Tri-tip Sliced Tri-tip One of 3 briskets Sliced Brisket Johnny Trig style baby back ribs. Smoked meat loaf. S’mores pie.

I just finished my big brisket smoke for the year. This year getting good briskets in my area was difficult. No prime and the choice were small. I did 4 briskets that equaled 52 pounds. I usually have 3 briskets that go close to 60 pounds before trimming.
I trim my briskets out so that most of the hard fat is removed and the fat cap is trimmed to ¼ to ½ inch. I pay attention to the end of the flat when I buy the brisket and when I trim out the brisket. I will trim a thin end off rather than end up with this part of the brisket getting burnt to the point you can’t use it. This is a good video by Franklin BBQ on trimming brisket: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaMgt1Altys .
I get my briskets rubbed at least 2 days before I put them in the smoker. I have used mustard or Worcestershire sauce to wet the surface of the briskets before I hit them with the dry rub but don’t do it this way any more. I will say that should you use the mustard or Worcestershire sauce use just enough to wet the surface You don’t want to end up with the brisket looking like it had been dunked in a vat of mustard. When I do my dry rub now I start with the fat cap down and hit the surfaces of the brisket that are exposed with a liberal coating of dry rub. I then go do something else for 20 or 30 minutes. This lets the salt in the rub work. The salt brings out the surface moisture in the brisket and this soaks into the rub and holds it in place when I turn the brisket fat cap up. I repeat the dry rub and wait on all of the new exposed surfaces and then put the brisket into large zip lock bags. They have 2 and 2 ½ gallon zip locks now. The bagged briskets now go back into the fridge until I am ready to smoke them.
I make the rub using a recipe from “Smoke and Spice” by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. I highly recommend this book. The rub is called Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub. This is good basic rub and can be easily modified to suit your taste. This is the recipe I use including notes and changes I have made over the years.
Wild Willy’s Number One-derful rub
¾ cup smoked paprika
¼ cup freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup course salt, either kosher or sea salt
¼ cup sugar (I use Turbanado, or brown sugar)
2 tbls. chili powder
2 tbls. garlic powder
2 tbls. Onion powder
2 tsp. Cayenne
2 tsp. Ground Rosemary
This is a great dry rub for steaks, ribs, brisket, and pork.
I have a CookShack SM066 smoker. I have been using these smokers for going on 20 years. I say this simply to make the point that the following is what works in my smoker and may not work the same way in whatever smoker you are using. These smokers were designed and built as Brisket ovens. They are wood stingy and cook very moist. I do 4 briskets using 8 to 10 oz. of wood. I use wood chunks and will do a mix of whatever I have on hand. Hickory or Pecan mixed with apple or cherry. I figure on a 24 hour smoke time and several hours extra to let the briskets “rest”. I do not worry about the stall and I do not wrap my briskets to get them over the stall. I start out with cold briskets and a cold smoker I want to get as much smoke on the briskets as I can before they hit 160 degrees internal temp. I do my briskets fat cap up. I use a leave in probe style thermometer and set the alarm temp for 190 degrees. I set the smoker temp at 175 degrees and come in the house. I will check the smoker several times over the next couple of hours and if the smoker is not producing good smoke after a couple of hours and I haven’t hit the 160 degrees internal temp I will add another chunk of wood and turn the smoker temp up to 225 degrees. I like my sleep so just before I go to bed I turn the smoker temp down to 195 degrees and go to bed. The next morning I turn the smoker temp back up to 225 degrees and wait for the thermometer alarm to go off. I do not cook brisket by time or internal temperature but by feel. When the alarm goes off I take a toothpick or skewer out to the smoker and probe the brisket. When the probe goes into the brisket and feels like you were probing a warm stick of butter the brisket is done. I have over the years had briskets that probed done at 190 degrees. Most of them probed done at 205 degrees and some big briskets went to 215 degrees before they were done. Since I am doing several briskets they usually get done at different times. I take them out as they get done and put them into disposable aluminum pans and cover them with foil. They then go into a warmed insulated cooler. I warm the cooler with hot water in a pan when I know the briskets are getting close. I will leave the briskets in the cooler for a minimum of 2 hours and they will stay hot up to 8 hours in the cooler. I can’t prove it by any scientific method but I think the time in the cooler actually makes the briskets better. Better flavor and more tender for sure and may enhance the moistness of the meat.

Thermoworks sent me a recipe for doing Corned beef. I didn’t have time to actually corn the beef like they did so I used a couple of store bought corned beef. My wife had picked up 2 of these from Costco. They were very well trimmed. I think they were actually too well trimmed as they didn’t have any fat on them. I put them in the smoker with hickory and cherry wood and set the smoker for 225 degrees. When they reached 160 degrees internal temp I pulled them out and put them in a pan with a little water and covered them with foil. They went back in the smoker until they hit 190 degrees internal temp. I really didn’t like the look of them, they sort of looked like 2 lumps of chocolate. I fired up the grill and when it was hot I did a reverse sear on them. They really turned out good with great texture and concentrated flavor.

I know, this isn’t chili because it doesn’t have beef and/or it has beans. None the less this is a good way to use leftover turkey/chicken and although I haven’t tried it yet I think the spices would work well with pork.

Timothy’s White Chili

Serving Size: 8

1 lb. Dried white beans
6 cups Chicken broth
2 Cloves garlic
2 Medium onions, chopped
1 Tbs Oil
9 oz Canned green chilies
2 tsp. Ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/4 tsp. Ground cloves
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
4 cups Diced cooked chicken breast
3 cups Grated Monterey jack cheese
Salsa
Sour cream

1. Combine beans, broth, garlic & 1/2 the onions in a large pot. Bring to a
   boil, reduce & simmer till beans are soft - 2 hrs or more - adding broth if
   necessary.

2. Sauté remaining onions in oil till tender. Add chilies & seasonings &
   mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add chicken & simmer 1hr.

3. Serve topped with grated cheese, salsa & sour cream.

bocephus We do dressing. This is basically stuffing cooked in a pan. The good thing is that you get more dressing than what you can cram into a turkey. I fill the turkey cavity with fresh herbs, onions, celery, and apples or oranges. This is one I did with a rosemary, thym, and sage compound butter. Some of the butter went under the skin and some went over the skin. !

Smoked Meat Loaf.
3 lbs mild Italian Sausage (loose, extracted sausage from casings)
3 lbs ground beef-93% lean (lean cause of sausage)
1 large red onion (coarsely chopped)
2 Tbsp garlic powder
4 eggs
2 Tbsp Canadian Steak seasoning I am sure that any steak seasoning you like will work for this.
4 oz ketchup
4 Tbsp Memphis rub (This is a dry rub, any good dry rub you like should work)
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
8 oz Italian 4 cheese mix
4 oz Big Bob Gibson’s Red Sauce (This is BBQ sauce. Use what you like).

Mix all of the ingredients except the BBQ sauce) thoroughly, form into 2 loaves, and place them on a single broiler/cookie type sheet (Pam or such is a good idea here) with holes in it so the smoke can get to the underside of the meatloaf and fat drippings can escape.
Throw the sheets with the loaves into a 210* preheated smoker (2 oz hickory, 2 oz white oak or your choice) until internal temp hits 150*.
Let the meat loaf rest for 20 minutes and coat the top/sides of the meat loaves with Big Bob Gibson’s Red (or sauce of your choice).
Then throw them into a 250* preheated smoker for apprx. 20 minutes to set the outside of the meatloaves. Let them rest for 10 minutes and slice.

Jonathon Jon: Just some advice from someone that has been there and done that. Please find a shooting range with good instructors and different firearms that they will either let the students shoot or rent for your wife. This will let your wife learn to shoot from people that are able to see and quickly identify problems and correct them before they become habits. Your wife will also get to shoot a number of different firearms in different configurations. That little Glock 43 might turn into something completely different by the end of the class.

My Loving and long suffering wife and my 2 daughters are shooters. My Eldest was the Women’s National Collegiate air pistol champion and a 2 time All American in women’s air pistol and a 2 time All American in Women’s Sport Pistol. Her name is the first to appear on the Melaragno Trophy https://competitions.nra.org/media/8193/tro-170-melaragno.pdf . I did not teach any of the 3 to shoot. I found instructors for them.

I spatchcock and dry brine the turkey and then smoke it. They turn out really good.

First, a little background on tri tip. It’s primarily a West Coast thing but can be found back east. Tri tip is a wonderful cut of meat, very good flavor and tender. People have described the flavor as bold as “rib eye” but fortunately it’s much cheaper. The Virtual Webber Bullet does a good job of explaining this cut. It is also called “bottom sirloin roast” or “triangle roast”.
I’ve heard Trader Joe carries it back east. So, if you’re near one, go over and see if they have it. If so, buy it. Get on the internet and Google “Santa Maria Tri Tip”. Delicious.

The night before Mother’s day I rubbed and sprinkled the meat with Santa Maria rub. It’s a tasty rub and can be used on other cuts of meat. Here’s the recipe I used:
Santa Maria Rub
1 tablespoon black pepper, fresh-ground
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon salt

I used some multiple of this to have some for future use.

Now, Santa Maria Tri Tip is primarily grilled, but what the heck, I own a Cookshack. So I smoked the meat first then grilled to finish. I let the meat rest on the counter for 30 minutes then placed it into a 200* preheated smoker until it hit an internal of 95*, roughly an hour. Oak is typically used for Santa Maria but I used mesquite since I didn’t have oak. The meat was 45* when I placed it into the smoker.

Since the meat was going to be on the grill for a shorter length of time, I thought I’d mop it for better bark (nice grill flareups). I used the typical Santa Maria mop.
Santa Maria mop:
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar (I us a combination of red wine and balsamic)
1/4 cup of garlic infused vegetable oil (I use olive oil, and add crushed garlic to the recipe)
1 ½ teaspoons of mustard (I use grey poupon)
1 teaspoon of crushed rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste.
Pulled the meat at 127*.

We had Kaiser rolls dipped in au jus and made tri tip sandwiches. That’s why I sliced it thinner than normal. Some sides. Some merlot. Absolutely delicious. Tender, moist, smokey, grilled flavor.

There are only two tri tips per cow. So the two I cooked represented the product from one cow–not much there. My only concern is if this cut becomes as popular in the rest of the country as it is out west, then the cost of tri tip will soar.

I let it sit under loose foil for 30 minutes then sliced the meat. It was so juicy my cutting board trough overflowed.

We had Kaiser rolls dipped in au jus and made tri tip sandwiches. That’s why I sliced it thinner than normal. Some sides. Some merlot. Absolutely delicious. Tender, moist, smokey, grilled flavor.

There are only two tri tips per cow. So the two I cooked represented the product from one cow–not much there. My only concern is if this cut becomes as popular in the rest of the country as it is out west, then the cost of tri tip will soar.

Jonathon You should be giving Riggins a treat. He noticed that you needed a new fishing rod and arranged for that to happen in the best way he knew how. Good boy Riggins.

The Cookshack smokers have a “Cold Smoke” baffle that you can buy. This is a heavy stainless steel plate that you freeze and then slide into the smoker between the heat source and the smoke chamber. You can do basically the same thing with a pan of ice. I have smoked cheese with the outside temps in the high 80’s. I just have to make sure the smoker is in the shade or I get some cheese melt.

Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
Taking the seeds and membranes out of the jalapenos removes about 90 percent of the heat, leaving a really great smoked pepper flavor. This recipe from Colonel Tommy Tompkins of the United States Air Force in San Antonio, Texas, was the winner of the 2000-2001 First Prize Award from Cookshack.

MAKES 24 APPETIZERS

12 Large jalapeno peppers
½ pond crabmeat, picked over for shell fragments
1(8-ounce) package cream cheese
¼ cup finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground celery seed
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Season salt and season pepper to taste
12 strips lean, center-cut bacon

Cut each jalapeno in half lengthwise, wearing rubber gloves if desired. Scoop out the seed and the membranes. Drain the crabmeat well. Combine the crabmeat, cream cheese, onion, and garlic powder, celery seed, lemon juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and mix well. Add season salt, and season pepper to taste (for the most part all of the seasonings are done to taste, and you may find some seasonings that you like better). Refrigerate mixture over night, taste, and adjust seasonings. Prepare the smoker with mesquite wood (mesquite wood can get very bitter with just a little too much wood. I use Hickory or my favorite, Jack Daniels Oak) to 200 degrees. Divide the filling equally among each of the pepper halves. Cut the bacon strips in half, wrap around each half pepper, and secure with a toothpick to keep the bacon in place. Place on smoker racks, and smoke until the bacon is cooked, 1 ½ to 2 hours.

My Wife picked out her Mother’s day and Birthday present. She collects turquoise jewelry so she picked this out to go with it. This is a Kimber Micro 9 Bel Air 9mm. That is my paw holding it.

Bruce 0: I know you were asking NDMike but I am a Mike also. I have been doing cheese for a long while now. I have done a lot of different types of cheese. The Cheddars are a good place to start. I have done everything from medium to extra sharp, Dubliner and Coastal are Irish pub cheddars and are good. I liked cheddar habanero but can’t find it in blocks anymore. Pepper Jack is a really good cheese to smoke. I smoke Swiss cheese in both the blocks and Jarlesberg which is cut from a wheel. Gouda and Havarti are good as is Mozzarella. I have done both the block and fresh balls of Mozzarella. You have to take special precautions as far as the smoker temps with these soft cheeses. The fresh Mozzarella needs to be wrapped in cheese cloth. The one cheese that I have smoked and can’t stand is Gruyère. This is a personal thing, I simply cannot stand the smell of this cheese, it smells like dirty feet to me and I can’t get it past my nose. I have heard of people smoking blue cheese, and cottage cheese but haven’t tried them yet. I have a piece of parmesan that I am going to smoke in the next couple days. Woods I use to smoke include pretty much all of them. I really like oak but can’t find it in pellet form around here. Hickory and pecan are both good. Since I have been using the smoke tube method of smoking cheese I have been using the hard wood and fruit wood blended pellets. I have heard that straw smoked fresh Mozzarella is really good. I have used different methods with my smokers. When using the cold smoke baffle I place the baffle between the heat source and the cheese. Start the smoker and let it run until I see smoke coming out of the vent and then turn the heat off. This gives me about 2 hours of smoke. I usually go through this cycle 3 or 4 times. I have also done this using just a large pan of ice between the heat and the cheese. I have gone to using just the smoke tube and when I do cheese using the tube I have done it without anything between the tube and cheese with moderate success but prefer using a pan of cold water or ice between the tube and cheese. Don’t ask me how I know, but I would urge anyone starting out smoking cheese to put a drip pan covered with aluminum foil under the cheese. This saves a LOT of clean up until you get the hang of smoking cheese.

I copied this recipe from the Cookshack forum years ago. Mr. T. was one of the Contributors on that forum. This is a really good recipe. This recipe was made for use with the cookshack smoker. You may need to do some modifying with your smoker. The Cookshack smokers are wood stingy and 3 oz. of wood would be a good amount of smoke on salmon. These smokers also cook very moist so you may need to add some sort of moisture if your smoker is more on the dry side.

Mr.T’s Smoked Salmon

Salmon has always been one of my favorite items to smoke. All types of salmon have been in my smokers at one time or another. From the Kings and hard to find Sable Fish or Black Cod to the small Blue Backs always in search of that one recipe and technique that people would crave for. After over 20 years of experiments expressly working with salmon, they now say “Don’t screw with the recipe anymore” and yes I am going to share the very sought after recipe for the first time.

My favorite salmon to smoke is the Sockeye. Its deep red color and texture seem to do well canned or kept in fridge. Although the Kings and Sable have a wonderful flavor the Sockeye is well accepted and more economical.

Question: Should I use fresh or frozen salmon?

Answer: Frozen, the ice crystals formed in the fish while frozen seem to aid in the brine absorption after thawing.

Question: Should I get salmon with or without the skin?

Answer: The salmon with the skin on works best. The fish has a tendency to fall apart more readily without the skin.

How long do you brine?

Answer: Some will tell you that 30 minutes to 2 hours will be sufficient. The shorter time is fine if you are going to cold smoke for sushi but that would be another thread. I brine from 16 to 24 hours depending on the size of fish. I find the texture is more firm with the longer brine.

Question: Does it go into the smoker after coming out of the brine?

Answer: No. Give it a quick rinse and pat dry. Place on a wire rack and allow to air dry until a pellicle has formed on the entire surface. This will take two or more hours depending on the humidity in your area. A fan blowing across the fish will aid in the time needed to form the pellicle. The pellicle will cause your fish or meat to have a shiny surface which will assist in smoke retention and also will help retain the fat in the fish.

Question: What are the cream colored blotches I see on some smoked salmon?

Answer: That would be fat that has seeped through the pellicle. No harm in eating it but for cosmetic purposes you may want to scrape it off after the fish has cooled.

Question: Should I hot or cold smoke?

Answer: Hot smoke for the ready to eat. Cold smoke for sushi or if it is to be canned, again that would be another thread.

Question: How long do you smoke?

Answer: It’s not the length of time but the desired temperature we are looking for. Smoke at 200° to an minimum internal temp of 145° in the thickest piece for a period of 30 minutes minimum (FDA,2001). Cooking temp may be lowered once fish has reached 145°. Store at a temperature of 38° or less ( FDA,2001).

Question: What kind of wood should I use?

Answer: Any of the light woods work well. The preferred wood I use is Alder.

Question: How much wood should I use for one fillet?

Answer: It’s always been my opinion that the smoker doesn’t know how much it’s holding. I use Approx. 3 oz. full or not.

Question: What will the end result be and how can I use it?

Answer: The salmon will be moist, neither dry nor juicy. It is not intended to be served as a main course. It’s intended to be used as a finger food eaten alone or as a snack on crackers and creamed cheese or as a mouse. It also has endless uses as a appetizer. Will definitely be a hit at any pot luck. Try different appetizer recipes and enjoy. It can easily be packed in a saddle bag or back pack and taken into the mountains. WARNING: Grizzly bears like both fresh and smoked salmon.

Question: Would you share your brine recipe?

Answer: Yes and I would be proud if you used it, and then let me know the results.

Mr. T’s Smoked fish Brine

Ingredients:
½ cup canning or Kosher salt, 5.1 oz. by weight.
½ tsp. Paprika
1 ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp. cayenne
1 quart water
1 Tbs. garlic powder
2 cups brown sugar
4 bay leaves

PH 4.1
Sal. 84%

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar has dissolved.
Place fish in non reactive container with brine and completely cover. A zip bag works well at this point. If using a bag I overhaul or move the fish around two or three times during the brining period.

That’s it. Any questions just ask. Have fun and enjoy.

S’mores Pie

1 graham cracker crust

2 small boxes of chocolate fudge pudding

3 cups milk

mix pudding and milk per package directions (follow the pie directions)
put into pie shell and chill

Before serving mix marshmallows (about 1/2 bag, enough to cover the top of pie) and 1 container of marshmallow cream. (small size should be enough - large is too much)

Spread Marshmallow mixture over chocolate pie. Use small torch to brown (toast) marshmallows. Be careful not to burn. It doesn’t take long!

If it will be a while before serving, it is okay to refrigerate.

For extra flavor, drizzle with dark chocolate ice cream topping just before serving.

Crispy Bacon and Corn Maque Choux

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
6 ears young sweet corn, or canned Sweet White Corn
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
Salt
Cayenne
2 cups chopped, peeled, and seeded tomatoes, or 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
1 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped green onions

In a large skillet, over medium heat, render the bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside. Pour off all of the bacon fat except for 2 tablespoons. Cut the corn off the cob by thinly slicing across the tops of the kernels and then cutting across a second time to release the milk from the corn. Scrape the cob once or twice to extract the milk. You should have about 4 cups of corn with the milk. To the pan, over medium heat, add the oil, onions and bell peppers. Season with salt and cayenne. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the corn. Season with salt and cayenne. Continue to saute for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the corn is tender. Stir in the milk and remove from heat. Stir in the crispy bacon and green onions. Serve immediately.

Boy, this conversation went around the bend a couple of times. By the way my Grandfather lived in a little community called Clear Springs, MO. He was a jack of all trades and had a store and black smith shop. He also ran a still and made moonshine. Here in my little corner of Idaho New Year’s day was cold -4 degrees for the low and 19 for the high. The patio had about 1 1/2" of ice on it. Getting to the smokers was done to the tune of “Slip Sliding Away”. I didn’t spend much time outside when I put the ham on. I had planned on glazing it toward the end but blew that off. The oven was full of “Funeral potatoes”, ginger carrots, and cornbread. The blackeyed peas and spinach were on the stove top. We live right in the middle of the fruit orchard area and make lots of jam. I had planned on glazing the ham with a peach, jalapeno, and tequila jam (yes it was great on the corn bread). NO rice, I am sort of over that fertility stuff at 70 years old (besides the wife would kill me). I don’t know if this meal will bring luck in the future but it sure has brought the luck of good friends and family gathering around the dinner table over the years.

Sweet and Spicy Smoked Turkey with Smoked Gravy
Recipe by Jeff Mauro from “The Kitchen”.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Sweet BBQ Rub, recipe follows
One 10- to 12-pound turkey, untrussed and spatchcocked
12 medium carrots, peeled
12 ounces mini bell peppers or sweet Melrose peppers
2 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Sweet BBQ Rub:
1 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Rub the Sweet BBQ Rub all over both sides of the turkey. Transfer to a disposable aluminum pan breast-side up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered, to dry brine.
2. The day of roasting, let the turkey sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Add the carrots and peppers to the pan and put the turkey on a wire rack above the vegetables.
3. Preheat a gas grill, charcoal grill or smoker to 350 degrees F. If using a gas or charcoal grill, set up a smoke box or small disposable aluminum pan with fruit wood chips. Once the smoke is rolling, put the turkey and vegetables on the grill in the pan, close the lid and smoke for 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour, rotate the turkey and add the stock to the pan to deglaze. Continue smoking until the breast meat registers 160 degrees F and the thighs hit 165 degrees F, another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Let the turkey rest 45 minutes to an hour while you make the gravy. Remove the carrots and peppers from the pan and set aside. Strain the drippings from the pan using a fat separator.
6. To make the gravy, melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk well to make a roux. Slowly add the strained drippings and whisk. Let simmer to reduce to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
7. Slice the turkey and serve over a medley of the smoked carrots and peppers with the gravy on the side.
   Sweet BBQ Rub:
8. Combine the turbinado sugar, granulated sugar, salt, chili powder, paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, cayenne, cumin and pepper in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Jonathon Riggins sounds a lot like my Deutsch-Drahthaar (German Wire Haired Pointer). I was given first pick of a very large litter, I think there were 13 or 14 pups. The only one that acted birdy was the runt of the litter. I named him Goose. He refused to answer to Goose, so I changed it to Dux. Dux is going on 5 years old now. The runt is now right at 110 pounds and is a hard headed, hard charging dog. He ran into me going full tilt and broke my leg. He growls, He growls if you are doing something he doesn’t like. He growls if you are doing something he like. He growls when you stop doing what he likes. This is the 6th of this breed of dog I have owned, and by far is the strangest of them. I took him to a professional dog trainer that works with hunting dogs. He called about a week in and said that Dux is the strangest dog he had ever worked with. I guess we make a good pair.