Red neck hot box smoking

[misfish]

Well it,s getting cooler now and have read you got to cover the smoker with a cardboard box. OK. So made one this morning for some salmon pieces. Im not sure if the thermo thing will work right, but I am trying. LOL This wont catch fire right?

Seem Imagur has gone screwy.

 

 

 

 

[ketchenany]

If it does you can always call it BBQed, fast fry . . . salmon. Need a good brew to go with it. improve the taste with a cabonet Sauvignon.

[akaShag]

You need a LOT more room around the door to the heating element, or yes it WILL catch fire.

And I can't see the cord, but you need to leave about five inches clear ABOVE the cord, or the plug at the back will melt. Replacement cords are not cheap.

And you need a hole in the top for the smoke to escape, or you will end up with a creosote-like covering on your salmon.  I would have left the seams open that are sealed with packing tape.

The aim is to keep the wind out and some of the heat in, not to make it an insulated box.

JMOYMV

Happy Thanksgiving bud!
Doug

[misfish]

6 minutes ago, akaShag said:

You need a LOT more room around the door to the heating element, or yes it WILL catch fire.

And I can't see the cord, but you need to leave about five inches clear ABOVE the cord, or the plug at the back will melt. Replacement cords are not cheap.

And you need a hole in the top for the smoke to escape, or you will end up with a creosote-like covering on your salmon.  I would have left the seams open that are sealed with packing tape.

The aim is to keep the wind out and some of the heat in, not to make it an insulated box.

JMOYMV

Happy Thanksgiving bud!
Doug

Now you tell me. LOL

I only had it covered for about an hour and a half. The plug area is open. The pot entrance is open as well. This cover is, make and throw away, so my next one will be made to vent the smoke more. I was wondering about that.

Thanks Doug, and enjoy your happy turkey day.

[misfish]

Oh I forgot, does anyone remove the element and wash out the box????

[misfish]

Yup, the box trapped toooooo much smoke. Lesson learned. Still taste salty, even though I have cut the salt wayyyyyy down. Sea salt may not be the right salt to be using????????????

 

Still yummy though.

 

[akaShag]

1 hour ago, misfish said:

Oh I forgot, does anyone remove the element and wash out the box????

I never have done this, but if you have creosote on the inside of the smoker, it needs to be removed with "something" - not sure what, though.  Maybe remove the element and put a scrub brush to the inside of the smoker, with some hot water and dish soap, and then rinse a couple times with boiling water?

[akaShag]

25 minutes ago, misfish said:

Yup, the box trapped toooooo much smoke. Lesson learned. Still taste salty, even though I have cut the salt wayyyyyy down. Sea salt may not be the right salt to be using????????????

 

Still yummy though.

 

was it brined, or rubbed?

[misfish]

Dry. Smoker is 20 years old.Smoked a ton of everything.

Edited October 7, 2018 by misfish

[akaShag]

For "Indian Candy" I sprinkle the fillets with coarse sea salt, then put on a thick layer of brown sugar.  Into the covered tupperware in the fridge for 24 hours or so.  I don't rinse them, nor pat them dry.  I lay them out on the smoker racks with newspaper below the racks, for about an hour (or more) until I can see the pellicle formed, then into the (cold) smoker.  Thin fillets one pan of smoke, thicker ones up to three pans of smoke, usually hickory.  Eye test for done-ness, the colour you have is perfect.

[leaf4]

You can use a welders blanket for keeping heat as well

[smitty55]

To tell the truth I wouldn't worry about temp so much. That setup will promote stale smoke. The main idea is to smoke and flavour them anyways,  they can always be finished in the oven or grill or pan. I bought my first Big Chief smoker back in the 80's at Laurentian Trading Post in Ottawa and on a good day in the summer you might hit 160°, so it's a warm smoke at best. I've never had to finish anything but pork loins in the oven, they get to around 125° after 4-5 hours. On windy days a good tall windbreak sure does help a lot, both in retaining heat but also allowing the smoke to naturally flow out of the vents, which is how they are designed to work best.

Speaking of which, I'm glad I visited this thread tonight because it reminded me that I've had two loins in brine for 6 days now. lol  So they are now rinsed and dried and resting on my kitchen table on racks over a cookie sheet. Later I will put them in the basement fridge overnight and into the smoker tomorrow. Looking forward to some fresh Canadian bacon. I might even be able to trade some for smoked steelies. That's a good trade off for me.

 

Cheers

[floater]

I too found my salmon getting too salty. The recipe called for two cups of kosher salt. i now use less than a third cup salt to two cups of brown sugar when doing a dry brine. Still a bit salty but the sweetness of the brown sugar and the final Maple Whiskey brushing make up for it.

[SirCranksalot]

At least there was no 4 alarm fire!!