Crazy Fedya
Well-known
Roger,
I was born in western Ukraine, about 80km from Polish border, thus our version of blood sausage is very much the same as Polish. It is made with mixture of buckwheat and blood, and tastes delicious off the grill or frying pan.
My father-in-law built us a smoker in our back yard, using 55gal drum and various pipes and sheet steel. It produces wonderful results. We plan to smoke some bacon and pork within next several weeks. I can't wait. Taste of still warm freshly smoked pork neck is heavenly.
Roger Hicks
Mentor
Dear Sam,
The stove for my smoker is based on a gas cylinder (a welder friend made it for me) and the smoking chamber is a second-hand wine barrel about 80-90cm in maximum diameter at its widest part and maybe 1,3m high. Insh'Allah I'll try to plumb it in before I go into hospital for a major operation in 5 weeks. Then I can smoke stuff while I'm recovering...
(No, man, not that).
Cheers,
R.
The stove for my smoker is based on a gas cylinder (a welder friend made it for me) and the smoking chamber is a second-hand wine barrel about 80-90cm in maximum diameter at its widest part and maybe 1,3m high. Insh'Allah I'll try to plumb it in before I go into hospital for a major operation in 5 weeks. Then I can smoke stuff while I'm recovering...
(No, man, not that).
Cheers,
R.
robert blu
quiet photographer
Hi Roger, I'm not familiar with Holy Water coming from a Grappa area, which is enough (even too much!) for me. Just want to say your site is really special! And not only about photography! Great!
robert
robert
Crazy Fedya
Well-known
Roger,
I wish for your surgery to go well and recovery period to be as short as possible.
Our smoker stove is made of sheet steel, and it is about 1 cubic foot in volume. It is connected to the barrel with about 1m long 15cm wide pipe. There is a chimney welded into a lid of the barrel. Fire in a stove should be kept to a minimum, just enough to keep wood smoking. Pipe between barrel and a stove should be as long as possible to keep smoke as cold as possible. If smoke is too hot, it will cook meat faster than needed to absorb smoke flavour. Usually, it takes about 4-5 hours to smoke a batch. We try to use some fruitwood for better flavor. Beforehand, all meat sits in brine, made according to my wife's family recipe, for several days.
I wish for your surgery to go well and recovery period to be as short as possible.
Our smoker stove is made of sheet steel, and it is about 1 cubic foot in volume. It is connected to the barrel with about 1m long 15cm wide pipe. There is a chimney welded into a lid of the barrel. Fire in a stove should be kept to a minimum, just enough to keep wood smoking. Pipe between barrel and a stove should be as long as possible to keep smoke as cold as possible. If smoke is too hot, it will cook meat faster than needed to absorb smoke flavour. Usually, it takes about 4-5 hours to smoke a batch. We try to use some fruitwood for better flavor. Beforehand, all meat sits in brine, made according to my wife's family recipe, for several days.
Roger Hicks
Mentor
Roger Hicks
Mentor
Dear Sam,
Thanks for the good wishes and the advice. I'm aiming for a 2m pipe, minimum, which as far as I am aware implies 6-7 hour smoking. Wood will probably be oak as this is what we use for heating. I have some cherry wood from a demolished cherry tree, but to be honest, I prefer oak for barbecues and I suspect smoking may be the same. Could your wife be induced to reveal her family brine recipe? And how long do you brine for? Three days? A week?
Have you ever had freshly smoked duck breast? WOW!
Cheers,
R.
farlymac
PF McFarland
I haven't been a drinker since 1985, but that Holy Water sounds like something I would have tried. Especially the honey version. I know my old pepper eating Hungarian neighbor at the time would have enjoyed it.
What I like about your and Frances's site is the way you use photography to illustrate the story, and that the photos are all top notch.
Have an uneventful operation, and a rapid recovery.
PF
What I like about your and Frances's site is the way you use photography to illustrate the story, and that the photos are all top notch.
Have an uneventful operation, and a rapid recovery.
PF
Roger Hicks
Mentor
Underline: Thanks. You flatter me that they are "all top notch", though. Some are good; some are the merest illustrations. The thing is, there are probably just enough reasonably good ones, along with a few that are better than reasonably good, that I can create the illusion that they're all quite good.
That's why I said I was quite proud of a couple of the Holy Water shots: namely, the first and last. The rest are step-by-steps, but with a good beginning and a good end, it's easier to disguise the shortcomings.
Thanks too for the wishes for the uneventful operation. There are two surgeons, and an average 6% mortality rate, so it's a biggie. One said, "If it were just me, you'd be out in four days. The other guy is doing the difficult bit." The other reckoned I'd be in for a week, or maybe ten days. For obvious reasons I'd prefer the former... On the bright side, with good kidneys, heart, etc., I should be rather more firmly on the 94% side than the 6%.
Cheers,
R.
pepeguitarra
Well-known
How do you make holy water?
How do you make holy water?
A priest was invited to my sister's home to bless the new house and spread some holy water around every corner. I asked him, how do you make holy water?
His answer: You boil the hell out of it!! :bang:
How do you make holy water?
A priest was invited to my sister's home to bless the new house and spread some holy water around every corner. I asked him, how do you make holy water?
His answer: You boil the hell out of it!! :bang:
Crazy Fedya
Well-known
Roger,
It sounds like your smoker should work a treat. I also use oak for grilling and have used it for smoking as well, but we like the flavor of a little fruitwood added.
My wife said she would share her recipe once she gets her recipe book back from my sister-in-law.
I would like to attach a little photo. If it is not appropriate in this thread, I would delete it, just let me know. Liquid in the back was not "blessed" to become "holy". It is Żytnia Polish Wódka. Salo is in the front.
Last edited:
Alfasud
Old Toys
Ontario "Infernal Vodka"
Ontario "Infernal Vodka"
I used to mix a shot of this into a good cup of hot chocolate. The pepper enhanced the flavour of the chocolate, and the vodka added a warm-up effect.
Ontario "Infernal Vodka"
It is called "Perzovka". Was made in USSR and still made (I guess) in Russia, no visible pepper, but extract. More popular perzovka is made by Nemiroff Ukraine since 1992.
Regarding "Holy" and "Christ" words, local distillery in Niagara region was making Inferno Vodka (it was stuffed with long red peppers), but demography of vodka drinkers in Ontario has shifted to ladies who are mixing vodka with something sweet.
Still, here is another smaller distillery in Oakville Ontario which makes perzovka.
I do it at home if winter is cold. Three small peppers, green caps removed. Two table spoons of honey and couple of garlic cloves. It stays in fridge or cold garage for two weeks with periodical agitation. After two weeks it has to be kept in the freezer part of refrigerator. Russian, Ukrainian, Polish or Canadian vodkas are good for it.
Here is another perzovka from Ukraine:
Za zdorovie!
Ko.
I used to mix a shot of this into a good cup of hot chocolate. The pepper enhanced the flavour of the chocolate, and the vodka added a warm-up effect.
Crazy Fedya
Well-known
Roger,
I have had a conversation with my wife, and she spoke to my mother-in-law, about their brine recipe. Unfortunately, it is an approximate recipe. They add everything by feel, or just looking at it.
Fill pasta pot 3/4 full of water. Add enough salt to make water saltier than it has to be for pasta or boiled potatoes. Put ground black pepper, about a dozen of bay leaves, about two dozen of allspice berries, around a dozen of juniper berries in the water, and bring it to a boil. Let water cool down, and put meat in it when it is room temperature. Let meat sit in brine for 3 days or so, changing its position in water every two hours, or when you remember to do it to make sure all meat is equally brined. When you are ready to smoke, take meat out of brine, pat dry, and, depending on what type of meat it is, it can be covered in crushed pepper, paprika, crushed cayenne, various herbs, etc. My father in law usually smokes it for about 5 hours.
I read somewhere to add 4 tablespoons of salt per 1 quart of water, but that yields meat that is too salty to our liking.
Roger Hicks
Mentor
Dear Sam,
Perfect! Thanks! And thanks even more to your wife and mother-in-law!
Cheers,
R.
Crazy Fedya
Well-known
Roger,
I had some bacon and pork loin smoked last week. It came out so good it is no more. We shared some with our friends, however.
Wish you speedy recovery!
nikonosguy
Well-known
kinda want to infuse a bottle of skyy vodka with a few carolina reapers... and leave the bottle sitting around... might be a decent cure for the person that keeps drinking all my booze