Too hot smoker

[HemlockNailer]

My wife bought me a (new) used Brinkman smoker at a yard sale. The smoker has an electric heat element with no control device. I have used it several times and it is so hot that it cooks rather than smokes. The element draws 1650 watts. Can I cool it down with a dial control, maybe from an old electric stove or hotplate? Any suggestions or comments? Alan

[Salmonsmoker]

HemlockNailer,

You could probably add a control to reduce the heat. Basically, it sounds like you have a water smoker - meant to have a pan of water just above the heating element. The evaporation of the water absorbs much of the heat, and also steam-cooks the food. That type of smoker works well if you want to add smoke flavor during the cooking process.

Try adding cider to the pan rather than water, and using apple wood for the smoke - gives fish a nice flavor.

Salmonsmoker

[Banditto]

I am curious too of how the element gets it power? Mine uses the same type of power cord as an electric griddle? The ones with the dial thermostat? Maybe that is what yours needs.

Mine is an H2O smoker too like what SS is talking about.

One thing to say is my smoker will get REALLY hot if I use too much smoke. So say I pile the wood on it will heat up, but on the other hand if I don't add wood the element carry the heat up to the racks. If that makes sense...

Edit: Got to thinking. If yours has the two power prongs, but another big hole between them then you do need a dial thermostat power cord. The center hole is for the thermacouple to stick into the heating area. So if you have the 3rd hold in your smoker you need a different cable.

[Salmonsmoker]

Basically, that type of smoker is made for smoke-cooking. It is a smoke oven (hot-smoke environment) and they work very well as such.

However, to smoke foods, you need a cold-smoke environment for several hours prior to smoke-cooking. Run a search on home made smokers. Over the past 3 years there have been several designs and ideas about how to build them to produce cold smoke.

[Banditto]

I just noticed that Cabelas sells electric element kits for $35 with the thermastat controller. Maybe you could modify your unit for this and turn it into an H2O smoker.

[Salmonsmoker]

It might work if you cut one of the wires near the heating element and add a reastat or dimmer switch to control the heat. Might be easier to add the element Banditto is talking about. With a little experimenting it can be made to work.

[Homer]

I inherited a homemade hot smoker (a heating coil in an old incubator) many years ago and it works quite well. My approach is as follows:

1. Put your brined fish in the smoker, but leave it turned off.
2. Put several chunks of wood in a small baking tin, lined with aluminum foil.
3. Start the chunks on fire. Pre-heating the chunks in the microwave often helps getting the fire going.
4. Once you've got a solid fire going, blow it out and put the pan in the smoker.
5. Let the pan sit inside the cold smoker for 2 hours, and then turn on the heat.
6. Leave the heat turned on until the fish are done. According to my old old Rapala recipe book, fish must be kept at 180 degrees for at least 30 minutes.

In my smoker, it generally takes one hour of heat to properly "cook" fillets. Yours may be different, and you're probably better off starting to check it every few minutes after 45 minutes of heat.

[Salmonsmoker]

Homer,

Two questions. What do you use to get the wood-chips burning?
Do the wood chips continue to smoulder until gone?

[Homer]

1. I'm using wood chunks, not chips. If you get them good and hot in the microwave, they'll usually light with just a wooden match. Worst case, I'll break a few chips off of the chunk to use as kindling to get the chunks burning.

2. Maybe only 20% of the chunks gets burned. Just wait long enough for the chunks to make a good solid fire, then blow it out. This will generate plenty of smoke to keep the smoker filled for the next several hours.

[Salmonsmoker]

Homer,

Interesting technique. I'll give it a try. I'm always looking for ways to have an oxidation fire and still control the heat. It sounds like this method might work for that purpose.

[Marcellus Bodi]

Hi,
I have a old upright freezer that I smoke in and I use a double Electric hot plate with heat controls on it .I use one side for the chips and the other side to control the heat.I have a hole in the door with a thermometer in it.Ihave a Insulated door about 10"x10" in the door to change the wood chips.I soak the chips in water before I put them in .I can do about a 100 lbs at a time.I have 8 racks in it and a pan over the hot plate to catch the grease.Works like a charm.I have 4 -1/2" holes in the freezer on the side at the bottom and 4 -1/2" at the top of the door for the smoke to cirulate,I try to smoke from 100 to 120 deg.

[Salmonsmoker]

MB,

Sounds like an excellent system. I made one out of a gas oven for hot smoke-cooking that worked well too. Many ways to get the job done - most will give excellent results.

[Maxler]

I have this same smoker and have had good sucess with it. It does cook much faster that a non electric smoker, but if you know that you can use it to your advantage. As I saw in a previous post it is a water smoker. The pan above the element must be filled with water or some kind of liquid. I use wine alot. I buy wood chunks from Bass Pro and soak the wood in water first. Place the wood all around the elements try not to touch the elements. The smoke flavor is absorbed into the product within the first hour so if you want it real smokey flavored then use a lot of wood, if you don't , then use less. I have smoked Fish and pork and had good luck. Here is a good recepe for the fish that all my friends like.
1 cup water
1 cup wine (white or red)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2-3 shakes of Worchester sause
2-3 shakes of Soy sause

Let fillets soak in brine for 12-24 hours

Wash after soak and pat dry
Place on racks in smoker and sprinkle with more
brown sugar.

Put brine in smoker pan, and fill the rest of the
way with water.

Do wood like I say above and smoke for 1-3 hours
depending on how dry you want the fish.

Good luck.