Whilst perusing the site and looking through some of the older threads I came across a thread that asked about the use of "Irish Peat" in BBQ.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22604
This thread is from December of 2006.
The general consensus was ( and may still be ) that it was useless for anything other than barley and not a viable substitute for hardwoods.
I have what I consider to be extensive knowledge of its use ( and misuse) and agree that it is in no way a sub for the hardwoods , but used properly , can be a very , very nice addition to our arsenal.
Biggest pitfalls IMHO are:
- Using way to much of it to begin with... As many of you Scotch drinkers out there know. Peat is a very powerful kick.
- Not having the proper environment inside the cooker. It really needs a somewhat humid environment to do well.
- Too much direct heat. The ideal method is to have just the slightest" old man's beard starting.
- Sourcing what I like to term as "Food Grade" peat. Having had experience with many sources I am convinced that there is something to be gained by using Peat from the areas of the world on the same latitudes as Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the like. None of the peat from the Carolina's is what I consider to be "Food Grade"
I have no affiliation with any of the Companies that import peat to the US but I can tell you that the only reliable source as of this writing is "Sneaky Peat". There were/are only Two companies SP and Irish Smoke LTD importing in the US. To the best of my knowledge Jim Gallagher of Irish Smoke passed away in July and there has been no filling of orders and no refunding of monies to date ( Ask me how I know):mad2: There are some companies in Canada that do as well but I have no knowledge of their product or practices.
At any rate ... the object is to use heat to get the essential oils or volatile oils airborne and picked up by whatever liquid you have for humidity.
When using peat I usually cut the amount of hardwood that I am using in half. I walk on eggshells around woods that become bitter quick. Peat usually amplifies the smoke flavor alot. I only use 1 ounce by weight for an entire cook added at the beginning and have found this sufficient to "enhance" 24 lbs of pork. Gamy things like sheep and lamb I'll use 2 ounces by weight as it seems to cut through the gaminess.
Secondly, I use a bowl of distilled water down low
and on the rack that I am cooking the meat on. At the end of a cook the bowl on the rack will be a golden color from the peat and smoke-wood and meat with flavor to match. I use this to start a sauce with.
I plan on doing a butt or two this weekend and will get a step by step pictorial for those who may be interested. Used correctly , it will leave your friends trying to guess exactly what it is . Sometimes I feel that it gets a bad rap becausepeople believe that their meat will reek of Scotch. Sometimes I think that A really smoky peaty Scotch is marketed specifically to Americans because we believe that it supposed to taste like a smoked pine tree or it isn't Scotch :becky:
Since the original thread there may be those of you out there who have tried it. I'm going on the assumption ( I know..I know...) that the lack of threads on the subject say there are few that have but may have run afoul of the aforementioned issues that I had to work through via trial-and-error. I welcome any and all comments , Good, Bad, or in between. Thanks to the Brethren in advance for the time!
