The Gateway Drug to Paleo: Food Smokers

Want to know what started me down the road to the Paleo lifestyle?  A Food Smoker.

Twelve months ago, my in-laws gave me a fantastic Christmas present: A Brinkmann Electric Smoker.  I had long coveted my father-in-law’s smoker and the fantastic meats it produced.  So for Christmas, I received my very own.

In the fifty-two weeks since, I’ve probably smoked food in about forty-five of those weeks.  At first, it was a few chickens, chicken parts and turkey breasts.  Over time, it became whatever cuts of poultry I could find on sale at my local supermarket chains.  Mid way through the year, I added an occasional pork shoulder (from Thompson Farms in Dixie, Georgia) and I still plan to make homemade bacon in it eventually.

So why is the smoker the gateway to Paleo for me?

First, it introduced regularly cooking with large cuts of meat instead of the boneless, skinless chicken so many of us are accustomed to.  I became familiar with cooking slowly, and cooking ahead.

Second, I removed deli meat as a primary dietary food from my life.  Don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy deli meats and they are convenient, but it became easy to pass on Boar’s Head deli meats at $8-10 a pound when I bought whole chickens for less than $1 a pound.

Preparing more of my own food lead to more ingredient control – and out went the added sugars and any gluten-containing ingredients.

Paleo becomes easy to maintain when you have a plentiful source of fresh meat available to you.