Lets see your smoker

[brother chris]

Hey all,
I'm going to make my own smoker since I am catching lots of salmon now.
I've seen small smokers at Tackle shops and Walmart etc, but I'd rather make my own, even if I have to spend the same amount of money as a new one.
I'd like to see pics of your homemade smokers so I can get an idea of what style I'd like to build.

We are catching our daily limit everytime we go out fishing. Here's a picture of the female pinks that we are catching. They taste so good from the oven, but I know they will taste even better smoked. And the spring salmon are running right now too.....up to 60LBS!!!

Brother Chris.

 

[JDP]

Re: Lets see your smoker

Man them are some delicous looking fish. I don't have a smoker but man my wife would kill me if I had fish heads on the counter like like that. I love to fish and love to eat fish but the wife hates fish. She makes me clean the fish outside with the hose.

 

[gss036]

Re: Lets see your smoker

The humpies will be gone before you get one built and they only run every other year. I agree that the only way to eat humpies are smoked. BBQ w/alder chips works ok. I have 3 Little Chiefs bought at garage sales for around $5.00 each.
Most people use and old fridge to build a smoker but a real hassle to store. You guys across the border can fish all year long, down here we are so limited any more, lot of people are not into fishing anymore. We only get about 6 months out of the year and you have to have a lawyer to interrup the rules. Sure takes the fun out of it.

 

[brother chris]

Re: Lets see your smoker

I thought alot more people would have a smoker, or built one, on this site. There's such a wide variety of backyard and professional handymen here.
I'm going to see a friend of mine on Sunday, after fishing, to check out his smoker...maybe I'll get an idea or 2 from his.
gss036....there are SO MANY female pinks and springs running right now, I don't need to keep the humpies....I'm only allowed 4 a day, so I'd rather keep the females and springs to smoke. But now I am wondering about freezing them before I smoke them...is that an issue?

 

[roscoe]

Re: Lets see your smoker

Freezing them is ok, just thoroughly thaw them before you brine them.

The key to a good smoker is to be able to control the heat.
Must be able to keep the temp down for the majority of the smoke time, then increase the temp to make sure they are cooked through.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Lets see your smoker

I thought alot more people would have a smoker, or built one, on this site. There's such a wide variety of backyard and professional handymen here.
I'm going to see a friend of mine on Sunday, after fishing, to check out his smoker...maybe I'll get an idea or 2 from his.

I really hope you post your results because I wouldn't mind building a smoker for fish. Can't catch salmon here but I'm sure that walleye and pike taste pretty damn good smoked. Would make an excellent breakfast for me!!! Never hurts to try.

 

[jimr]

Re: Lets see your smoker

I have this one from lowes with the optional smoker box http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=44754-000001646-2121&lpage=none
I bought it at the begining of summer and have used it alot. I like it. A guy I work with makes smokers on the side the price ranges from a few hundred $$$ to several thousand.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Lets see your smoker

If you happen to see a used one on sale........

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/09/27/wtf/doc46fa6f4d8a513139269822.txt

 

[DaleT]

Re: Lets see your smoker

I have a small brinkman model. Works ok, nothing fancy though just a vertical can with a coal base and pan for water or wood chips. In the future I want to build one like the following, the 2nd one down although the first is probably a tad bit more portable.
"http://www.oscarenterprises.f2s.com/build_a_pit.html"

 

[gss036]

Re: Lets see your smoker

[I'm going to see a friend of mine on Sunday, after fishing, to check out his smoker...maybe I'll get an idea or 2 from his. ]


Chris, How was your fishing today in the 25-35 mph wind? ;-) We actually had some just to 45 mph last nigh.

 

[brother chris]

Re: Lets see your smoker

Fishing was great on Sunday!
We got completely soaking wet...although the wind was not an issue.
I caught over 20 male and female pink salmons. The pink season is just about over though. Most of the females were in the dying stages, but did get to bring home 4 of them (all in the 7-10 pound range). In fact, the shores were full of dead pink males, but they sure put up one hell of a fight. I caught a 12 LBS male and he sure made me work for it!!!
I could have fished all day, but it felt like my arms were going to fall off by 4pm
No kidding....every cast or ever other cast I had a fish on my line! I gave up my fishing spot and my cousin took over and I just watched him bring em in, one after another!
Ha...after I got home, I could barely lift my beer up to my mouth, with my left hand.
Fish are in the freezer now and I'm off to look at smokers now, just to get some ideas

 

[gss036]

Re: Lets see your smoker

Obviously you are fishing a river instead of on the salt chuck. We have a couple places like that here also, this time of the year the chums and humpies are just about rotting on the bone when the get there trying to spawn. Sure is a differnet flavor when caught in salwater.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Lets see your smoker

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7024124.stm

Be careful when you get that smoker!

 

[jlinder]

Re: Lets see your smoker

I have a big green egg and I love it, but it not something you can make at home. It is ceramic and about 2 inches thick. You start it up and can adjust the temperature to within 5 degrees.

Wood lasts a really long time, and when you are done you close the damper and save whatever is left for the next time.

Goes from 200 degrees as a smoker to about 800-1000 as a grill.

Only thing I wish was better was an ability to keep the temperature lower than 200 degrees and still smoke. That needs a side fire box.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggs_XL.html to see one

 

[azlakes]

Re: Lets see your smoker

~~~\__/~~~

 

[rwise]

Re: Lets see your smoker

I have a big green egg and I love it, but it not something you can make at home. It is ceramic and about 2 inches thick. You start it up and can adjust the temperature to within 5 degrees.

Wood lasts a really long time, and when you are done you close the damper and save whatever is left for the next time.

Goes from 200 degrees as a smoker to about 800-1000 as a grill.

Only thing I wish was better was an ability to keep the temperature lower than 200 degrees and still smoke. That needs a side fire box.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggs_XL.html to see one

I have a knock off of the big green egg, I can run it @ 150* you should be able to get it lower than 200* (maybe depends on what you are burning ) I use hickory, white oak, black oak, cherry, apple, pear,,,,, ok any fruit or nut tree usualy 5 kinds of wood, makes a nice blend and nobody can guess just what wood you used

I also have 2 brinkman uprights, and a brinkman with side firebox, a fire pit with a grill, and a smoke pit thats made up of cender blocks (curently being moved to a new stump ) and yes I use all of them!

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Lets see your smoker

Depending how many fish you plan to smoke you could set up a canvas tarp
with a smoke box. That's how many of the natives do it in the interior of BC.
You can make a smoker out of a large cardboard box. The trick is to keep your temp down. I have a True Nothern smoker and it works great for me.

 

[jlinder]

Re: Lets see your smoker

Problem I have with getting the Big Green Egg to smoke at low temps is if I put enough wood in to keep it running for a lot of hours it burns in a big area.

With the bigger area if you keep it hot enough to smoke nicely the temperature goes up.

How do you smoke with very low temps?

 

[rwise]

Re: Lets see your smoker

I find that different fuels (charcoal, natural lump, wood/s) burn at different temps, for smoking with it use small amounts (more coals is more heat) fuel (I use wood) and feed it every so often. The big green egg (and knock off) is not like any other cooker they run well on verry little fuel. I try to keep the top and side dampers equal, close them the fire goes out, open slightly burn slow. What do you burn in yours?

 

[Zero Balance]

Re: Lets see your smoker

Sorry, dont have a pic but I converted an old fridge into a smoker. It was pretty easy. It only took about 2 or 3 hours and smokes about 100lbs of fish at a time.