8 Meats Illegal To Smoke In The Beehive State

With the weather warm and beautiful, it's clear that the barbecue season is here in Southern Utah.

Many of us are BBQ enthusiasts, with visions of brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausage and (my personal favorite) smoked turkey dancing through our heads.

It's difficult to put into words the satisfaction for the chef when he sees people enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Sure, there is hard work and weird hours involved in becoming a good smoker, but when a friend or neighbor grins as his or her taste buds light up with something you've taken care to cook and flavor just right, well, it's incredibly gratifying.

Longer cooks can be risky -- more time and more chance for error. Add to that the fact that the longest cook, the brisket, can also be quite pricey (you can easily drop 125 bucks for a prime cut brisket), and doing the longer cooks can be stressful.

My favorite to smoke (and to eat) is the turkey tenderloin.;

It is essentially a pair of turkey breasts that take to smoking very well, absorb smoke and rub flavoring and can be smoked in about three hours.

I always cut my turkey tenderloin in quarter-inch slices and the finished product almost always turns out topnotch (especially when I used Jolly Roger Garlic-jalapeno rub).

But one thing I've learned is that what you smoke really does matter.

Pig ribs, yes. Dog ribs, no. Turkey, yes. Owl, no. Cow yes, horse, no.

In fact, not only are some meats unappetizing, but it is also illegal to smoke meat from certain animals.

Check out the list of animals below and find out what you CAN'T smoke in the state of Utah.