I’m super excited and have to tell someone. At about 1030pm last night, I pulled two salmon fillets out of my Pit Boss vertical pellet smoker. They came out perfect. I glazed them with 1 part got honey, 1 part ginger honey, and about 3 tbsp of minced garlic.
But this isn’t just about salmon. I’ve wanted to smoke meat since I first had smoked salmon when I was a kid. As time went on, I never found an opportunity, whether because of money, where I was living, or who I was living with.
I just turned 30 this year. In the last two months, I married the love of my life and bought a house, and my wife surprised me with a smoker. This fish isn’t just fucking delicious, it’s the culmination of years of hard work, and good luck. It’s a small, savory reward for making it through the bad days, and making the most of the good ones. It’s my silly little way of telling myself I’ve finally made it.
The recipe I used can be found here.
Thank you! Next on the list is either tri-tip or brisket.
Very, very different. With tri-tip, you’re going to want to get it like 5 degrees from medium rare, then sear it on a grill or pan. It’s a very short smoke.
Brisket is a very long smoke, easily 16+ hours, and it’s easy to mess up. I usually recommend people do a pork shoulder (pulled pork) before brisket. You cook it exactly the same way, just a different rub, but the meat is much more forgiving and much cheaper (still delicious). Get that dialed in, then do the brisket.
Good luck!
I’m 2 years into the journey myself.
I’ve done a couple of briskets, easy as to do - it’s just a daunting task considering the size and time involved. My only warning is the volume of meat needs an army to consume!
Pulled pork, chicken wings, lamb shoulder, and racks of ribs - all easy to do and I absolutely recommend having a go.
Omfg I hadn’t even thought of lamb. The good news is I have plenty of sinks to dispose of extra product, exorcism if it comes out good! Lol