Using the smoker

[Lance]

Last Father's day my wife and kids bought me a smoker, nothing fancy but it seems too work fairly well. My problem is operator error.
How can you tell when the meat is done. The temp falls throughout the cooking time so that isn't consistent enough to use (cook X hours at X degrees). I used my meat thermometer, but the smoke residue blacked out the gauge.
Thanks for the help

[Salmonsmoker]

Lance,

Over the past two decades, I have gone thrugh 2 "Little Chief" electric smokers. The heating element burned out in both. The temperature was difficult to control - thus the degree of done-ness was difficult to determing.

In one of the smoked foods books that I have, they have in each recipe the instructin _ "Smoke for the desired flavor and then finish cooking in the usual manner." It sounds like your smoker works in this manner also.

Smokeing food was originally a way to preserve it. Today we use refrigerators to preserve food longer and more consistantly. However, the smoked flavor is still an excellent addition to many foods - but within some parameters of good taste. An example:

Several months ago, I smoked some cheese with Shagbark Hickory bark - a very strong smoked flavor. The cheese was in the smoker for about 4 hours at a temperature of below 100 degrees. The final product was good for putting small pieces in a salad or for a thin slice on a burger - but beyond that, it was too strong of a smoke flavor. The next time I made smoked cheese, I used Oak chips for 3 hours. The resulting cheese was excellent for cheese slices on crackers as an hors d'overs.

If you use your smoker to impart the desired amount of smoke flavor, and then continue to cook the meat in the usual manner, you will probably be much more pleased with the results. (See the posting on Turkey Breast in this forum for another example of how this moight be done.)

Each smoker requires several uses to determine how the unit works best. Experimenting and keeping good records - so that you can look back and see what worked and what did not - is the best way to learn about your particular smoker - or any particular proceedure.

Let me know how things work out.

ss

[Erik]

Lance, I know what you mean. I always wonder when I smoke something like turkey, or pork. I usaully just keep checking it when I feel like it should be getting close to being done. You know the ole slice off a peice and see how it taste thing. Being the head chef has its advantages! Its really hard to estimate smoking times though since there are so many variables. Out side temp, wind, and amount of heat. I don't think it matters so much with fish or beef , or even ven. But if your doing pork or turkey its probably a good idea to check the internal temp and use your oven to finish it if nessasary.
SS, I like your idea of the olive oil, I'll bet that works good. I once smoked some rabbit that turned out so dry it wasn't funny. I'll remember that next time.

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Phish

[Salmonsmoker]

Any cooking oil will do the job. It's a personal preference. I like the flavor of extra virgin olive oil.

ss

[Lance]

I have to agree with Salmonsmoker on the Olive oil, I just started using it this spring and I don't think you can beat it for taste, but even more I love the aroma while it heats up.