We have been members of the Kansas City Barbeque Society since last year and have enjoyed their newsletter The Bullsheet for its singular focus on barbeque. They publish all the results from the various BBQ contests and they offer recipes from members who share an interest in smoking. We decided that they would be a good forum in which to launch an ad of our own; so, we took out a space and gave it a whirl. If you are a KCBS member, you'll find our ad on page18 of this month's issue. We've already sold a couple of units based on the ad and we're hoping that it continues that way.
As far as recipes are concerned, I think I'll write in to The Bullsheet staff and offer my recipe for smoked olives and pearl onions. You take a handful of olives and thawed frozen pearl onions and marinate them in olive oil for about an hour. Then place them in a grilling basket and put them on your smoker ( a Smoke E Z works really well for this) and leave them for 2 hours. What you'll have is the nicest flavored garnish for a martini that you'll ever find! Now I was gonna' suggest that you smoke them longer; but that's not necessary and who really wants to wait anyway. So you put a smoked olive and a smoked pearl onion on a toothpick and plop it into your favorite dry martini. I guess we could call it a Smoke E Z special! It's special alright! Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 10: Special occasion, special food!
Recently a good friend had a birthday; so, I shoveled the snow off the deck and cranked up the Smoke E Z. We did some lobster tails, a true rarity around here, and they turned out particularly good. Basically, all I did was prepare a compound butter with roasted garlic and a dash of hot sauce. Then after cutting away the shell on the belly portion of each tail, I smeared the butter mixture over the top of the tails. I put them in a grilling basket,still in their shells,belly-side up, on the top level of the Smoke E Z for about 45 minutes at 250 degrees and they were great! These tails were relatively small; so, if you try this, you may need to leave them on slightly longer, say 1 hour or more, to get to the desired done-ness. When the meat becomes opaque, it's done. You don't want to overcook it or dry it out; so, be watchful. Lobster is expensive! But it's well worth trying on your Smoke E Z .
Thursday, February 26: Made In America
Back last summer we met with a number of the staffers trying to work our how the smokers oughta' be made. There were guys from the paint shop. the fabrication shop, the laser cutting room, just all sots of people, about fifteen of 'em. You may remember our discussions of how it didn't fit right the first time out. We had initially thought that a lower beveled edge might serve to sorta' wedge the smoker into place, but that didn't work at all; it only wobbled. So as we were sitting around the table worrying with one detail and then the next, I looked up and there was this guy peering through the slot shaped window in the conference room door, acting like he was looking for somebody or something. So, I called his presence to the attention of the plant manager. He said that he had seen him but didn't want him coming in and confusing things; he was the company owner. We invited him in and he actually had some good ideas. He was instrumental in figuring out how the logo would be made and attached.
So the guys started talking about how the barrel portion of the smoker could be fabricated. Don said he had a gear box in his garage at home that would probably work and they all sorta' left it there for the time being. After Hannah and I went back to Chicago, the crew got busy scrounging parts and pieces from everywhere. They were cutting stuff off of obsolete equipment, gears to run the rollers, drive chains to connect the various pieces. and my personal favorite_ four tires off of a fork lift! The tires turned our to be the right density to act as on of the principal rollers that shapes the barrel. Later on they told me that the first efforts were a train wreck, because the small rollers weren't running in coordination with the big roller. They went looking around the shop and found a timing box gizmo that straightened out the problem.
They're still working on the welded seam on the barrel to get it smoother. I know that it will be fine in the long run. And the problems that we've had with the paint were just part of the early growing pains that you have to expect. I think now with the advent of the sandblasting prior to painting, we'll be slick. Anyway, it's like that all the time. They come up with creative ways and solutions as problems arise. I've always been bent that way myself; so, I appreciate their work. And that's the advantage of the made in America idea, as well. I couldn't go to China and talk with the people on the floor of the plant to deal with issues. Not even remotely possible. Super guys.
Wednesday, February 25: The blog starts here
Okay, my oldest son oughta' be proud since he's been buggin' me for almost a year to get into this. The fact is that I've never done a blog or responded to a blog so this is strange at best. I do understand that a blog is a good way to communicate ideas without being specific about the intended recipient(s). That is a good thing and I appreciate my electronic opportunity; I will try to make good use of it.
In this atmosphere of economic recession I chose to start up an endeavor to build and sell an idea that I have worked on for years. We are selling an apparatus that we call the Smoke E Z (smoke easy) that will convert your 22.5" charcoal kettle grill into a large-capacity smoker. It is an inexpensive way for the average Joe to get into smoking various foods with an ease of use that is hard to believe. Importantly in this time of economic stress, the cuts of meat that are suggested are not expensive but they turn out great. Easy to use recipes for pork shoulder roasts, ribs, fish, chicken, and beef are included in the box with each smoker. We will add more recipes as we go along and our project evolves.
Another important aspect of the Smoke E Z effort is that it is made in America, in Indianapolis, the heartland. I like that!
I could have cleared more money quite easily by going overseas, it would have been a simple thing to do. I'm hardheaded and wanted to stay at home; and I could not be happier. The company in Indy is General Devices, Inc., and they have absolutely been Princes to work with. They actually made the machine that rolls the body of the smoker from discarded parts and pieces lying around their shop. It saved me a ton of money and they were very proud of their effort. I don't know if I can "blog" a photo; but , if I can I'll put it up next time. That's probably enough for now. We'll be back soon.
