Smokers

[loverboy]

Have a little chief smoker that I tried once, have to try and find time to try it again, did some store bought salmon and despite the wife buggering up my time while trying to do it, it turned out not bad.
Anybody else like to smoke fish or game, and any favourite tricks or woodchips you prefer for certain game?

 

[shoots-straight]

I like to eat smoked fish, and game.

 

[IDHunters]

Here's something to try, rather than use the shredded wood "chip" made for the little chief go get some chunks of wood and soak them in water an hour or so prior to using them. The soaked chunks smoke for a really long time and give off a little steam-seems to do a better job smoking the meat, especially roasts or thick jerky.

We like to marinate an elk roast and then smoke it 6-9 hours depending on the size. You can't believe how tender it makes the meat.

 

[noharleyyet]

Water soaked mesquite chips puts a nice finish on salmon fillets.

 

[ringer]

I been smoking salmon for 30 years. I use a cup of salt and a whole bag of brown sugar plus a bottle of kikkoman teryaki sauce. Brine the salmon all night. Soak in cold water for at least three times changing the water to get the salt down. Baste teryaki on each piece then dry on racks for 2 hours. Smoke in a little chief type smoker using the fine apple wood chips. Good stuff.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Gonna do up a batch of venison here in a coupla weeks in the Big Chief unit my brother gave me. For deer jerky, I like a sweet and hot pepper marinade. Some guys use a brine solution mixed with maple syrup and -as Ringer mentioned- Kikoman terriyaki sauce for salmon. A little goes a long way.
Some guys get all crazy and blend wood chips from all sorts of trees: oak, cedar, willow, apple, manzanitia, etc. I like oak and mesquite best.
I used to use venison shank cuts of meat for stews, but would spend hours trimming with a knife to get a decent slice of meat. I expect jerky to be a little chewey, so I use the shanks for jerky now.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

I have a propane smoker that I got at Walmart. It makes it easy to maintain an even temperature. It also have a water bowl/dripping bowl that keeps the heat (and the meat) moist. I use chunks of mesquite (my favorite) or hickory that I have soaked overnight in water.

There is a "Ken's Steakhouse" marinade, herb and garlic flavor, that works really well on chicken and turkey. I just open the top of the bag the turkey or turkey breast comes in, pour in the marinade and let it soak overnight in the fridge. For chicken, I put it in a large sealed baggie and marinate overnight in the fridge.

Even regular hot dogs taste great smoked. Just leave them in there for about 20 minutes or so while the smokiness is at near its peak. They also made a good appetizer while the "real" meat is smoking for hours...

 

[MattK]

I've smoked fish, pork loin, and jerky. I use Morton's sugar cure 1/4 - 1/2 cup per quart of water for the fish and pork loin and brine overnight. I rinse the fish before putting it in the smoker. I use alder chips and smoke it for about 5-6 hours (pork loin) and get it to 165 degrees internal temp in the oven. For fish I use alder and smoke it until the meat curls. I like to make sure that its fully cooked (usually about 8 hours) in a Big chief smoker.

I use High country jerky mix for most of my wild game. Follow the directions on amounts. I let it set overnight and at about 7 in the morning i put toothpicks through the tops of the meat and hang it from the racks in my oven. It usually takes about 8-10 hours on the lowest temp setting on the oven (180 degrees) My wife complains about the smell but it's a self cleaning oven so she can't complain about the mess.

 

[BigHornRam]

I used that High Country pepper jerky mix to make the deer jerky Stan enjoyed at the Salt Lake show. Aprox. 45 minutes per side in the smoker with applewood chunks. Turned out very good.

 

[Livnthegoodlife]

I turned an old frig into a smoker. Works pretty well and has large capacity to do alot of smoking at once.

 

[steamingutpile]

By far the Smokers made by the Sausage Maker in Buffalo NY are the best you can get. I've smoked meats in my garage with outside(in the garage temps were -20F) of -20F go to www.sausagemaker.com and get a free catalog. Its some pricey equip but by far the best on the market. As for wood your best bet is sawdust; hickory, mesquite, or whatever. Get a much more smoke time than with chips as there is no airspace in wood pan. I've got their 20lb smoker which is for sale because I upgraded to the 50lb unit. I've been using Sausage Maker products for over twenty years.