Texas Hogger
Full Fledged Farker
Our family got together to give thanks at my sister's place this year. I smoked a pumpkin cheesecake for the occasion.
Incidentally there is a month long "November **SPECIAL**"Comfort Food!" Throwdown in progress and I thought this might fit the bill.
Before I got started I fired up the drum smoker and got it set to 300.
Next I made a crust out of some graham crackers, a little sugar and some melted butter, and pressed it all into the bottom of a spring-form pan.
While the crust was baking, I mixed up the other ingredients.
After the crust cooled, I wrapped the outside of the pan with a double layer of heavy duty foil and set it in the bottom of my enameled Dutch oven. I poured the batter into the pan and carried it out to the smoker.
I poured some water in between the foil and the outer pan for a water bath. I closed the lid and let it cook, checking on it every 30 minutes or so.
After 90 minutes it wasn't close to being done so I bumped the temp up to 375. I let it cook another hour, checking every 15 minutes.
Finally it was done and I brought it in an put it in my cold oven to cool down slowly so the top would not crack. When I could pick it up with my bare hands I pulled the spring-form pan with the cheesecake out and placed it on a cooling rack to cool completely before wrapping it in plastic wrap and putting it in the fridge.
Before making the trip across town I decided to make a pecan praline sauce for a topping. After cold smoking some pecans I roasted them in the oven. While they roasted, I melted some butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When it was all melted I added a little vanilla extract and chopped the pecans and threw them in. Then I slowly stirred in some heavy cream a little at a time. I poured it all into a mason jar and we were ready to go.
I was really impressed how well the cheesecake turned out. it was smooth and creamy. The crust didn't crack and the whole thing was set perfectly.
Not bad for a first try. And the praline sauce was truly decadent.
If you are still reading this, I thank you and apologize for being so long winded.
Enjoy the pron:
Incidentally there is a month long "November **SPECIAL**"Comfort Food!" Throwdown in progress and I thought this might fit the bill.
Before I got started I fired up the drum smoker and got it set to 300.
Next I made a crust out of some graham crackers, a little sugar and some melted butter, and pressed it all into the bottom of a spring-form pan.
While the crust was baking, I mixed up the other ingredients.
After the crust cooled, I wrapped the outside of the pan with a double layer of heavy duty foil and set it in the bottom of my enameled Dutch oven. I poured the batter into the pan and carried it out to the smoker.
I poured some water in between the foil and the outer pan for a water bath. I closed the lid and let it cook, checking on it every 30 minutes or so.
After 90 minutes it wasn't close to being done so I bumped the temp up to 375. I let it cook another hour, checking every 15 minutes.
Finally it was done and I brought it in an put it in my cold oven to cool down slowly so the top would not crack. When I could pick it up with my bare hands I pulled the spring-form pan with the cheesecake out and placed it on a cooling rack to cool completely before wrapping it in plastic wrap and putting it in the fridge.
Before making the trip across town I decided to make a pecan praline sauce for a topping. After cold smoking some pecans I roasted them in the oven. While they roasted, I melted some butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When it was all melted I added a little vanilla extract and chopped the pecans and threw them in. Then I slowly stirred in some heavy cream a little at a time. I poured it all into a mason jar and we were ready to go.
I was really impressed how well the cheesecake turned out. it was smooth and creamy. The crust didn't crack and the whole thing was set perfectly.
Not bad for a first try. And the praline sauce was truly decadent.
If you are still reading this, I thank you and apologize for being so long winded.
Enjoy the pron:
