I love smoked foods! When done right it has such a deep and unmistakable flavor. Years ago, meats were smoked to preserve them for long-term storage but today smoking is more for the taste. I look at it like an outdoor crockpot in a way. Once you place your well-seasoned or brined food items on the racks you can set it and forget it. Well, that’s until its time to add more wood chips or chunks or charcoal, which can come every few hours in some cases. There are some options, however that really can make smoking nearly fool proof. Modern day electric smokers that allow you to load the wood chips one time and are placed on the heat source automatically. The other is with my new personal favorite, the pressure smoker. In my opinion, it is the best thing that has come to smoking foods ever. You get the deep rich smoky taste and tenderness that comes with slow smoking and the speed of a pressure cooker. This device is fantastic. I recently purchased one, which by the way are made right here in our local area in Homer at R & V Works – the home of the Cajun Fryer.

These recipes are delicious smoked foods that will work beautifully with both conventional smoking as well as a pressure smoker. The cook times and temperatures for both will be shown to illustrate the differences. If you get the chance visit our friends Robert and Vicky in Homer, you will be more than impressed. They are a great local business that has created a solid American-made product for the whole country to enjoy. 

Smoked apple stuffed turkey 

(Serves 8-10)

Ingredients Apple stuffing:

5 pounds Macintosh or red delicious apples cut into eighths

2 cups of honey

1/4 cup of kosher salt

1/4 cup garlic minces

1/2 cup diced sweet onion

Turkey:

15 pounds turkey thawed Canola oil Salt White pepper Apple wood chips

Directions In a large bowl mix all stuffing ingredients together until well coated. Remove all packaging and giblets from turkey and pat dry with paper towels both inside and out. Stuff the turkey with all the stuffing mixture as tightly as possible. Rub the entire outside skin surface of the turkey with canola oil then season with the salt and white pepper generously. (For conventional smokers; place on center rack and smoke at 225 degree for 8 to 12 hours and the thigh temperature is 180) (For pressure smoking; place on the center rack, set temperature to 300 and smoke for 2 hours) For both methods remove turkey and allow to rest covered before carving for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature. 

Crawfish and boudin- stuffed smoked pork loin

(Serves 8-10)

Ingredients

6 pounds center cut pork loin Cajun seasoning

5 cloves garlic

1 bundle fresh sage

1 bundle of fresh parsley

1/8 cup olive oil

1 pounds boudin sausage

12 ounces of crawfish tail

8 ounces package of cream cheese Butcher’s twine Cherry wood chips

Directions Butterfly cut pork loin and roll out to one consistent thickness, then season both sides with Cajun season. In a processor or blender add the garlic, sage, parsley and olive oil. Process to make a paste then spread on the inside of the pork loin. In a bow mix boudin (Removed from its casing), crawfish and cream cheese until well blended. Spread crawfish and boudin mixture on top of herb paste evenly until the loin is covered to 1/2 inch from each end. Roll the pork loin firmly but not too tight so as not to squeeze out stuffing mixture. Tie Evenly along the loin with butchers twine.

(For conventional smokers: Place on center rack seem side down and smoke at 220 for 4 to 6 hours.) (For pressure smoking; Place on the center rack seem side down, set temperature to 350 and smoke for 1 hour.) For both methods remove pork loin and allow to rest covered before slicing for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature. 

Fall off the bone baby back ribs

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

3 pork baby back rib racks

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon of onion powder

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon of rubbed sage Hickory wood chips Your favorite barbecue sauce

Directions Remove ribs from packaging and clean off the membrane on the inside of ribs and discard. Mix brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and sage together. I like to place it in a food processor. Rub ribs liberally on both sides. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce basted on or on the side.

(For conventional smokers; Place on center rack and smoke at 225 for 3 to 5 hours.) (For pressure smoking; Place on any rack, set temperature to 350 and smoke for 35 minutes.) For both methods remove ribs and allow to rest covered before cutting for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.

Shopping List

15 pounds turkey

6 pounds center cut pork loin

3 pork baby back rib racks

1 pound boudin sausage

12 ounces of crawfish tail

5 pounds Macintosh or red delicious apples

10 cloves garlic

1 bundle fresh sage

1 bundle of fresh parsley Sweet onion Canola oil Olive oil Honey Kosher salt Light brown sugar Salt Black pepper Onion powder Garlic powder Rubbed sage White pepper Cajun seasoning

8 ounce-package of cream cheese Apple wood chips Cherry wood chips Hickory wood chips Butcher’s wine Your favorite barbecue sauce

Chef John Strand of Accents – Personal Chef Services specializes in elegant in-home dinners and weekly meal services, “making your home your favorite place to eat.”

He can be reached via email from his website at www.accentspcs.com.