Recent content by Mike Stavlund

This one is a little longer, and a little cheaper. But the same brand. I got one several weeks ago, and it has been doing a great job of slicing roast beef, ham, and other things. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFDB9/?tag=TVWB-20

Hey, Ben, welcome to the club. This site is such a great resource that is it easy to feel overwhelmed, that's for sure. Which is why I would suggest you rely on what you already know. If you have been smoking on a kettle, you already posses some great skills and know-how. You will almost...

Also, I wanted to give a ham high-five to Kevin Kruger, whose named popped up a lot on many ham threads I was searching earlier this week. That guy is a wealth of information, and he's really kind about dispensing it! He mentioned in several places his technique for curing ham (7-10 days in a...

We ate the ham for dinner since I wrote, and decided that it is a bit too salty. So decreasing the salt and/or time in the brine would be a good idea. Here's that brine recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pulled-pork-recipe/index.html Note that he measures salt by...

I'm no expert, as I've only done one fresh ham. It was earlier today, though, so I just did a bunch of research around here. What I ended up doing was a 3-day flavor brine (salt and molasses), then pulled it out of the brine, rubbed it with just a little ground mustard, ground cloves, and...

Thanks, Jim, for the book suggestion. I just bought it for four bucks at AbeBooks.com Looking forward to learning more about meat.

+1 to Scotty's comment about water killing those probes. I hardly even wash mine anymore.

I am with Mr. Cosgrove, looking for input into smoking my first fresh ham. I'll be doing mine sometime in the next month (my grocery store gets them seasonally).

If you are having problems, I would suggest calling the Maverick office (it's in NJ, I think). They have been very responsive to my inquiries about faulty probes, etc..

I use a metal drip pan, too. It works great, and stores easily. It is just big enough to allow me to set the middle section on the drip pan when I'm unloading or shuffling meat and/or restocking the fire. One thing I've learned though: setting a full chimney starter on it will make it hot...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Just wanted to take a minute to thank Chris A. and everyone else over the years who has tried and tested and tweaked the Apple Brine recipe. I did a 13lb bird this morning for a church we visit that serves the homeless population in Fairfax County, VA. By the...

Thanks for starting this thread, Jeremy. I am in the exact same boat with you (4% enhanced bird), and I'm betting on a normal brine and time. We'll see how it turns out. I'll also be doing an un-enhanced turkey on Friday, so I'll be keen to see how the flavors are similar/different. Good...

That's a very durable, very elegant solution, Russ. I like the finish on that shelf, too!

One unexpected benefit of this shelf is that, if I run the wire up and over the shelf, it provides a safety against my Maverick falling down and hanging against the side of the hot smoker. When I used a separate table, I was always worried that a gust of wind would leave the Maverick melting...

Welcome, Chad, I'm from Falls Church! I got my WSM this spring. One thing that helped me make my decision was that the recipes posted on this site are all based on the 18" WSM, which makes this website an even more useful resource. Plus it uses less fuel, and holds quite a lot of food-- I...