry…(i’m discovering that this step must be the secret for success!)
the smoker is light enough to store in the garage and carry to the covered porch to use…which is wonderful when it’s snowing…or raining!
and the most wonderful part…you just set the controls for what you’re smoking! and with the exception of possibly altering the racks of meat during the process, the machine does the rest & even turns itself off!
the pressed wood chips get dropped into the tube for all the smoky glory! the salmon goes in–and we just sit back and wait!
and when it comes out…heaven!
some crusty bread and mediteranian labne…a thick & creamy yogurt cheese that tastes like tart sour cream. an accompaniment to salmon that my friend introduced us to…absolutely divine!
i’m thinking that we’ll easily be able to eat the recommended servings of salmon from now on!
and since we fired it up again last night…i thought i’d share what came out of the smoker for yesterday’s dinner too!
brown sugar rubbed trout, dijon maple pork loin, and an assortment of sausages! i wish i could say that it was culinary talent that created this fabulous sampler platter…but the box really is the main chef! we just followed the marinating recipes and programmed the smoker to cook up deliciousness! at this point we’re just figuring out what we like best!
it’s the gift that keeps on giving!
let’s eat!
if you’d like to know more about this electric smoker check out the link to Bradley Smoker to see all of their products…and get some great recipes too!