Smoker poll

[fishbait]

OK, this is a quiz.........
How many pans of smoke do you use and what type.

I use 3 pans most always, vine maple/cherry or alder/cherry.

[BlueWater]

3 to 4 pans alder chips. 3 in the first part of the smoking and then one more small 3/4 pan in the last hour of smoking to finish it off.
BlueWater

[Snake9t9]

three to five pans depending on what I'm smoking. 1/2 Alder, 1/2 apple for fish. Hickory for everything else. :smile:

[Pilar]

Like Bluewater said but I don't count them. It takes about 4 hours for the fish chunks to skin over and start to visibly dry. Until then I burn pans of chips one after the other. Usually 3 or 4. Right before I finish the load one more pan.

The first batch is always Alder and the last one is Mesquite or Hickory.

I just pulled off a load of rocksalt cured sturgeon, gotta go!

[AllThumz]

I usually use 2-3 pans for each batch; nearly always hickory, but then I was born in Ohio, so I guess it's a requirement. :grin:

John

[Smily]

In the Little Chief, I use plain old alder, right out of the bag. 3 loads of that stuff seems to do me right unless it's a big load and use 4.
I generaly start out with a pan full of chips and then wait 2 hrs for the second pan and wait 1 hour then and it seems to be done for the little pieces, Sample them and then let the bigger pieces hang for another hour or two and sample them again an in between. By then usually half of it is gone. :shocked: Nothing like fresh smoked fish right out of the smoker.

Whatcha Smokin? :rolleyes:

:smile: Smily :smile:

[brshooter]

Smoked a batch of sturgeon last night. Started with three pans of chips, back to back. That kept the smoke at it for about the first three hours. Used the Luhr Jensen alder chips with a bit of hickory mixed in. Used one last pan at about the six hour mark.

[Vinny]

How do you smoke a whole turkey? or a ham (or other chunk of meat for that matter)?

Brine ? Temperature control? Time in smoker for bird?

I've always loved smoked meats & fish, now I'm doing it! :smile:

(I know, I'm leaving myself open to "doin' it" jokes!) :rolleyes:

[ 11-09-2001: Message edited by: Vinny ]</p>

[FM2]

I have 2 different flavors of smoked salmon, one is a brown sugar/honey and the other is cracked pepper. I use a little cheif smoker.

For the brown sugar/honey fish I use 3 pans of either cherry wood or apple wood. I try to use the milder fruit woods to produce a sweeter fish. I also just use the brown sugar/kosher salt brine for this.

For the cracked pepper salmon I use mainly alder and a little mesquite. I found hickory gives a stronger smoke flavor so don't use it as much. I also use a wet brine with my own recipe and just before putting into the smoker grind fresh pepper corns over the top. 3 pans of chips.

I've heard I make some great smoked fish. I wouldn't know since I don't eat fish and rely on feedback from friends. :shocked:

My $.02

[Artwo]

Vinny,
I smoke a turkey in my Little Chief each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas and they are always a favorite. All I do is empty all the trimmings out of the cavity, trim the excess skin away around the edges of the cavity and the neck and remove any excess neck bone. You want the smoke to be able to flow through the bird without any restrictions. I then take the wire frame that goes in the smoker and remove the racks and hang the bird cavity down from the handle (I bent a metal coat hanger to use to hang the bird). Spread out the wings so they fit through the frame at their tip and add in the drip pan at the bottom of the frame. Slide it all down into the smoker and away you go. In the Little Chief smoker booklet they have a section on smoking poultry for desired cooking time and flavoring. I usually use three pans of Mesquete (sp) chips and it smokes for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Then take it out and prepare and cook in the oven just as you normally would. You need to reduce your oven cooking time I think it's 10 minutes for every hour your in the smoker (this part is in the booklet). They turn out wonderful and it's very easy to do.................enjoy.

JK

[fish forever]

2-4 pans
2 if i'm tired and doing it before bed and dont want to stay up another hour for the 3rd pan
3 is standard
4 if i want a little stronger flavor

I generally use Alder for fish, hickory or mesquite for jerky or other meats.

[fishbait]

Vinny,
I have had good luck w/cherry on a couple of Turkeys. Same method as stated above. About 3 hrs or 2 pans.

[myco-mike]

For fish I use a 3 part mix of mesquite, hickory and apple. 2-3 pans. Any more it's lmost too smokey. I try to put the skin side of the fish down so it comes off easier. Pam doesn't seem to do the trick for me. (I guess thats why I'm with Shelia)

mm

[nivtup]

Salmon, 3 - 4 pans of alder with a touch of hickory in the last pan.

Sturgeon, 3 pans of hickory. Always cut in small strips to reduce the smoking time, thus less chips.

Wonder how that Sturgeon tastes, I never seems to get any. :wink:

[FM2]

myco, that was funny! Wrong thread though !

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Pam doesn't seem to do the trick for me. (I guess thats why I'm with Shelia) <hr></blockquote>

:grin: :grin: :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :grin: :grin:

[Ol' Blue]

I have Salmon on the Smoker as I read this thread. Just checked the batch and it looks great. Using Cherry and Apple wood and it runs around four to five pans of chips.

I replaced the element on my Little Chief and shorten the extension to a 10 foot heavy duty wire. It's working better than ever. I'm also using an old blanket to help retain heat.

Thanks for the great info on this subject!! I've been smoking Salmon for years and now my technique has been improved. I would share my brine recipe (the key to incredible smoked salmon), but I've been sworn to secrecy by the original creator - a kind old friend in Garibaldi, OR.

Once I tasted her smoked fish, I asked for the recipe. Her son told me I had "to earn it". He was my neighbor and he forced me to fish with him and prove my worth. It was tough, my wife and I went fishing constantly in pursuit of this prize recipe. Early mornings in the Gorge, road trips to Hammond and Ilwaco, local trips to T-6 and Kelly Point. It was rough but someone's got to do it. Needless to say, it took years of all out fishing to earn the recipe. I still think it's the best smoked salmon I've ever tasted.

[billfish]

I cut rounds of dryed apple wood 1 in thick and use two of them per load of fish. Will use the little propane torch to start a small area burning befor insertion.
Have the smoker covered with 1 in of black inslation foam and installed a pig tail and control from an old convection oven, for heat contorl. Do fish all the way up to peperoni and sasages. This is Tee-ed into my wood heater flue pipe inside the barn. After 30 years of diffent systems, this works best for me.

Thinking of the swap meet but so far to go!!!! :smile: