Greg Knight's Patio Culture

Suburban Living in the 1960's!

Cocktails Inline

July 24, 2023 by Greg 2 Comments

Martini

  • 2 jiggers of gin
  • 1 1/2 cups cracked ice
  • 1/4 jigger dry vermouth (about 2 teaspoons. Use only 1 to make it extra dry.)
  • garnish with 2 small stuffed green olives or lemon twists

Pour gin and vermouth into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Stir or shake if your Bond. Strain and serve in a chilled classic Martini glass. Garnish.

[Read more…]

How To Use Wood Chips In An Electric Smoker? Is It Easy Or Not?

August 30, 2021 by Greg Leave a Comment

Are you looking forward to learning how to cook a delicious BBQ for your loved ones, but you don’t know where to begin?

A traditional smoker may be easy to give it a shot, but the complication of combining wood chips manually could bring you discomfort.

Why don’t you start learning how to use wood chips in an electric smoker for ease of use with the following instructions?

how to use wood chunks in an electric smoker

How Long Wood Chips Last In An Electric Smoker?

Different flavors of wood chips are made from other ingredients. Therefore, the time to burn them in electric smokers will be slightly different.

The average time it takes for 1 cup of wood chips to burn out will be about 20-25 minutes, meaning you should feed your smoker at least 2 cups of wood chips every 45 minutes.

Another approach you can use is to know when to insert wood chips. It depends on the temperature measured inside. In other words, you can add wood chips to your smokers when you find out the meat’s temperature is around 140 F.

Some types of wood chips have a very fancy flavor but burn quite quickly. In this case, you can soak it in water and therefore extend the time up to 30-35 minutes per cup.

5 Steps On How To Use Wood Chips In An Electric Smoker 

Step 1

Before you turn on your electric hood, check to see whether there are any obstructions in the machine or the ventilation system. Leaving the device in the open for a long time can cause its metal shell to rust and the rubber layers to warp, which can lead to a smoky flavor of reduced quality as it is released to the outside. 

Besides, if there is an obstruction in the vents, the internal heating will fail due to a lack of heat dissipation.

You should consider investing in a lid that can increase the lifespan of the machine.

Step 2

You need to load the wood chips into the tray fully. Some new versions of the electric smokers have been equipped with a sliding feeder, which can be removed and filled in a capacity like the MES 130B or the Masterbuilt. You can remove the charger and fill it up to power.

how to use wood chips in masterbuilt electric smoker

Step 3

Replace the feeder in position and neatly empty the wood chips into the correct wood chips, which are located directly above the heater on the machine.

Step 4

Turn on the vacuum and set the temperature you want. Wait 20-30 minutes for the machine to heat up thoroughly and then add your food

Such warming is required for the machine’s system to work smoothly before adding food, especially in the winter when your device might freeze for a long time

Step 5

Please check the machine’s internal temperature every 20-30 minutes. A 10-degree error can be accepted depending on the outside wind speed. Strong winds may blow the device and can reduce the interior temperature. Thus, your dish will not have enough heat to cook

Electric smokers can usually withstand very high external temperatures. However, it is better to prepare a thermometer to check the temperature on the bottom of the machine for more safety.

The Popular Form Of Wood Chips Used For Electric Smokers

how do you use wood chips in an electric smoker

The right flavored wood chips are always indispensable for regular barbecues. These wood chips can contribute to a noticeably more decadent meaty dish.

Whether it’s smoked pork tenderloin or pork tenderloin, the fragrant wood chips burn and smoke the food, giving the dish a unique natural flavor.

For example, combining pork with some flavoring of peppermint leaves creates a sharp contrast in the taste. But how do you get the fit wood chips for your dish?

Here Is A List Of Suitable Food And Flavors That We Have Summarized.

  • Red meat, wild animals: Walnut wood chips
  • Beef, pork, and salmon: thick, long-lasting, slow-burning wood chips
  • Ribs and goat meat: Hickory wood
  • Cherry wood: Beef, Pork, Salmon
  • Applewood: chicken, duck, bird
  • Mesquite wood chips: Dark color, deep flavor, quite an odor, suitable for most red meats but especially smoked veal
  • Pecan wood: cold, fresh, ideal for smoked marine fish
  • Old wood chips: sweet and light, suitable for fatty meats such as beef thighs, beef belly
  • Maple Wood chips: combined with many other flavors, forming a synthetic taste to get the best smoke smell
  • Digging wood chips: Like the above, it can combine to make up the smell of other wood.
Smoking Tuna – The Ultimate Guide

Here Are The Top 5 Wood Chips That We Use The Most:

  1. Zorestar Wood Chips 
  2. Western Premium BBQ
  3. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Barrel 
  4. Bear Mountain BBQ 
  5. Oklahoma Joe’s Hickory Wood Smoker Chips

Conclusion

Learning how to use wood chips in an electric smoker is a great experience.

You will have to spend a considerable amount of time and energy to master the skills of using wood chips, but it’s a beneficial experiment in terms of both knowledge and skills in the art of cooking.

Learn it with all your passion for food, and you will be successful soon.

Smoking Tuna – The Ultimate Guide

August 30, 2021 by Greg Leave a Comment

Tuna. A really great-tasting fish. And, it can even taste better if you are going to smoke it. However, then you should smoke it correctly.

Tuna is expensive in some countries, so if you have tuna and you are thinking about smoking it, you need to make sure that you are going to have the best tasting, smoking tuna.

With this guide to smoking tuna, you will be able to smoke it correctly, and you will have tuna that you and your whole family will enjoy.

smoking tuna in electric smoker

Can You Smoke Tuna Just Like Other Meat?

The first thing that you might think, is that tuna will be difficult to smoke. This is because of the texture of the fish, and smoking can make it difficult to handle.

However, this isn’t completely true. Yes, the tuna has a different texture than meat, but with the right preparations, you will have tuna that can be smoked correctly.

And, the steps of smoking tuna aren’t really different from smoking any other type of meat. Only the time needed for smoking might be different.

How to Make Bacon Jerky

The Type of Tuna That You Need for Smoking

If you don’t have the right piece of tuna, then you aren’t going to have the best tasting smoked tuna.

First of all, the tuna should be of high quality. This is the only way to ensure that you are going to have the best-tasting tuna.

When you have a large piece of tuna, it is recommended that you should slice it into thinner pieces of tuna. Like steak. This will make the smoking process faster and more effective. Just make sure that the pieces you are slicing, aren’t too thin.

Then the fish can fall apart when it is smoked. If you don’t have tuna, you can always make use of Yellowfin. This will give you the same taste and is just as easy to smoke.

Essential Ingredients That You Will Need

smoking tuna steaks

There are a couple of essential things and ingredients that you need in order for you to smoke your tuna correctly. Without these things, the end result will just not be the same.

The first thing is your smoker. It can be any type of smoker, as long as it is able to smoke different wood flavors. This is where the second essential thing comes in.

The wood chips that you need to use should be peach or cherry wood. This is going to give a much better taste to the smoked tuna. Other wood can be used, but this isn’t recommended if you want the best tasting, smoking tuna.

The spices for the tuna rub are also important. You should just make sure that you know what spices you want in the rub, or you should consider using spices like rosemary, salt, brown sugar, black pepper, and lemon juice.

There are also people that are using white wine as well. This is just a guideline. You can basically add any spice you want.

Guide to Smoke Tuna Correctly

This is the guide on how to smoke your tuna correctly so that it is full of flavor and has a great smokey taste.

smoking tuna on big green egg
  • Prepare your tuna as said earlier. Slice tuna in thinner slices, but not to thin. Rub the tuna with the spices you decided on.
  • Preheat your smoker and make sure that you use the recommended wood chips. The peach or cherry wood. The temperature should be between 190°F to 200°F for smoking tuna.
  • Place the tuna directly onto the grill. Don’t put them in a pan first. It won’t get the right smokey taste.
  • When you see that the tuna became flaky, then it is ready. The time that you need to smoke your tuna will depend on the thickness of the tuna, and the amount of tuna you have in the smoker. But, normally smoking will take between 1 to 2 hours. Don’t over smoke them.
  • Serve them while they are still hot, for the best taste.

Last Tips to Remember When Smoking Tuna

You should remember that tuna and other fish don’t want to be over-cooked. This is going to make the fish dry. Even, if you are smoking the fish.

The tuna should be of high quality, to get the best flavor and taste. Cheap tuna that you might think is a bargain, will not have the same taste. The fresher the fish, the better.

With the smoker, it is essential to use peach or cherry wood chips. This will give a sweet taste to the tuna. Making it taste different than just grilling it on your griller.

Conclusion

Smoked tuna is delicious. Especially, if you love eating tuna in general. With this guide, you will know for sure that you are going to have the best smoking tuna, with the best flavors.

And, you will know that it is important not to over smoking it.

How to Make Bacon Jerky

August 30, 2021 by Greg Leave a Comment

We all love beef jerky. It is a great snack and the best thing to enjoy when you are watching a movie. And, who doesn’t love bacon?

Bacon for breakfast and even for dinner if you like. What if I tell you that you can combine these two great things, and have bacon jerky? Then, you won’t have an excuse for eating bacon anymore.

Now you can enjoy bacon all the time. As bacon jerky.

This is everything you need to know about making your own bacon jerky. This isn’t as hard as you might think.

how to make bacon jerky in smoker

Can You Really Make Bacon Jerky?

We know that there are all kinds of jerky, and they are tasting all great. But, can you really make your own bacon jerky? Isn’t this a procedure that is complicated and that is going to take a long to make?

This is good news. You might need a couple of things, but you can make your bacon jerky in no time. And, you don’t need to have a huge variety of things.

And, it isn’t as hard as people might think. The moment that you know how to make it correctly, you will realize that this is something that you can make all the time.

What Will You Need in Order to Make Bacon Jerky?

how to make bacon jerky in air fryer

There are two things that you need to have with you in order to make bacon jerky. The first one is for sure bacon strips. The second thing that you need in order to make bacon jerky is a smoker.

It can be any type of smoker from a charcoal smoker to your electric or gas smoker. However, without a smoker, you will not be able to make the bacon jerky correctly. This is the secret to making this type of jerky.

The smoker is essential. You would think that the bacon is already smoked, so need to smoke it again. However, this is another level of smoking.

Suburban Cuisine Recipes: Direct From the Knight Family Cookbook!

Tips That You Need to Know Before You Make Bacon Jerky for the First Time

Something that is important, is to remember these tips. This is the key to making bacon jerky successful. There are many people that try to make bacon jerky, but they are failing. Mostly because they didn’t remember these tips.

The first thing that you should remember is that you should purchase the normal cut bacon. The thick-cut won’t work correctly. And, the thin cut will cook way too fast, and will not have the right, jerky taste. The bacon should also be of high quality.

If you are one of those that are keeping your bacon frozen, you need to defrost it correctly. Half defrosted bacon can be dangerous to eat. It should be at refrigerator temperature before you can start making your bacon jerky.

Step by Step Guide in Making Bacon Jerky

how to make homemade bacon jerky

With this guide on how to make bacon jerky, you will not make any mistakes in making the perfect jerky. This is the best and easiest way that you can make your bacon jerky in no time.

  • Prepare your meat. Therefore, you will need to have a dry rub. This is some spices that you are going to mix together and rub on the bacon. The type of spices doesn’t matter. You can use your favorite spices mixed together.
  • Getting your smoker to the right temperature. This is an essential step. You should not start smoking the bacon before you have reached the right temperature. The temperature should be around 190°F.
  • This is the first part of making jerky. The smoking part. This takes about 2 hours, depending on the amount of bacon you are smoking. The bacon should be far from the fire or direct heat and should always keep at the temperature mentioned. Never make the temperature higher or even lower.
  • This is the second part of making jerky. This is the cooking part that is making the bacon jerky. This is normally taking about 3 hours, and you will need your oven for this. With the oven at the same temperature as with the smoker, you should start checking the bacon after one hour of cooking. You should make sure that you check on it, to get the right texture and color. When the bacon is changing color, you will know that your bacon is starting to become jerky.
  • The last step is to remove the access oil and to store it for enjoying it when you are in the mood for jerky.

Now you can use your smoker and make your own bacon jerky.

This is something that you should try making if you love bacon and love jerky. The combination of these two will ensure that you will always have bacon jerky in your home.

And, the best part is that this isn’t a complicated process to make your own beef jerky.

Hot Links

August 29, 2021 by Greg Leave a Comment

hot links
Hot Links!

Patio Era Merchandise & Collectibles

  • Barbeque Grills and Recipes.com. Your place for Grills, recipes and accessories!
  • Popina Swimwear. Retro swimwear, one piece bathing suits, two piece bathing suit styles, and tankini swimsuits!
  • Lead Pipe Posters. Selling over 2,500 unique original posters from the 60’s and 70’s!
  • Vintage Swank. Vintage Clothing, Mid Century – Housewares, Furniture, and Lighting.
  • Flounder. Tiki art by Scott Scheidly. Abstract, mixed media, containers, classic tiki burlap and more!
  • Buckaroo’s Mercantile. A modern variety store!
  • The Big Red Toybox. Buy, sell or trade your vintage toys here.
[Read more…]

Cold War

August 29, 2021 by Greg 1 Comment

The Cold War

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the Cold War as thus:

cold war or Cold War n.

  1. A state of political tension and military rivalry between nations that stops short of full-scale war.
  2. A state of rivalry and tension between two factions, groups, or individuals that stops short of open, violent confrontation.
kid and pilot

A kid growing up in the suburban Patio Culture would consider the Cold War as a heck of a lot of fun! It’s not that the nuclear holocaust is a light-hearted subject, it’s just that when you’re seven years old it doesn’t seem to be high on your worry list. By the mid-1960s the “duck and cover” drills had been abandoned in my school district. I never saw it. Maybe by then, the government figured out that it was pretty much a useless gesture. Instead, if you were a kid (especially a boy) what you saw were the sleek fighter jets that inhabited the local airbases which were plentiful in Texas. Clear blue skies were laced with numerous contrails and the suburban buzz was often punctuated with sonic booms. Here are a few icons of the Cold War as I saw it.

[Read more…]

Abject Cruelty To Insects

August 29, 2021 by Greg Leave a Comment

Abject Cruelty To Insects

Abject Cruelty To Insects

For the most part, Suburbia was a happy place. Kids safely roamed the streets and the sound of laughter filled the air. But then…there was the dark side! Kids could compensate for being on the low end of the human social ladder by imposing power onto even lower orders of creatures. Oh no…not anything that could lick your face and cause joy, not to anything that belonged to the class Mammalia. No, the poor hapless creatures of choice for suburban children (and children worldwide) were insects and other assorted creepy crawlies!

[Read more…]

Live Television!

August 29, 2021 by Greg Leave a Comment

Live Television!
Live Television!
tv camera

Once I actually got to BE on TV! As a birthday treat some other kids and I got to appear on Miss Carol’s Clubhouse, a local black and white kid’s show at KXII-TV, Sherman, Texas. Like most kid shows, we were seated on risers and were asked questions as the camera zoomed in for the response.

Since it was an afternoon show cartoons were played between the live segments. Recollection of our on-air comments is hazy, but by judging from Miss Carol’s off-camera brusque manner, the noise and bustle of managing a set full of kids were getting to her.

Years later I can finally sympathize! During the off-air breaks, all of the kids on the show were treated to huge bottles of Pepsi Cola that were too big to finish but kept the kids running to the restroom.

[Read more…]

Suburban Cuisine Recipes: Direct From the Knight Family Cookbook!

August 29, 2021 by Greg 1 Comment

Suburban Cuisine Recipes

Direct from the Knight family cookbook!

pineapple appetizers

Patio Fare:

Sausage & Cheese Strata

  • 1 1/2 lbs. sausage, cooked & drained
  • 12 slices bread, cubed
  • 3 cups milk
  • 9 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients. Pour into greased 11″x14″ pan. Cover & refrigerate overnight. Uncover & bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes a great brunch entree.

[Read more…]

Welcome to the Patio: The Place Where It All Happens!

August 28, 2021 by Greg Leave a Comment

Welcome To The Patio!

Since the beginning of time, the fire has been the center of family life. From the Cro-Magnon clans to the (post) nuclear family, the hearth (indoors or outdoors) has been the center of food preparation, warmth, and general entertainment. The Patio Culture was no different. The grill was the center of an exciting and fun evening full of friends, games, toys, and fun. Even in the winter or when the weather was bad, steaks were prepared and salads were mixed indoors as the electric stainless steel stove with the pull-out burner shelf became a surrogate fire nourishing both body and spirit.

[Read more…]
Next Page »

Categories

  • 1960's Suburbia Things
  • BBQ

Recent Posts

  • Cocktails Inline
  • How To Use Wood Chips In An Electric Smoker? Is It Easy Or Not?
  • Smoking Tuna – The Ultimate Guide
  • How to Make Bacon Jerky
  • Hot Links
  • Cold War
  • Abject Cruelty To Insects
  • Live Television!
  • Suburban Cuisine Recipes: Direct From the Knight Family Cookbook!
  • Welcome to the Patio: The Place Where It All Happens!

Copyright © 2025 · Patio Culture