4 Attachment(s)
The moment of truth-Part One
Ok, so here's the finished product.
I set the inkbird to 160 degs and preheated the smoker, then I hung the chub. I used the smoke tube and filled it full and once it was going good I placed it in the smoker.
The smoke lasted for not quite 4 hours and here's what the chub looked like;
Attachment 331828
I cut the strings off and place the chub in a vacuum bag;
Attachment 331829
Then into the water bath. I set the inkbird to 200 degs and used a plate to keep the meat submerged;
Attachment 331832
After two hours I lowered the inkbird to 185 degs and held it there for about 4 hours. Then I pulled it from the bath and checked the internal temp and it was 184.7. I put a Gorilla Duct Tape band aid on the hole left by the probe, cut a corner out of the vacuum bag and drained most of the liquid into a bowl and set it in the frig. The red circle just shows where I resealed the corner;
Attachment 331833
I placed the chub in a large plastic tub and covered it with an old towel then put it in the bathtub and started the cold water running. Once it was full and the towel completely wet I turn the water way down and left it for about 3 hours and then pulled it and rechecked the internal temp and found it to be about 80 degs so I placed the chub in the frig and headed to bed.
To be continued---
2 Attachment(s)
The moment of truth-Part Two
So this morning I found the liquid that I'd drained to be completely gelled. I figured that was a good sign.
So I broke out the slicer to have a go.
Attachment 331835
I sliced a couple off and gave the second slice a go since it had less smoke and by God, it was good! :y Very nice flavor, not salty, quite tender.
However Houston we had a problem----:w The first few slices held together well, but the further into the chub I went the more they didn't hold together. Starting in the middle it was pretty much like this.
Attachment 331836
I finished slicing and took about pound and a half to my oldest daughters for her and the family to try. She loved the flavor and said she'd just mix it in a bowl with the mayo, mustard etc just like making a tuna sandwich. I thought that was good thinking :chapeau
I think next time, I'll use less liquid, add powdered milk, grind 100% of the meat and emulsify the entire batch using the food processor. I'll also ask for some help as I'm sure that I can pack the meat in tighter if I could use both hands instead of needing to use one to hold the casing tightly and one to turn the crank for the stuffer.
So I've torn the slicer down and the removable parts are in the dishwasher, the non removable parts are washed down and sanitized. Once the removable parts are dried and cooled I'll put the slicer together and do another slicing project. I'll post the results and some pics later.