[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Harold Lee Pickens

Craig, I like to fillet the breasts when I smoke them. The fillets take up the brine more evenly--I brine mine in the refrig. with equal amounts of sugar and salt. After 24 hours in the brine, I dredge the breasts in a mix of brown sugar, salt, pepper, and whatever other spices you like. I go really heavy on the brown sugar, makes em taste great, but the melting sugar makes a real mess in the smoker. When done, i slice the breasts into strips for snacking. I vacum seal them, then freeze em. They are great with cheese, crackers, and your favorite beer, wine, etc. I ran a batch New Years Day.

Generally I fillet the breast off the cartilage while it’s still attached to the bird be it pheasant or partridge . But my friend with the smoker likes them to still have the bone so to speak . Another friend I gave a couple bags of breast fillets he smoked them as you say and liked them . Told me something about a screen thing I suppose like you’d use to toast bread over a campfire .