Brinkmann Electric Smoker

[binkley]

Anyone ever used this Smoker? I have some salmon to smoke and I am a first timer. I will try one of the brine recipes shown in the forum, but also need to know the basics of how long to smoke, what chips to use, how small of pieces should you cut the salmon into? Any help would be great.

Joe

[Salmonsmoker]

Binkley,

I generally smoke whole fillets or cut to a size that will fit on the smoker racks. After brining, I usually cold-smoke (around 100 degrees) for 3 hours, then bring up the temp to around 200 degrees to smoke-cook the fish till done - normally about 30 to 45 minutes for thick fillets.How long to smoke cook depends on the thickness of the meat.

Apple is a good wood for fish (a pan of cider over the heating element adds a nice flavor too) gives a fruity flavor. Also, red oak is good if you like a more Earthy flavor. Each wood has its own unique flavor so you need to experiment and determine what you prefer. For smoke-cooking, the meat is in the smoke environment for a shorter time so I add some hickory bark to my other wood. Hickory (the bark of a Shagbark Hickory) adds a nice smoky tang to fish but quickly becomes bitter if overused. I generally put a couple of hickory bark pieces on the bottom of the pan and then cover it with damp (not wet) oak sawdust during the smoke-cooking process.

When doing pan fish fillets on the grill, they are done in a matter of minutes. I often soak some hickory bark for about 2 hours, then add it directly on top of the heat source. The tangy smoke is excellent for the short cooking time.

Salmonsmoker