Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

I would recommend against it. It’ll be an uphill battle to get it to work properly. You’ll end up having a bad time and it’ll sour your experience. A good smoker is pretty easy to use.

IMO get a weber kettle and use it as a smoker. You can pick up a 18” fairly cheep. Even cheaper on Craigslist; if you end up not liking it you’ll have a nice charcoal bbq either way.

 

I learned to smoke fish out of one here in Fl where it's hot outside most of year. Sailfish and Spanish mackerel within a hour or so

 

Right on. As long as you know what you get.

My father bought a cheapo Walmart smoker and could not get the thing to cook (hold temp) properly and threw the whole thing in the trash and swore it off.

I started on a WSM and no problems!

 

I'm badly wanting to apply Sailfish technique to the false tuna " Bonita" by soaking the body in saltwater with brown sugar and ice overnight, then cutting into steaks and smoking

 

I'm trying to recall what chip we used it wasn't hickory I look for it last time at Wally World but all they had was hickory

 

Alder?

 

Is it darker than hickory?

 

Build an Ugly Drum Smoker. You can find a drum for about $20-30. $10 in plumbing material, $10 in hardware, $15 for a thermometer, $20 a Weber grate, and about $25 in miscellaneous metal and you'd have yourself a great smoker. Another $10 in high temp spray paint if you want to make it a little prettier. I could help you with the hole locations for drilling. Making one is pretty easy. No welding necessary, just some drilling and some bolting together.

Where are you located? Might even be able to loan one for a couple weeks .

 

I'm in Fl. on the treasure coast. I want to get back into smoking again. I'm planning on smoking again. I've been broiling my hog shoulders in oven over the years I do good. I would have to do it in my driveway at the Villas it can't be a large smoker just a two a three rack stack one. And I'm gonna try smoking my lobster tails.

 

Bump the quote above by $30-40 to get a used Weber for a second rack and a domed lid. Lots of capacity in small footprint. I've been using drums for years.

 

There should be some used ones around your area. Check craigslist.

 

I first smoking salmon in Washington State a very long time ago. Alder was the wood of choice for fish then there and still is for me. And I think most people that do it a lot. It is mild and and IMO gives fish a perfect taste of smoke.

 

Love copper river smoke salmon and the candy strips. I get smoked black cod out of Sitka also. Buddy mails me a flat rate box quite often.

 

One of these days before it is too late I really want to make a trip for the Copper River run. There is someone on here that lives in Alaska and does it every year, and when ever I mention it he says "I know a guy". It is on the bucket list!

 

$1/lb butts? Yes please.

 

I have a old friend that runs a fish wheel. I is a super experience watching the wheel turn putting salmon in the box. But you will get tired of cleaning salmon.

 

Where?? I must know.

 

Threw a few ribeyes on the smoker. If @Cooktop86 gets here on time, I may share a slice or two with him. Did one side with pitfaced, the other with SPOG. Changed plans after applying SPOG on the first side.

 

Man I'm getting hungry

 

Me too. We didn’t have “lunch” food, so the steaks went on early.