For my solstice party this year, a friend brought in some camel meat. he's in mineappolis and they have enough somalis there that camel can be had at the halal butcher.
I did a big web search on it, and the best advice I could find was that one should treat it like brisket. It didn't say which cuts should be treated like brisket, and didn't actually differentiate between cuts.
it showed up and was a rib roast. heavy fat pad and it it looked full of connective tissue. I didn't get it until Friday night, so I threw it in the brine with the pork butts (and a couple of rabbits) to give it at least 4 or 5 hours in brine.
at around 2AM I set up the bullet with the minion method, water in the pan. 3AM brought a nice, stable 240 degree temp. put on the meat and used the kingsford hickory chips. I didn't realize I was out of chunks until too late, and had to run out for a 1AM beer and hickory chips run. they do the job, just take more work. I soaked the chips.
meat and the first round of chips went on at 3:15. I rubbed the camel with salt lick BBQ brand dry rub. I went to bed, was up at 10AM. Temp was still at 240, and stayed that way pretty much all day. I replenished with cold water and threw more chips on. It cooked with a hog's leg and a trimmed pork butt.
at 9PM, the camel came off and rested for 20 min. the fat pad was trimmed back. there was a nice smoke ring. so that's about 15 hours of smoking.
the meat itself had the texture of goat leg, a perennial favorite on my bullet. It did not have the flavor of goat. In fact, only a mild gamey flavor more along the line of venison. it was not at all dry, but the connective tissue was broken up well.
that site was right-- treating the meat like brisket was the way to go. I was even a little dissapointed that it was so mild.
I believe my friend payed $3.19 a pound for the roast. it was fine eating, and a cut that really does need to be bbq'd. worth trying, if you've got a halal butcher around that carries. it.
Seattle exotic meats carries camel, but it's $8 a pound, and I wouldn't pay that for it. plus, seattle exotic meats doesn't have the best quality. I've got too much stuff from them that was freezer burned to go back.
I did a big web search on it, and the best advice I could find was that one should treat it like brisket. It didn't say which cuts should be treated like brisket, and didn't actually differentiate between cuts.
it showed up and was a rib roast. heavy fat pad and it it looked full of connective tissue. I didn't get it until Friday night, so I threw it in the brine with the pork butts (and a couple of rabbits) to give it at least 4 or 5 hours in brine.
at around 2AM I set up the bullet with the minion method, water in the pan. 3AM brought a nice, stable 240 degree temp. put on the meat and used the kingsford hickory chips. I didn't realize I was out of chunks until too late, and had to run out for a 1AM beer and hickory chips run. they do the job, just take more work. I soaked the chips.
meat and the first round of chips went on at 3:15. I rubbed the camel with salt lick BBQ brand dry rub. I went to bed, was up at 10AM. Temp was still at 240, and stayed that way pretty much all day. I replenished with cold water and threw more chips on. It cooked with a hog's leg and a trimmed pork butt.
at 9PM, the camel came off and rested for 20 min. the fat pad was trimmed back. there was a nice smoke ring. so that's about 15 hours of smoking.
the meat itself had the texture of goat leg, a perennial favorite on my bullet. It did not have the flavor of goat. In fact, only a mild gamey flavor more along the line of venison. it was not at all dry, but the connective tissue was broken up well.
that site was right-- treating the meat like brisket was the way to go. I was even a little dissapointed that it was so mild.
I believe my friend payed $3.19 a pound for the roast. it was fine eating, and a cut that really does need to be bbq'd. worth trying, if you've got a halal butcher around that carries. it.
Seattle exotic meats carries camel, but it's $8 a pound, and I wouldn't pay that for it. plus, seattle exotic meats doesn't have the best quality. I've got too much stuff from them that was freezer burned to go back.
