Peanut Butter Pie

The Smoking Process

 

After canning all my fish last year, this year I decided I wanted to smoke it, all of it, then can it. Last year it took me 2 days to do all of it, so I guess you can imagine that adding the step of smoking would dramatically increase my processing time. I can easily see why people pay to have all their fish processed after a large haul! I was tired and sore and cranky when I finally finished, but oh how I love my smoked salmon!! The following blog is my step by step instructions. No, I am not going to get into food blogging, but I do want to smoke more fish in the future and I will personally need this blog entry to help me remember how to do it. My dad taught me exactly what to do, and so I could probably ask him in the future for another lesson, but he is getting older and may lose his memory. So here it all is, for both of us (you know in case he forgets.) So read it if you want to, or not, it is all the same to me. ;)

Start with a clean/sterile work surface. Or use a make shift old painted piece of plywood fastened to the lid of a trash can, attached to that trash can, cutting board. Whichever you choose.

Despite the totally redneck cutting board/work station, I am actually very compulsive about cleaning my work station, because 1) the fish are slimy and they totally, completely gross me out. And 2) Well, refer back to 1.

So after bleaching my board, I laid my fish on the board and rinsed them all off, both sides. I noticed that by the 2nd day the scales fell off a lot more than on day one and that made a bigger mess.

Then I cut them about every inch. I did not cut through the skin. The reason I did this was because these were thick fillets, and I wanted them to get the brine clear through and to smoke clear through and hopefully faster as well. I think it worked and the added benefit was they were about the right size strips for putting into the jars and canning after they were smoked.

Aren't they pretty?

Brown sugar brine is: 2 lb brown sugar and 1 1/4 c. canning and pickling salt. I think you could do quite a bit more salt, maybe even 2 cups. You let it sit for 12 hrs with the brine on it. This brine does not use any water and I did not rinse the fish after it had sat for 12 hrs. I tried another brine as well and it was 1 c. white sugar, 1 c. brown sugar and 2 cups pickling salt added to 16 cups of water. (The fish sat in that for 2 hrs and then was lightly rinsed and then dried on the racks for 12 hrs.) I liked the other way better because your fish doesn't sit out in the air so long.

I put a little brown sugar mixture in the bottom of a cooler. I laid 3 fillets across the bottom skin side down. Put brown sugar across the top of those liberally, then laid three more meat to meat on those. Continued doing this until I had enough fillets for my smoker. (My smoker holds 20 fillets, big chiefs hold about 10.) I had borrowed a big chief, but for that many fish in the future I would borrow 2.

I closed the cooler and put it in a tote and filled it with ice and water to keep the fish cool. If you have room in your fridge you could just put the fish in a tote and put it in your fridge. You let the fish sit in the brine for about 12 hrs. (This time is no scientific number, I did this with as little as 8hrs.)

Then I took them out of the brine and put them on the oiled racks (I used olive oil because I don't like Pam, so I didn't have any.) Trust me, it is much easier to get the fish off if they are oiled. I oiled between each batch, using Pam would have been a useful time saver.

I let the fish sit with the door open for fresh air for about 1-2 hrs, or until I thought I had collected enough flies around my house. I do believe that the longer you let it dry the less "white stuff" (which you can see in the next picture, it was in piles on the bottom of my smoker) you will have spill all over your smoker. But, I don't think this is a super necessary part for the end result. I did it with one hour up to 3 hours and some even over night with a fan blowing on it.

Then I put a pan of wet cherry and alder chips in the bottom, filled to heaping and plugged it in. The cherry isn't necessary, but I have heard you want to stick with Alder for Salmon. (I did put a little dried stuff in the bottom just to give it a start.) (Another note, I bought chunks of wood, as opposed to the finer chips/shavings, I had no problem with it, The dry stuff I put in the bottom of the pan was the finer/smaller chips.) This whole process literally gave me gray hair--you can actually see it in this picture

I closed the smoker and covered with a box to keep in more heat. Once there was no more visible smoke (about 3 hrs depending if your wood was wet or not,) I would open it up and add more wood chips and sometime rotate the fish if I had some bigger fillets on the top. I kept all my small fillets at the top. I smoked mine at least twice, then I just used my best judgement, but didn't worry too much about if it was "done" because I planned to can it.

After it smoked between 5-8 hrs (really it did vary that much, I wasn't too obsessed about the time.) I would pull it out and I skinned it all right then. It was very easy to pull off. Also because I don't like the gray stuff, I took off a lot of that and for some reason the spine really grossed me out, so I removed that as well. Obviously none of that is necessary and can be skipped.

(Yes as a matter of fact my back was killing me when I finished this three day project.)

My dad suggested that I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to cool down to let the smoke flavor get stronger. I only did that once as I was too anxious to get the canning done and be done with this project. I was really anal about getting most of the brown stuff off, as well as the string down the back, which I assume is the spinal cord, and I didn't want to eat it.

(By the way, this tote will FOREVER smell like smoked fish--even after I ran it through the dishwasher.)

So at this point if you cooked it long enough you can vacuum pack it, or you can can it. Here are the jars I bought to can, I ended up using all of them!

Every square inch of my kitchen counters were completely covered!

I boiled the lids and the rings. I ruined several lids because I left them to boil too long and the seal melted.

I was using two different canners. The one on the left was HUGE!

At one point I ran out of propane and had two spares that turned out to be empty as well. Nice.

I put them in a canner and waited for the steam to escape and once it started I timed that for 10 min, then I put on the weight at 10 lbs and began my 100 min. Actually I did several batches for only 90 min due to a little miscalculation, and I thought 100 min was 1 hr 30 min. Those jars turned out fine and we haven't died yet.

I literally stuffed the jars so full that I had to squish the fish down to get the lids on. It will cook down in size quite a bit and I wanted my jars to be full. I didn't add any oil or water as it often says to do. I had plenty of liquid/oil come out especially on my fish I didn't smoke as long.

When I make the salmon I use most of the oil for moisture. I could have packed them even tighter.

This is the big daddy cooker, guess how many jars I have in there.

Did you guess 16 pints? Well technically 24 half pints and 4 pints!!

I was worried it was too much for the cooker, I am glad to report that it turned out fine.

Out of my 148 pints I only had ONE not seal! :D

I did do one batch of smaller fillets that I cooked all the way through so that we could have some to eat safely. This is a good example of a big fillet vs a small fillet, or what I call a lost Kasilof Red.

These are our packaged "safe" smoked salmon.

For future reference, this is a TWO person job.

PS. Dad in case you made it this far, and can remember what I wrote at the beginning, I was just kidding about the memory loss...

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

These were given to Kyler for Nursey one sunday, I took good pictures so that I could reproduce at a later date. The later date has come, and here is my step-by-step project--as documented by Moriah. I had 'help' from Moriah, Nelly and Kyler.

You start with an Oreo and 'glue' it to the

Thanksgiving 2010

We had Thanksgiving at my house this year.  Our kitchen is getting closer to being done, and I am excited to show off my new tile Drew has worked so hard on.  The kids all helped clean up and Moriah helped with lots of the cooking.  Here is what we had and who made it.

The turkey was cooked by Nana.  She had a 12lb Turkey in her freezer so we decided that would be enough.  It was and Moriah's comment on the turkey was "I think this is the first year I have actually liked the turkey, it is not dry like normal."  Coming from a 12 yr old very picky eater, I think that pretty much sums up the turkey.

The dressing always gets made by Nana as well.  I can make Stovetop, but I have never been impressed with my stuffing skills.  Maybe I will try working on that this year and seeing if I can come up with something.  Then again, my mom's is pretty dang good, maybe I will just keep relying on her skills.

Mashed potatoes seem to have fallen into Shauna's court each year, and she does a great job.  I am not a fan of mashed potatoes that are too mashed, I like a few bumps in mine and Shauna does it just right.  She said John added a package of Potato Pearls and I think we had enough mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and Christmas put together, they were in a stock pot, and it was almost full. I loved them!

Gravy--My mom said that came with the Turkey so she got the job and it was good.  It was a chunky gravy--it had...stuff in it, not sure of what all it had in it, but all that matters is that when it is poured over the mashed potatoes and the stuffing you moan and groan, and this gravy had the right effect.

Cranberry sauce.  Moriah got the duty, mainly because I found a recipe I wanted to try and it was easy, so I had her make it.  She does not like cranberry sauce and predicted that it would be gross.  I had a can of cranberry sauce for back-up just in case.  When I went to get that and bring it out it turned out to be a can of beets.  I was really hoping Moriah's prediction was off.  She has informed us that the reason adults like things that kids do not is because our taste buds are damaged and so we can't taste all the crap (her words not mine) in the foods we eat.  Well fortunately for all of our damaged taste buds we enjoyed the sauce, and I was actually kinda impressed by it.  That recipe was from--guess...ok you were right, the Pioneer Woman.

Olives--I went ahead and took care of this.  Didn't want to put that kind of stress on others during the busy holiday season.  They turned out perfect! :)

Deviled eggs--not sure if this is a Thanksgiving requirement in other places, but I just wouldn't feel the same if I didn't get some.  I got to thinking while I was making them that they are actually a pain in the butt to make.  It takes a lot of time to peel the eggs.  I had Nelly do most of them, which had an effect on the overall shape of the eggs in the end, but not the flavor.  Is there an easy way to peel eggs and not take half the egg white with you?  Anyway, while I was eating them I kept thinking "why don't we have these more often?"  The answer of course lies in my thoughts that I had while I was making them.

I also felt bad that we didn't really have a vegetable so I opened up a can of my pickled green beans that I canned earlier this year and we all snacked on those.  They were great.  I will have to get that recipe on here.  My dad liked stacking a green bean on top of an egg and eating them that way.  He thought 2 green beans per egg was perfect.

Of course I have already mentioned my amazing experience with the rolls.  You can read about that on this page.

That just leaves dessert.

Pumpkin pie came from Shauna.  She said it only took John 2 tries going to the grocery store to get the right milk--evaporated, not sweetened condensed. 

Apple pie--Shauna started it, but Naomi finished it and it looked pretty as a pie--oh wait, it was a pie.  Well it was great and Naomi had a good reason to be proud of that pie!

Pecan pie--two words..Pioneer Woman.  Her recipe for the pie that will make you cry was wonderful.  Drew thought is was just a little sweet, but he normally thinks pecan pie is WAY too sweet, so he thought this was a big improvement.  Next time I make it he wants me to use more pecans.  So I will try that.  The important part of this recipe was to chop up the nuts.  Here is the link to her pie on her site.  I also want to mention her amazing pie crust.  I actually liked the pie crust and went in search of it on my kids' plate.  It really was that good--so flaky!

Am I forgetting anything--oh yeah, my Peanut Butter Pie.  I definitely used the wrong recipe.  Check out my post on Peanut Butter pie and read how changing one ingredient can make or break a pie!

The kids were all well behaved.  I got to photograph baby Eli. We all enjoyed the day, and we even took a family photo.  I am no professional, but they are all in there!  Then we raced off to the movies and watched Tangled.  That was fun, and not near as busy as I was expecting.

Perfect Pie Crust

This will be my stand by from now on.  This pie crust was so flaky and good.  I did have a hard time working with it, even after it had been in the freezer about 20-30 min.  But I decided it was worth it.

Sylvia’s Perfect Pie Crust
Added by Ree on June 19, 2009 in Desserts, Pies

Prep Time 45 Minutes Cook Time

Servings 1

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Egg
• 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Pecan Pie...I cried

Drew saw this recipe and wanted me to make it for him.  The crust was a bit soft, even after freezing it for about 20 minutes, and I thought I might cry trying to put it into the pan, but it turned out to not be so bad.  It tore a little and was easily just pinched back together.  The taste of the crust was well worth any trouble it gave!  Drew thought it might still be a little sweet and wants me to put more pecans in it next time.  I even liked it, and I am not a Pecan Pie eater--just sayin'.  The Pie that will make you cry, step by step.

Pioneer Woman’s Pecan Pie
Added by Ree on August 16, 2009 in Desserts, Pies

Prep Time 15 Minutes Cook Time 50 Minutes

Servings 12

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust (I Use "Sylvia's Perfect Pie Crust" Recipe
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 cup Corn Syrup
• ¾ teaspoons Vanilla
• ⅓ cups Melted Butter (salted)
• 3 whole Eggs Beaten
• 1 cup (heaping) Chopped Pecans

Preparation Instructions

First, whip up your pie crust using “Sylvia’s Perfect Pie Crust” found on Tasty Kitchen.
Next, mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.
Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.
Pour syrup mixture over the top. Cover top and crust lightly/gently with foil. Bake pie at 350º for 30 minutes. Remove foil, then continue baking for 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans.
NOTE: PIE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLY JIGGLY WHEN YOU REMOVE IT FROM THE OVEN. If it shakes a lot, cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minute or until set. Required baking time seems to vary widely with this recipe. Sometimes it takes 50 minutes; sometimes it takes 75!
Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.

*Drew made this again and added a few more chopped pecans.  It was great this time around as well.  This recipe is definitely a keeper!  My pie crust that I made on Thanksgiving made 3 crust and I had stored the two I didn't use in the freeze for later use.  We used one, and it was perfect again!  This crust really is YUMMY!

My Favorite Salsa

We love this salsa!  I am very picky when it comes to my salsa, and this one meets my needs.  It tastes a lot like the salsa you get in a restaurant.  That might be why she named it Restaurant Style Salsa, not sure though.



Step by step for this marvelous salsa.  (This is not really necessary, it is pretty easy, unless you need help opening a can...)


Restaurant Style Salsa
Added by Ree on January 26, 2010 in Appetizers, Salsas
Prep Time 10 Minutes
Cook Time Servings 12 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice (I used 2 cans 15oz. of diced tomatoes)
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
½ whole Lime Juice
Preparation Instructions
Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.