Happy to smoke my first bacon using the guidance of the hive here.

Much gratitude all around!

Sausage turned out OK. Still plenty more to learn here.

The al pastor, however, is otherworldly! This is something we will be making again.

Hurricane Nicholas chicken & andouille gumbo. Started ‘er with the lights off but it’s all good now.

Jalapeño cheddar roasted garlic sausage from a recipe I picked up on r/sausagetalk on Reddit. Credit to Bokonon45 there.

Still new to sausage making, but here are my pork kielbasas ready for tomorrow’s smoke. Some blowouts, but I expect it being a novice.

Also, some of the same pork shoulder marinating for tomorrow’s smoked al pastor tacos (or ‘trompo’ depending on what part of Mexico you know).

My daughter helped all along, which makes it a success already.

I’ll update with pics once it’s all done

$0.99 butts at the local Kroger

I’m not a great food photographer, but I made a black bean soup with the bacon I posted further up the chain. I also cooked in some of the pork sausage I smoked on the Monday off for ID4 (still learning there).

Topped with fresh cilantro and extra sharp white cheddar.

Here’s my personal bonus round: heat some flour tortillas and have the black bean/bacon/sausage soup in a taco with a vinegar-forward Mexican hot sauce such as Valentina or Cholula.

SCADA engineer by profession. I formerly focused on oil & gas but now I build control systems for grid-scale renewable power generation.

wdaly I used 2.5 gal freezer bags. Flip them over daily.

Chef yep, river parishes born and raised, more Texan now though.

Chef I was blessed to have a mom who is a chieftess among Cajun cooks, so her flavors and smells and techniques are a guidepost. I grew up in LaPlace… I’m basically half-andouille.

calldoctoday so… the bacon turned out great!

I think it would have been too salty if I hadn’t followed the directions here. It’s a big hit with the kiddos!

T-bones from my dad’s American Dexter herd. Asparagus on the side.

After the kids get their portions, I add ground habanero to my steak.

My favorite steak method is cast iron sear on the stovetop then broil in the oven.

calldoctoday

For a bayou boy like me, any day that doesn’t reach 90F may as well be winter!!