# 3rd hobby



## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

just told Bonnie about my thinking about starting a 3rd hobby ,, 
SMOKING MEAT 
our son has had a smoker made from a fridg for years ,, none of us has tried to smoke any thing ,, but I have been getting that wild hair to give it a try,, 
any one smoke meat on there own ????????


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I used to smoke meat and make smoked jerky all the time... Now I don't really have the time, but I still do some smoking a couple times a year.. It's well worth the effort..


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

good to hear some one is doing it ,, what smoker do you have ,,, time what the heck is time ,, the other 2 hobby's I do just for relaxation ,, thats what this will be ,, I look for hobby's that you can work when you want and stop when you want ,, not something you have to have time to do , like so much a week , I know smoking meat is some thing I will have to have time when the meat is ready for the next step not a week or two later ,, but will give it a try


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Tom I used to smoke meat on a limited bascis. I'll look up some information I got in turning a old fridge into a smoker.

 Al


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I use a double barrel smoker.. I build the fire in a small barrel on the end of the larger barrel... more like cold smoking... 

Say I smoke a pork butt... it' takes close to 16 hours some times if it's a really large one, and you need to tend the fire every hour or two... so I have to have a weekend where I can walk away from what ever I'm doing every hour or two to make sure things are going along well. I've smoked ribs for a big get together, and spent all night getting up every hour and a half to check them and stoke the fire... 

It may seem like a simple thing to do, but it is very time consuming.. 

Making deer jerky is usually a two day ordeal.. but I also make a lot at once..

I really enjoy smoking meats, but I just seldom have the time to do it...


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

thank you Al ,,I think I could do it but some tips on how sure will help ..

joe ,, I know the smoking part takes a lot of work and time ,, what I was kind of thinking is that the brine part if it was in the brine a extra day ,, would it make a big diff ????


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

Al ,, I got a raise today at work ,, Bonnie told me "your fired ,, Now get back to work "" ,,, I went back to work ,, then at the 2nd job she said again " your fired now get back to work "" I said NO ,, if I don't get a raise I'm going on unemployment ,, I got a raise ,, I think it was some thing like 6 inches ,,, I went back to work ... a little later she asked if I wanted another raise ,, I said NO , and went back to work ....


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

:banana:Got a foot to the butt did you LOL:kiss: Love is grand isn't it.

So how much snow did you get or were you above it? Kare sat and watched the news tell of the snow and sort of went in a tranc and kept saying poor Deana poor Deana. She lives in Wisconsin about an hours drive from the Twins.

 Al


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

My husband smokes a lot of meat. We actually make a little money on it during the summer. He charges a little bit to smoke a cut of meat that the customer provides. Lots of family reunions equals a couple hundred bucks, and since he just likes doing it, it's great!

He uses a chest smoker, lots of hickory and cherry involved (his own special blend).


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I've never tried smoking with cherry.. I need to try that some time.. I'm a huge fan of Mesquite.. but I guess that came from spending a lot of years in Texas.. 

I really like using apple for Chicken and Turkey...


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Usefull information given me here.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=267854

A link given to me about a fridge smoker.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/57231/refridgerator-to-smoker-conversion

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

GOT MY NUCS TODAY .. picked up the nucs , about 10 am , will look in them tomorrow , thought I would let them settle in before I would open them up .. so will post after I pull them apart


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

You never said how much snow you got. Deana called last night and said 8 inches fell there and her race saturday was on the muddy side but not as bad as the 2011 Hell Michigan one was.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

we had snow in the air a few miles south of here ,mpls got a light cover, just made the grass a little white , but here nothing but rain .. 
took the top off the hive pulled the new frames ,, made sure the queen made it home ok ,, steve did show us the queens when we picked them up ,but wanted to be sure they made it home ,, one queen looks like most do ,, but the one has a diffrant color ,never saw one that color


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Glad all went well. you need to discribe that queen or better yet a picture. Apple trees should be blooming here just in time for the 50's mothers day and next week for a while. Pears cherries and wild plum blooming now. OH and the dandalions are beginning to bloom.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

simi-steading
I know I will have a hard time getting apple wood , as far as that goes any fruit wood ,, will have to call my cousin he might know were I can pick some up ,, but thats not going to stop me , when it hits me to smoke we will get wood some way ,

Al ,, the last week things have NOT been nice here family health wise ( not me kids or Bon ) , thats why I have had my mind off some place ,, after it gets straight ,we will talk


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

If you want some hickory I can ship you a flat rate USPS box full for the cost of the shipping. I went in the honey house yesterday to get the smoker and I have a 5 gallon pail full setting just out side the door soaking in water I had forgotten about. Lots of Hickory in the woods here. We have some apple trees But I havn't trimmed them in some time so nothing to smoke with. I've been pulling thorn apple trees out of the vacant field next door so the owner can plant some food plots Wonder if that stuff is any good to smoke with?

Fianlly made it back to the hives we talked about on the phone which were on the island for a while. Have 3 left of 6 there. Brings our winter losses to 68%. Horriable like when we were first hit by Nosema creana. Kare started talking about us buying queens even. I can under stand that since our drone yard was totaly wiped out. We will see as I really doing want to buy queens and get that run of the mill stuff they have out there now.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

I was thinking of how to get fruit wood .. I came up with a possible way ,, I have a stump grinder , I'm thinking of putting a ad '' exchange for the wood , I would grind the stump ''' ,,, do you think I would get any bites ??????


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

the nucs I got have taken off great ,, lots of bees , only thing is theres ONE guard bee that takes her job very much to heart ,, if you go stand 5 feet from the one hive , she is right in your face ,, each time i have went through that hive she is right there bumping me .. tryed to slap sense into her but she is fast


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The ad just might work. As for the over achiver guard bee she will be gone in about 6 to 8 weeks. best to leave her bee and not get the point of her stinger.

 Al


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