Is today too cold to smoke fish?

[Vinny]

This morning it's in the 30's in Walla Walla. I picked up a Little Chief at the Thrift store yesterday, cheap! Today I'm smoking (yes, I brined). It'll be in the 40's later today.

1) How long should it take wet chips to dry and begin smoking?

2) Is today too cold to smoke, without adding another heat source such as an 100 Watt light bulb?

3) I do have a cardboard box over the smoker. I warmed it up for half hour, loaded it an hour and a half ago. No smoke yet.

4) Am I on track?

[FM2]

Vinny,
How wet are your smoke chips? You should have smoke by now! Is the heating element getting hot? I have been heating up my smoke pans on the electric stove to start the chips smoldering then put them in the smoker, seems to speed up the process.

The box should be ok, just will take longer to dry the fish when the outside temperature is colder. If it gets to cold, try wrapping the outside with fiberglass insulation, it's non-flammable and keeps the heat in.

Hope this helps!

[Vinny]

FM2
Thanks, I did heat my wet chips on the stove, but not they didn't dry (or smolder as wet chips can't). I just checked the chips, they're now dry and just starting to get dark. Hopefully I'll have smoke soon.

Vinny

[Lipripper]

I hope it's not too cold. I too am smoking fish to take on our elk hunting trip. I wrapped my big chief with an insulation batt. R-19 I think. It seems to be working. As for your chips I spray them with a little water just before I put them in the smoker. Just enough water so that the chips absorb the water and are still kind of dry to the touch. I have been using cherry lately and it seems to sweeten the fish. Good luck

[fishuntr2]

Why bother wetting chips if they have to dry before they smoke? In my little chiefs I always use alder that I cut off my property. I use a chainsaw, loose chain with no bar oil and cut "cookies" slightly smaller than the smoke pan. I place cardboard or plywood under and behind me so as to save most of the chips. I then use chips with an alder cookie on top. When I first started doing this the alder was green but I cut so much that I have been using dry alder to smoke with and it works fine. I smoke outside but just in the open door of my shop where it is somewhat wind protected. I always heat up the smoker for about an hour and it ususally is smoking when the fish or jerky first goes in. When the weather is this cold it takes a lot longer to smoke and I always rotate the top and bottom rack halfway thru the process. If I use a cardboard box it goes a lot faster but I seem to get better results when cold smoking. With no box in this weather fish might smoke for over 12 hours and jerky can take 24. If the high temp. stays below 50 deg. I would use a box and it still might take 8 hours for fish. I elevate the box above the smoke pan handle so as to be able to replenish wood easily. The box I use didn't come with the unit and it is bigger so probably doesn't get as hot as a tighter fitting box? My oldest little chief was bought in 70-80's? and 1 pan has burned through!
Bob

[Dogfish]

I replaced my element on my 80's era little chief and it smokes way faster than the hour you folks are mentioning. I get smoke within a few minutes.

Try that to speed up your smoking times.

Andy

[fishbait]

Never wetted my chips, or my pants for that matter...........

Almost allways use the box for insulation, like the real insulation idea.

What is the point of pre heating the smoker, i don't get it. I just plug it in, load the pan, put the rack in and cme back in about 2 hrs when the first pan is done.

If transfering to an oven, ok idea, watch the temp.

[DK]

i have to agree with fishunter2, the reason i believe for wetting the chips is to try and do what fishunter2 is achieving by cutting it green, there is a hole differant type of smoke that comes from green alder,

[Pilar]

Fiberglass insulation near anything I plan on eating? Arrgghh!

Try an old flannel shirt buttoned up and slid over the top of the smoker.

You were kidding about the fiberglass, right?

The element should glow red if you look at it with no smoker pan on it. If it doesn't check the cord. Dont use a long or light duty extension cord it cuts down the heat considerably. Use only a 12 ga. or bigger wire no more than 10 feet long. The little chief will suck the juice.

If the element still does not glow red try a different outlet. If that does not work try a new element. They are cheap.

Winter weather will extend the time for smoking by double usually.

[Lipripper]

The R-19 was a joke. I actually use an old blanket. The whole reason for wetting your chips is so the flavor isn't as sharp. The flavor of wet vs. dry is quite noticable. Experiment and you will taste the difference.

[Pilar]

Green Alder is awesome!

[FM2]

R-30 works better than R-19, only takes 20 minutes to smoke the fish :grin: :grin: :grin:

The insulation works very well, have been doing this for years and have yet to experience any negative effects.

[will_e_fish]

Pilar -you are right about the insulation ! For me, No Thanks! Those little fibers get airborne and it makes me itch thinking about it. I have heard the box idea and how about an old blanket or something little less toxic?

Green Adler is good but I like apple ! I used cherry becuse I had a cherry tree at my former home. Plum ehh little sharp not as goood as Apple. I have heard the traditional Native Smokers use Alder.
will_e_fish

[fisheromen]

One thing about wrapping your smoker in cold weather that I have experienced is that if you seal it too tightly you get all sort of condensation problems. You gotta leave some room for the water vapor and smoke to escape (so use unfaced insulation :smile:

[myco-mike]

Vinny,
Although the insulation trick will work, I feel that's just what it is. WORK! Be sure your out of the wind. What I do on cold days is to try and keep the smoker hot enough to burn a couple pans of chips. I too have used the box to keep it warm. As soon as the smoke stops, take it inside to your oven and finish it off. Some of my best stuff came out of the oven where the temp. can be contlolled.

fishuntr2 makes a good point. If you can controll the temp. you'll cut his 8hrs down to just a couple!

Good luck!

mm

[ 11-08-2001: Message edited by: myco-mike ]

[ 11-08-2001: Message edited by: myco-mike ]</p>

[Thumper]

Fishuntr2 --- Every once in a while a little tweak of brilliance permeates this BB. You have contributed such a tweak...."Why bother wetting chips if they have to dry before they smoke"? Wonderful. Never would have occured to me.

[ 11-08-2001: Message edited by: Thumper ]</p>

[myco-mike]

Thumper,
the reason you would wet the chips is to prolong the "smoke" part of the process. The fact is, wet chips smoke longer. I've tried it a few times and it only seemed to make a difference when smoking at a high temp. I was smoking a turkey. When the smoker temp. is high, I was able to "smoke" the chips instead of burn right through them.

Just a thought.

mm

[brshooter]

Smoked a batch of sturgeon last night. Was a bit cold last night so I took the box from my Big Chief and cut a vent hole in the bottom of it and slid it over the top of the smoker. Just had to lift one of the flaps to access the chip pan. I had never smoked sturgeon before so I don't know if it took longer. I set my alarm to check it at seven hours. It wasn't quite done at that point so I left it in. Woke up two hours later and it was done. Actually the thin pieces were a bit dry and could have come off an hour earlier. Oh well, one of the hazards of trying to smoke fish in the middle of the night. Used the Luhr Jensen alder chips and had smoke in less than ten minutes.

Myco,

I too have taken the fish inside to finish in the oven. Great idea? Not if you wife doesn't like the smell of smoked fish! Be sure to turn on the exhaust fan.

The last time I smoked fish in the cold I finished them on the upper rack of my gas BBQ. I have a nice Webber and simply turned on the heating roticery burner and it seemed to do a nice job of low heat finishing on the fish. Just an idea to please the wife.

[myco-mike]

Eastside Dave,
Loose the Wife! You'll solve more problems than "how" to smoke your fish and you'll have more fish to smoke! JK, of course.

The exhaust fan is a must. I have a commercial high cfm fan in the laundry room just off of the kitchen. Takes the Smell right outside.

mm

[Trick]

Man, you guys are missing the boat. Try using Hemlock with the bark still attached. Best darn fish I have ever eaten. I heat some of the pitch up in a little pan on the stove and I lightly baste the pieces about 15 minutes before I pull them from the smoker. When the Hemlock pitch dries it forms a coating almost like peanut-brittle over the top. Don't knock the crunchy fish until you try it.

As far as keeping the temp up, I just use an old damp blanket to cover the smoker. The dog always leaves her blanket in the yard and with all the rain lately it's usually plenty of damp enough. I haven't noticed any of the wet-dog smell being left behind on the fish. After the smoking process the blanket almost is dry again for the dog. I'm saving energy too, it's the green thing to do. Man, I should've been a poet....

Douglas fir also makes the sweetest smoke. I want try some beach pine next or maybe some old scotch-broom...too many choices.

Anyone else had goodluck using firs or maybe some old rhododendrum stumps out of your yards?

Just for fear that there may be someone that believes this stuff out there I'll post this disclaimer.

Everything listed above is total fiction, please don't try any of this at home. Or at least have the poisin-control number handy if you do.

:grin:

[Pitch Pocket]

Seems to me that adding water simply makes steam not smoke (h2o + heat= water vapor). I think it slows down the process of burning the chips and it cools the smoke (evaporation = cooling).

I like a heavier smoke and replace the trays every 45 minutes with dry chips to keep the smoke dense. Only 3 or 4 trays and it is plenty. Make sure the element is good. I've replace mine twice in about 10 years.

I use insulation (made a cover with the rigid foam type) on my little chief. I've smoked fish even when freezing outside and it works great. The insulation keeps the temp up and the smoke pouring. I make sure there is enough vent in the top to allow the smoke to escape...slowly.

I thought about using the box, but as insulation goes, it's kind of whimpy. Also the box would smell and it would have to stand alone in the shed and not touch anything else.

Even though, I always finish the fish or other meats in the oven to make sure it gets hot enough for long enough to kill anything I don't want to eat live. IMHO, the little chief doesn't get hot enough (in cold weather especially) to be totally safe.