# What other foods/drinks do you craft?



## gamble (Dec 26, 2020)

Hello and Happy Holidays
Just out of curiosity :What other foods do you craft? My wife and I love to cook and like to try to make homemade when we can.
Homemade: wine, kruat, kimchi, pickles, chutneys, mayo, berry liquors, kombucha, soft cheeses, fresh pasta
Tried but not again: Butter(spoiled too fast) Mustard, Sourdough(Store 1 mile away sells Zingermans’) Mead (Not our taste) Aged cheese, Beer (not big Craft beer fans and local breweries are close by)


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## sour_grapes (Dec 26, 2020)

I do have interest, but don't do a ton. I generally ferment some jalapenos and/or habaneros in the summer, for either ho-made hot sauce or just pickled peppers throughout the year. I also always have some preserved lemons on hand. I generally make ~2 quarts of them at a time, which lasts me a year or more.

I have made kraut a few times, but I have run into mold problems. I just bought these fermenting lids for mason jars:
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Fermenter-Wide-Mouth-Weights/dp/B0789QYV52/
They have a one-way air valve, and a little pump, like a VacuVin. I am doing a batch of preserved lemons right now (since early Dec.), and I just bought a head of cabbage to try some kraut again.

I LOVE kimchi, so I always want to make that. However, I cannot for the life of me find gochugaru locally. (The Asian community in Wisconsin is dominated by SE Asians; WI is home to one of the largest Hmong populations in the country. So you can find anything from SE Asia, but not so much elsewhere.) Maybe I'll have to mail-order some! EDIT: Okay, I just went off and ordered some from Amazon!



I do make my own bacon. Does that count? 

No goes:
I have made soft cheese once or twice, but not a win over commercial.
I have tried to keep a sourdough starter going, but eventually tire of feeding it and give up.
A couple of years ago, I placed a special order of fatback to make _lardo_. I had to buy 100 lbs of it, so I got a bunch of friends to go in on this, about 10-15 lbs apiece. I got 20 lbs, and after removing the pigskin, netted maybe 12-15 lbs. Then I salted and seasoned it, and put it in my attic to cure. Unfortunately, the mice found it. They didn't actually eat that much, but it was enough to spoil it, and for me to just throw it all away and forget the entire sordid affair!


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## gamble (Dec 26, 2020)

Lots of Korean stores in Suburban Detroit, supplies were never an issue. When I asked my Korean freinds were they go to get their gochugaru : Amazon! Finding a real good Daikon may still be an issue(no real subsitute). Attached is my recipe if you are intrested.

Bacon is on my to do list.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 26, 2020)

gamble said:


> Lots of Korean stores in Suburban Detroit, supplies were never an issue. When I asked my Korean freinds were they go to get their gochugaru : Amazon! Finding a real good Daikon may still be an issue(no real subsitute). Attached is my recipe if you are intrested.
> 
> Bacon is on my to do list.



Thanks for the recipe and the tips! Too funny about Amazon being the go-to even where it is available locally!


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## Boatboy24 (Dec 26, 2020)

sour_grapes said:


> I do make my own bacon. Does that count?



Yes, it does! I make my own as well. Need to get a grinder and try my hand at sausage.


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## mainshipfred (Dec 26, 2020)

I'm just getting started after seeing all the good food posted on the forum. Initial purchase was a kamado grill and a bunch of accessories for Christmas. In another post I said I was going to get a sous vide since it appears a lot of people use them. My real problem is finding time.


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## NorCal (Dec 26, 2020)

Every year; Limoncello, grape and apricot jelly
Have done; beer, soft cheese


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## jgmillr1 (Dec 26, 2020)

I like making my own yogurt. It tastes much better than store bought stuff. I use whole milk and a small yogurt from the grocery store as a source of bacteria, preferably plain or vanilla. It's hard to find small containers of plain though.

If you use milk with less fat, it can be runny. This is why yogurt in the store has gum arabic and such in it as thicknening agents. Also, I've found that if you don't boil it, then it will be runny. I know, most every website on yogurt making tells you not to boil. You'll have to take my word that the recipe below works.

Here's my easy recipe:
1) Heat the milk up in a pot just to boiling and let it gently boil for 5 minutes while constantly whisking the bottom of the pot to keep it from burning. 
2) Place the pot in the sink with ice water and let cool to 100F. 
3) While cooling, sanitize 4 quart-sized jars and a spoon. I use iodophor. 
4) When milk is down to 100F, spoon in the yogurt from the store and whisk it into the milk. 
5) Pour into your sanitized jars and place in oven with the light on for 15 hours. Overnight works perfectly. I pre-warm the oven to 100F, place the jars in a 3-gallon pot and add warm water almost up to the lids of the yogurt jars. This buffers against temperature changes.
6) Place them in the fridge and enjoy as soon as the next day. They'll keep unopened for a month or so.


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## gamble (Dec 26, 2020)

mainshipfred said:


> I'm just getting started after seeing all the good food posted on the forum. Initial purchase was a kamado grill and a bunch of accessories for Christmas. In another post I said I was going to get a sous vide since it appears a lot of people use them. My real problem is finding time.


 Got a cheap (Ananova) sous vide about a year ago for Steaks: I like mine rare, wife medium. I sous vide to rare, finish on the grill keeping my wifes on for longer, both happy. Everything I have made in sous vide has been great. Did a pork loin last week for the first time and ,oh my gosh, like eating pork butter.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 26, 2020)

I made a _sous vide_ contraption over a decade ago (from a temperature controller and a crockpot). Still going strong!

My wife used to make kefir, but has more or less stopped.



Boatboy24 said:


> Yes, it does! I make my own as well. Need to get a grinder and try my hand at sausage.



Have always been interested in curing meats for charcuterie, but never really pulled the trigger. (Not including the aborted _lardo_ attempt described above, and the bacon.) I don't have a location that I think has the right conditions. Might give it a try with whole-muscle cured meats rather than sausages, just from a safety standpoint. (I do have curing salt, but still...)


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## ceeaton (Dec 26, 2020)

My wife just got me a small meat slicer, bacon is first on the list. I just did a Hungarian polish sausage that I stuffed/cold smoked w/cherry wood for a day (on and off), then hung for 3 days (at cooler temperatures than suggested). I didn't pass away from this earth yet, so I think I didn't get any bad things growing in there. Though I've been really laid back and mellow lately. Went really well with a pizza I made today. Only issue is I used tender quick, you've got to use so much that it gets really salty (only 0.5% of both nitrate and nitrite). Have some Insta Cure #1 and #2 on order. Just worried about using the #2 and hanging something for a month at less than fridge temperatures. Maybe I'll get the kids to try it first? Just kidding, really just kidding...


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## BernardSmith (Dec 26, 2020)

Kefir? But kefir culture grows at room temperature. There is no need for a sous vide to make kefir.
I make all kinds of soft and hard cheeses using kefir to culture the milk and indeed, make a kefir hard cheese from the kefir itself. That takes about three days of pressing under a great deal of weight. I bake my own bread and make lacto fermented pickles. I occasionally make my own tofu but have never managed to make it as firm as we like. I also make my own seitan (we are vegetarians, not vegans - so we make mead too). And I make my own liqueurs - including mocha, orange, pomegranate, and horseradish.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 26, 2020)

BernardSmith said:


> Kefir? But kefir culture grows at room temperature. There is no need for a sous vide to make kefir.



They were completely independent reports.

I cook _sous vide._

My wife makes kefir.


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## Hannahmwh (Dec 27, 2020)

gamble said:


> Hello and Happy Holidays
> Just out of curiosity :What other foods do you craft? My wife and I love to cook and like to try to make homemade when we can.
> Homemade: wine, kruat, kimchi, pickles, chutneys, mayo, berry liquors, kombucha, soft cheeses, fresh pasta
> Tried but not again: Butter(spoiled too fast) Mustard, Sourdough(Store 1 mile away sells Zingermans’) Mead (Not our taste) Aged cheese, Beer (not big Craft beer fans and local breweries are close by)


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## BernardSmith (Dec 27, 2020)

sour_grapes said:


> They were completely independent reports.
> 
> I cook _sous vide._
> 
> My wife makes kefir.


arghh.. sorry. My mistake. I must have read your post too quickly.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 27, 2020)

Boatboy24 said:


> Yes, it does! I make my own as well. Need to get a grinder and try my hand at sausage.



Fun fact: The word "botulism" derives from the Latin _botulus, _meaning "sausage." Basically "botulism" originally meant "sausage disease." because the conditions for the botulism bacterium to thrive were prevalent in sausage making. 

Thank goodness for curing salts!


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## gamble (Dec 27, 2020)

Ok, sausage off the to do list


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## sour_grapes (Dec 27, 2020)

gamble said:


> Ok, sausage off the to do list



No, no, I wasn't saying that! Just read up on it, buy curing salts, and take care. 

Although, as I alluded to post #10, I think I will start with whole-muscle charcuterie!


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## winemaker81 (Dec 28, 2020)

My wife and I use few processed foods, preferring in general to cook from scratch, so we do a lot of things most folks don't do -- although this group is far from typical!

Things I make at least irregularly: wine, beer, liqueurs (limoncello, limecello, orange-cognac, cherry-cognac), bread, non-cured sausage (Italian and breakfast), fresh pasta (egg noodles, spaetzle), vanilla extract, soups using fresh stock **.

Things I've made but not recently: yogurt, mayonnaise, dill pickles, pickled jalapenos.

Things I want to try: cured sausage, clotted cream, cheese (mozzarella, ricotta, maybe others), kefir. I'll probably get more ideas from this thread.



BernardSmith said:


> And I make my own liqueurs - including mocha, orange, pomegranate, and *horseradish*.


Horseradish liqueur? That doesn't sound appetizing ... is it for drinking, cooking, or something else?


** We buy the rotisserie chicken at Costco, and when we get home I immediately debone the bird. This is more compact and is far less wasteful than picking off the carcass, plus it's much easier to use. I put the carcass along with onion and celery in the pressure cooker with 2 to 3 cups of water/white wine, and cook for 15 minutes. Strained, it's a VERY rich stock that needs to be cut at least in half with water, and even then it's a rich stock.

Christmas dinner was ham, and I froze the bone right after the meal. It's defrosting along with a quart of chicken stock -- bean soup is on today's menu! Given the amount it makes and there's only 2 of us, it's also on the menu tomorrow and probably Thursday ....


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## gamble (Dec 28, 2020)

sour_grapes said:


> No, no, I wasn't saying that! Just read up on it, buy curing salts, and take care.
> 
> Although, as I alluded to post #10, I think I will start with whole-muscle charcuterie!


Was joking... sausage is still on the list...beef sausage

We I worked in France I was offered some cured sausage, that to my American palet was a. very pork and b.very soured. Still ate it to be polite but it was 12hrs of white knuckle waiting for vomiting. Happy ending, None came


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## MarcOlivetti (Dec 28, 2020)

Even though I have become more of a Foodie since COVID, Limoncello is my only other diversion


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## Darrell Hawley (Dec 28, 2020)

MarcOlivetti said:


> Even though I have become more of a Foodie since COVID, Limoncello is my only other diversion


Used the Limoncello for a marinade for shrimp with skins on before the grill. Not sure what spices the wife added with it, but it turned out really good and will try again.


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## Sailor323 (Dec 28, 2020)

I make cheese, cured sausages and meats, yogurt, bread, pickles, beer and rum.


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## justsipn (Dec 29, 2020)

I love to cook. So, about 15 years ago, I got heavily into BBQ. Did contests for about 10 years. Did some cooking for large events 300-400 people. Largest was 800. 

I’ve cut back in that. Now, my son and I process all our own venison. So, we make various kinds of sausage. Our favorites are summer sausage and a dried sausage called “hard tack”. Also, venison ham, corned venison. 

I’ve made bacon before, need to do that again. Much better than store bought. 

We also garden quite a bit so process the normal tomatoes and peppers...etc. 

I made my own hot sauce this year but I’m the only one that likes hot sauce, so doubt if I do that again.

Making bread this afternoon.


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## ceeaton (Dec 29, 2020)

Trying some smoked cheese tonight, on cherry wood pellets, cold smoked of course.


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## raspberry (Dec 31, 2020)

ceeaton said:


> Trying some smoked cheese tonight, on cherry wood pellets, cold smoked of course.
> 
> View attachment 69905


been there done that pulled cheese out of water pan


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## ceeaton (Dec 31, 2020)

raspberry said:


> been there done that pulled cheese out of water pan


Turned out a bit smokey, though the Monterey Jack is to die for.

I'll have to cut the smoking time back to maybe two hours max (I think these went 3 1/2 hours).


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## sour_grapes (Jan 9, 2021)

gamble said:


> Lots of Korean stores in Suburban Detroit, supplies were never an issue. When I asked my Korean freinds were they go to get their gochugaru : Amazon! Finding a real good Daikon may still be an issue(no real subsitute). Attached is my recipe if you are intrested.



Kimchi in progress!

I largely followed your recipe, with some influences from random online recipes, and fairly liberal substitutions and shortcuts. I am confident it will still be tasty!

Pro-tip: When packing a wide-mouth Mason jar, a small quilted jelly jar makes an excellent muddler!


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## gamble (Jan 10, 2021)

sour_grapes said:


> Kimchi in progress!
> 
> I largely followed your recipe, with some influences from random online recipes, and fairly liberal substitutions and shortcuts. I am confident it will still be tasty!
> 
> ...


Looks great! Kimchi is like chili, there's no bad way to make it once you get the basics down


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## toadie (Jan 10, 2021)

Yeah it's great to see all the different things this group does! I've been making bread for a long time though it got serious after the no-knead craze. Sourdough is now my standard. I too sous vide but only use it occasionally. My main love is gardening and lately my focus has been no dig. Non scientifically its seems beneficial. It has also been nice not having to grocery shop often during covid!
The main reason I got into country wine making is because I have so much fruit! There really is a limit to how much jam and rhubarb crumble you can eat. My wine is starting to be very drinkable and my fruited sour beer is awesome thanks to advice from the beer site. It's funny though, beer making is starting to seem like work whereas wine making is a slower more enjoyable chemistry project that I check on more often than is healthy.


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## Rice_Guy (Jan 10, 2021)

Its probably good I put some hickory away last fall.


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## hounddawg (Jan 10, 2021)

wine, garden, smoke meats in offset stick smoker, have a all metal 8 x 8 smoke house, raise my own beef, pork. chickens, eggs,, Polk salad in early spring, deer burgers, raise a few Dexter cattle, raise a mule or 2 now an then, train a mule or 2,, to pull a buggy, 
Dawg


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## hounddawg (Jan 10, 2021)

sour_grapes said:


> Kimchi in progress!
> 
> I largely followed your recipe, with some influences from random online recipes, and fairly liberal substitutions and shortcuts. I am confident it will still be tasty!
> 
> ...


oh that looks good, very good
Dawg


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## Ty520 (Feb 23, 2021)

For me, the dubious situation has been a bit of a silver lining in helping me put life in perspective, and prioritizing things in life differently, and learning and respecting "craft" has been a big part of that.

First it was getting the mead making bug.

Followed by country wine.

Then homemade pasta: mostly fettuccini, ravioli and udon.

Then homemade bread.

Now, sausage - just raw fresh sausage like breakfast, Italian, Mexican chorizo and merguez for now.

Got a smoker for Xmas, so bacon and other smoked meats are on the list.

Gave cheese a couple shots, but my only problem with it is that everything in the store is ultra pasteurized and won't work, and my only source for raw costs 12 dollars a gallon, so it isn't an economically practical hobby for me.

Also honing my cooking skills in general.

I guess homemade aioli, jams, etc count as well


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## Ty520 (Feb 23, 2021)

Also honing DIY: relandscaping the house, building a garden, building a workshop


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## Sailor323 (Aug 10, 2021)

Ty520 said:


> Gave cheese a couple shots, but my only problem with it is that everything in the store is ultra pasteurized and won't work, and my only source for raw costs 12 dollars a gallon, so it isn't an economically practical hobby for me.


Where are you that you can only find ultra-pasteurized. My sources don't carry any ultra-pasteurized milk. Utra-pasteurized cream and 1/2+1/2, yes, but not milk


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## Ty520 (Aug 10, 2021)

Sailor323 said:


> Where are you that you can only find ultra-pasteurized. My sources don't carry any ultra-pasteurized milk. Utra-pasteurized cream and 1/2+1/2, yes, but not milk


Southern az


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## ibglowin (Aug 10, 2021)

That is all the major chain stores carry in my neck of the woods as well. I wanted to try my hand at making cheese a while back, especially Cheve'. Bought a kit and then went to try and source some goats milk. Found it finally in a small co-op store but its 80 miles roundtrip and then was like $12 for a quart. I can buy Cheve' at Costco all day (2) 10oz logs for like $8 and its good stuff.

I am (pretty) sure it would not be as good as ho-made but still, it makes no sense to me to spend my time and energy and more $$$ than something I can source for 1/2 the price and no work involved.



Sailor323 said:


> Where are you that you can only find ultra-pasteurized. My sources don't carry any ultra-pasteurized milk. Utra-pasteurized cream and 1/2+1/2, yes, but not milk


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## Ty520 (Aug 10, 2021)

ibglowin said:


> That is all the major chain stores carry in my neck of the woods as well. I wanted to try my hand at making cheese a while back, especially Cheve'. Bought a kit and then went to try and source some goats milk. Found it finally in a small co-op store but its 80 miles roundtrip and then was like $12 for a quart. I can buy Cheve' at Costco all day (2) 10oz logs for like $8 and its good stuff.
> 
> I am (pretty) sure it would not be as good as ho-made but still, it makes no sense to me to spend my time and energy and more $$$ than something I can source for 1/2 the price and no work involved.



Costco products are surprisingly good - many people do not know that their name-brand items are actually produced by big name manufacturers (their vodka is made by Grey Goose), and heavily lean toward high quality, healthy ingredients now (eg, their peanut butter is organic, and they dont use additives like corn syrup)


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## hounddawg (Aug 12, 2021)

nacsaodan said:


> I love everything about BBQ. Since my son presented me premium german bbq grill, I realized how universal this thing is. Most of the time I'm living in Malaga, so I can cook outdoor every day. I really forget what the kitchen stove and other kitchen appliances are. However, it's not that easy to pick up a proper wine for smoked dishes. Sometimes my dinner is just cut cheese or fruits. Besides, finding a decent bbq thermometer could take a lot of time, not to mention other parts. Soon I plan to try myself in drying mediterranean fish.


ever time i smoke meat, i always squeeze it, ever little bit, before long you can tell when your meats are done no thermometer, now that been said, i ain't a clue what a premium German BBQ is, I use a off set stick smoker, it can be used to grill from hotdogs to steaks, but i go for pork ribs and both pork or beef pull meat, and salmon, and tuna,
Dawg


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## Rice_Guy (Aug 12, 2021)

I like the traditional methods. In this age with programmable logic controllers a number of food processes are done by figuring out what Dawg is feeling and then finding a sensor for it.


hounddawg said:


> ever time i smoke meat, i always squeeze it, ever little bit, before long you can tell when your meats are done no thermometer, now that been said, i ain't a clue what a premium German BBQ is, I use a off set stick smoker, it can be used to grill from hotdogs to steaks, but i go for pork ribs and both pork or beef pull meat, and salmon, and tuna,
> Dawg


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## sour_grapes (Aug 12, 2021)

hounddawg said:


> ever time i smoke meat, i always squeeze it, ever little bit, before long you can tell when your meats are done no thermometer, now that been said, i ain't a clue what a premium German BBQ is, I use a off set stick smoker, it can be used to grill from hotdogs to steaks, but i go for pork ribs and both pork or beef pull meat, and salmon, and tuna,
> Dawg





Rice_Guy said:


> I like the traditional methods. In this age with programmable logic controllers a number of food processes are done by figuring out what Dawg is feeling and then finding a sensor for it.



I think you fell for a shill. The user has made 3 posts, two of which are nonsense, and one of which contains a link to a commercial product. S/he lives in NY and in Malaga. Hmmm, not suspicious at all.


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## hounddawg (Aug 12, 2021)

sour_grapes said:


> I think you fell for a shill. The user has made 3 posts, two of which are nonsense, and one of which contains a link to a commercial product. S/he lives in NY and in Malaga. Hmmm, not suspicious at all.


dang and i was hinting for a picture of that P,G.GRILL
Dawg


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## hounddawg (Aug 12, 2021)

sour_grapes said:


> I think you fell for a shill. The user has made 3 posts, two of which are nonsense, and one of which contains a link to a commercial product. S/he lives in NY and in Malaga. Hmmm, not suspicious at all.


well at least as I've told you (@sour_grapes ) before , i am a butter knife in a drawer full of straight razors,,, lol
Dawg


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## bstnh1 (Aug 13, 2021)

I do Kimchee and smoked salmon. The salmon is more like what they call salmon candy in Alaska. Heavily smoked to the point where the outside is dry and dark using brown sugar, blackberry brandy as the predominant flavorings. I smoke thick fillets, unlike those thin anemic things you see in grocery stores. For those looking for a source for Gochugaru, I get mine online at www.spicewallabrand.com. They have two sizes - 1.2 oz and 6.9 oz (1 pint). I get the pint size. It's about $16 and lasts for a lot of kimchee batches.


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## hounddawg (Aug 13, 2021)

bstnh1 said:


> I do Kimchee and smoked salmon. The salmon is more like what they call salmon candy in Alaska. Heavily smoked to the point where the outside is dry and dark using brown sugar, blackberry brandy as the predominant flavorings. I smoke thick fillets, unlike those thin anemic things you see in grocery stores. For those looking for a source for Gochugaru, I get mine online at www.spicewallabrand.com. They have two sizes - 1.2 oz and 6.9 oz (1 pint). I get the pint size. It's about $16 and lasts for a lot of kimchee batches.
> 
> View attachment 77467
> 
> ...


hum, never smoked any with that much smoke ring, from the look of it ,,, it looks like a way to preserve it, IE jerky,, 
Dawg


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