My 1st smoker.

[mickey]

I am considering buying my first smoker. I love smoked fish and meats and anticipate a learning curve with anything else. Any helpful advice from you folks is always appreciated. Electric/non? Etc. Brands? Thanks in advance.

[Salmonsmoker]

Mickey,

The first time I tasted smoked Salmon (about 30 years ago) I knew I had to learn how to make it. I bought some Salmon filets and an electric smoker. As they say, The Rest is History (and also fhe reason for the name Salmonsmoker).

I went through 2 electric smokers (the elements eventually burn out) but with that experience, I learned the limitations of that design. Then I built my own - wooden cabinet with a remote smoke source. It burnt down one day when I got it too hot. From there, I went to an old style refrigeratior - the kind with a potato bin in the bottom.....used the potato bin to hold carcoal, cut a hole in the bottom for the smoke to rise. Over time, it got so rusted that the door fell off. Then I made one out of an old gas oven. Same thing. It worked well but finally rusted and fell apart. My recent version was a birthday gift from my wife, a commercial smoker that works on either electric or charcoal, has dampers and temperature controls and will hold a whole hog. Also, putting the finishing touches on a large smoke-cooker made out of a 250 Gal. fuel oil tank that my neighbor helped me make. Also, have been experimenting with using a clothes-drying rack (my wife bought it for me from the Amish - I put mineral oil on the dowels to preserve it) and hanging meat or fish by the campfire simular to what the Native Indians did.

From that experience, I recommend starting with a small electric smoker. They will do a lot of food. They are easy to store when not being used. It will give you a chance to see how much time and energy you want to spend making smoked foods.

Mostly, just enjoy the learning curve and all of the wonderful flavor experiences that you will be creating.

Salmonsmoker

[mickey]

Thank you Salmonsmoker. Your help is much appreciated. Let the shopping begin.

[mickey]

Hey, just thought of another question. Is there any brand that you would suggest over another? You get what you pay for I assume. I am truely clueless here and any help is appreciated.

[Liver and Onions]

I like to use my old Webber grill for a smoker. I probably use it 5 times a year...for turkey in the spring, a couple times for fish during the summer and once or twice more for deer in the fall. You may already have one, if not you can probably get one for a few dollars at a yard sale. Maybe free if you are willing to stop and pick one up when it is out by the road on trash day. Mine looks like a piece of junk, but it works fine for a smoker. I use charcoal and wood chips. Mostly I make my own wood chips from my apple trees and hickory tree. My wife calls me cheap, I like to think I'm frugal.
L & O

[Salmonsmoker]

L&O,

The only problem that I have with an old grill is cold-smoking. The distance between the heat and the meat (or cheese or other food items that one wants to cold smoke) is not sufficient to allow for that.

Mickey,

The Little Chief by Lehr Jenson is available at most department stores and works well. In sporting goods stores, they have a "totum" smoker. I have not used one but am sure that it would work well also.

Also, Lehr Jenson has a very good recipe book available for $2.00 (was when I bought mine a few years ago).

Keep us posted on your results.

Salmonsmoker

[mickey]

Thanks again guys. I will shop around a bit, then I need to catch some fish of course....

Will let you know how my adventures in smoking go....

[islaysteelies]

What about gas as opposed to electric?

[Salmonsmoker]

islay........

Gas smokers are available and much easier to control the heat - however, they generally run many times the cost of an electric. It is a lot less expensive to build one out of a gas kitchen stove. You need a different size orafice for propane but when you have one set up - just hook up a bottle of gas and it's ready to go. I used an old gas grill controls for the one that I built. It worked extremely well for a lot of years - however, eventually it rusted so bad that the door fell off. Had to replace it. My new one works on either electric or charcoal. Gas is good - also expensive.

Salmonsmoker

[Skamania]

Do you know of any electric smokers that have a heat control, i.e. a electric element rheostat or something, so you can do a slow cool-smoke? The lil' chief looks good, but it says it's "factory preset to an optimal temperature for smoking, blah blah"

Any thoughts on other brands of electric smokers such as Brinkmann and New Braunfels? They look a little different than the Luhr-Jensen ones.

Getting hungry for some smoked fish,
Skamania

[Salmonsmoker]

Go to www.sausagemaner.com. They have high quality stainless steel smokers - a bit pricy but all of the bells and whistles (starting around $800 and up.)

I have a Brinkman Horizontal Smoker with Electric in the smoke chamber. Works well. Requires more attention to get even smoke because of the horizontal design but will hold a lot of food - up to 4 Turkeys or a small hog. It is excellent for indirect heating (Placing charcoal in one location and the food in another) because of the room inside. It costs about $350 full retail- may be able to get one for a lot less at Wall-mart or Miejers.

Salmsmoker.

[BEAGLEMAN]

I bought a "Cookshack" electric smoker last fall from Cabella's. It's kinda expensive $399.99 but it seems so far to be a lot more efficient than the charcoal burning one I had been using. The only problem I had in the beginning was putting too much wood into the bin(8oz). It is so well insulated you only need half that to do the job, It seals so well you don't need to add water.
I still have a lot to learn about it,I plan on retiring in a couple months and will be using it to smoke up a lot of the venison from last fall.
Tom