New Smoker Arriving Tomorrow

[Nick]

I'm getting kind of excited about getting this new electric smoker, so after a long absence from here, I thought I'd bring a little fanfare to this new arrival in my life. I've been smoking fish off and on for around twenty years and if this thing works as advertised I think I'll be doing more. Temp control, enough wood capacity that no need to reload during smoke, and stainless interior. Here's a pic of it -

I'll mostly use it for smoking fish, but also to try to do "double-smoked" bacon. A German couple used to have a nearby smokehouse and I got it from them, but they've retired. Double-smoked bacon ends are without equal added to much dry bean cooking - soups, chili, refrieds, etc. Hope I can get it figured out.

So........ If there are other smokers here, chime in.

[paul mitchell]

Funny, cause I was just sitting on top of our smoker having of all things a smoke before checking out the computer. Have you ever smoked dungeness crab? That is the cats pyjamas.

[blueapron]

I love to use a smoker too!!

I have tried just about every thing meat wise and am on to veggies now.

Smoked potatos-killer

tomatos -no brainer

apples-awesome smoked apple sauce.

fennel-adds a completly different flavor but is great shaved into a salad

cheese -provalone-cheddar -yummy

ARRRGH I have got to go- more later!!

Edited May 18, 2004 by blueapron (log)

[Varmint]

Nick, how is smoked lobster? You certainly have plenty of access to that product!

[Nick]

Nick, how is smoked lobster?  You certainly have plenty of access to that product!

I dunno Varmint. Nobody's tried it that I know of, but I could try. The brining would be a little tricky. Or maybe you wouldn't brine it. Tough call. Paul mentioned smoked crabs up above and for some reason I can see that more than lobster.

Mostly, I can't wait for the mackerel and blue fish to show up. I've done them before using cherry for the smoke. Dynamite! I'll probably be trying some herring too. Never done them myself, but I've had others that have done it and they're really good if you get 'em right. Plus, they're cheap as they're caught mostly for lobster bait.

You gonna do another get together? Probably wouldn't get there but dug the photos from the last one. The dude you got the pig from was someone I could have hung out with - at least going by the pics.

Edit: Yeah, you'd have to brine the lobster - or cook it a little first in some really salty water.

Edited May 18, 2004 by Nick (log)

[Varmint]

I'm heading up to MDI at the end of June. I'll swing by to pick up a smoked lobster or two on the way.

And there were plenty of folks you could have hung out with at the pig pickin'!

[Nick]

Varmint, you let me know when you're comin' through and we'll have more than smoked lobster.

[Bicycle Lee]

I like the double smoked bacon idea, but does anybody know where to get uncured, unsmoked bacon?

[bleudauvergne]

When I was in North Carolina, I had a very basic backyard wood smoker and smoked meats and cheeses in it. Unfortunately I was forced to leave her behind. My father used to smoke a lot of fish and got to smoking turkey for Thanksgiving in his later years. The technology is very simple and can be very cheap, I urge anyone who sees backyard smokers for sale at their local hareware to pick one up. I got mine for around 30 dollars at the time, about 6 years ago. Nick's looks like the mother of all smokers - whew! Does that thing work inside? Wow!

edited to ask did you get the new smoker for your BIRTHDAY? Happy Birthday Nick!

Edited May 18, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[jsolomon]

I like the double smoked bacon idea, but does anybody know where to get uncured, unsmoked bacon?

I get mine from a custom packer. I would assume that if you know your meat counter guy well-enough, he would procure some for you.

Just ask for uncured, unsalted pork belly. FYI, if you don't have a slicer, getting it in 1 pound chunks and trying to slice it nicely after you've cured and smoked it is a bit challenging for the novice.

[edsel]

I like the double smoked bacon idea, but does anybody know where to get uncured, unsmoked bacon?

You can get uncured pork belly from Niman Ranch. They sell it with and without the rind. Kind of pricey, but I've been tempted to try it.

[clayton]

Congradulations on the smoker! We are using 3 bigger versions at a place I work at, and they are very nice. You have good control and they are easy to clean.

We have been playing with a lot of game lately. Wild Boar Spare ribs have been the best, with Bison Brisket coming in a close second. Overall I would just say try everything, what does it hurt? You loose a couple of dollars worth of whatever? Oh well. You learned something.

All in all, have fun!

[ronnie_suburban]

Woo Hoo!

Congratulations Nick

I just assembled my new smoker last night (3x the capacity of my old one) and I'm really excited to fire it up.

Have Fun!

=R=

[jayt90]

You can make your own dashi (Japanese soup stock) with a smoker.

Fillets of mackeral, or a large can of tuna (the Costco can) can be salted, pressed to shape, and slow smoked (the wood chips do not have to be strong) until dry and hard.

When ready, you take shavings from the block to make an instant soup stock, much better than the granules for sale in the Korean store!

[dls]

Congrats Nick. Looks to me like you have a Cookshack Smokette. Got the same unit as a gift this past Xmas and love it. Use it a couple of times weekly. Best smoker that I've ever owned. Takes a little getting used to but, once you get the hang of it, you'll be smoking like crazy.

Hint # 1 - You don't need much wood with this unit. A 2 oz. chunk is about all for most smokes. Maybe even a little less for fish.

Hint # 2 - If you have not already done so, you should check out the Cookshack forums here. . A pretty active community with a lot of good tips and guidance on using the unit.

[Mayhaw Man]

I like the double smoked bacon idea, but does anybody know where to get uncured, unsmoked bacon?

I get mine from a custom packer. I would assume that if you know your meat counter guy well-enough, he would procure some for you.

Just ask for uncured, unsalted pork belly. FYI, if you don't have a slicer, getting it in 1 pound chunks and trying to slice it nicely after you've cured and smoked it is a bit challenging for the novice.

My butcher is GREAT about slicing up stuff that I have purchased from him, taken home and smoked, and then returned to him for slicing. No charge (other that a few slices for the butcher ). I am pretty sure that he is violating all kinds of health rules doing this, but they are great people to deal with.

I have done bacon several times and it not only worked out well cooking wise, but was delicious to boot.

[Nick]

Thanks for all the replies! Let's see if I can respond to some of the posts now.

DLS - Yes it's a Cookshack Smokette, 008. I just got it tonight and it's a fine looking piece of equipment. The door latch needed a little work (it was way too tight), but other than that it looks ready to go. For people with an interest, here's a link to Cookshack's home smokers. The Cookshack forum you mentioned is great. I dove right into it.

bleudauvergne - It wasn't exactly planned, but it was nice that it showed up on my birthday.

Ronnie - what did you get for a new smoker?

Clayton - are you using Cookshack's commercial smokers?

Double smoked bacon - I can get the pork belly from some friends with a slaughterhouse/wholesale/retail meat shop. I may try having Janie do the same brine injection she does for their bacon and go from there. In the end I'll probably want a little more salt and add some maple syrup.

Does anyone know how to do double smoked bacon? Is it just smoked longer and heavier? It sure is good in beans. I know that.

For anyone that wants to mess around with smoking but doesn't want to lay out more than $100, the "Little Chief" works pretty good. Just do a search. Some hardware stores carry them. That's where I got mine. It smokes fish fine, but I tried some sausages and it didn't cut it. Not hot enough. Temp runs between 140-180 and there's no way to regulate it. Other issues are that you have to reload the wood pan every 45 minutes or so and since it's aluminum with no insulation it can be hard to keep the temp up in cooler weather with a wind blowing. In warmer weather and if you don't mind tending the wood all the time it's a good little smoker. Here's a pic -

Guess that's it for now. Looking forward to getting this thing set up and doing some smoking.

[ronnie_suburban]

Nick,

Here is a pic of my smoker--although mine's stainless...

It's a Smokey Mountain Series 3000 (whatever the heck that means ) which I purchased over the winter. Until I saw your thread, got off my behind and assembled it, it had been sitting in its box in my garage for about 3 months.

Up until now I've been using a Char Broil brand knock-off version of the Weber bullet smoker (which I bought for $29), but I decided to step-up to the larger smoker primarily to increase capacity. I just hate spending an entire day 'out by the smoker' and then having to portion off the output. This unit should remedy that situation, although I've also teased my wife that I am contemplating turning our bike shed into a smokehouse.

My plan is to fire it up for the first time this Sunday, as long as the weather cooperates.

Good luck with your new unit and thanks again for the motivational thread!

=R=

[HKDave]

I've been lusting after one of these electric box smokers ever since I had some brisket and turkey breast done in a SmokinTex (very similar to the Cookshack). The chef had injected both with different Tony Chancere's marinades, and the results were astonishing - some of the best meat I've ever tasted.

Problem now is that I live on the 28th floor of a sealed building, and shipping one of these things to Hong Kong would cost a fortune. The SmokinTex is made in China but only sold in the US, I can't buy it here

There's a thread going on these kind of smokers over at homebbq:

http://www.homebbq.com/duportal/forums/msg...id=187&for_id=8

[NulloModo]

Ooooohhhhhh..... I want one....

So, this Cookshack electric job, since it is electric, and insulated, do you suppose it would be safe to use on a wood apartment balcony?

[Mayhaw Man]

I was looking for a smoker on the web and ran across The California Barbeque Association Website. The site is huge and there is some pretty interesting reading there. Perhaps some of you will find it useful.

[sacre_bleu]

I can't let a smoker thread go by without plugging my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker ($179, free shipping from numerous places).

Charcoal-driven, but so well engineered that one load of Kingsford briquettes can last up to 14 hours. So stable that its fans generally cook pork butts and briskets overnight (while they mostly sleep) with no ill effects.

You can fit two 14 lb turkeys or 25 lbs of spareribs in the little darlin.

... now back to your regularly scheduled electric smoking cabinet lovefest, already in progress.

[Nick]

Ronnie, It looks like you've got some capacity in that new smoker. Is it wood/charcoal-fired, or electric? I first started smoking with a huge smoker I built that was plain wood-fired, but gave it away when I moved. Then, a few years ago, I got a Brinkman charcoal smoker, but that required constant tending and wouldn't go low enough for fish.

I tried out the Cookshack last night with a baking potato, corn, and a small piece of pork. While it worked great, I realized afterward why I'd gotten this smoker - to smoke fish - and bacon. It'll be awhile before the mackerel and bluefish show up so I went to the local supermarket to get a piece of salmon but they were out and, with some doubts, I got a piece of Pollack. I've never cared for Pollack and I can tell you here and now - smoking does not improve it. So, next on the list is some Togue a friend caught last winter and froze. Oh God, please let us have a good run of mackerel and bluefish this summer.

NulloModo, this Cookshack is so well insulated I'm sure it would be fine on a wood balcony. I'd put a piece of sheet steel under it and wouldn't run it while I was gone just for peace of mind. But, it should be fine. The insulation in this thing is so good that you could keep your hand on it all day at it's highest setting. And it smokes good. No need to keep tending the fire.

HKDave, I looked at the SmokinTex, but when I tried calling them (several times)all I got was an answering machine. Cookshack picked right up. When SmokinTex finally called back I told them it was too late cuz I'd already ordered the Cookshack. Cookshack has great support too. And... SmokingTex is made in China and I'm in the steelworking business... and China has messed up the steel market so much and caused steel prices to go so high that I wouldn't buy a SmokinTex if it were half the price of a Cookshack. PLUS, Cookshack has been in business for a long time and SmokinTex just came along, ripped off their design, and is having it made in China. I've got no use for that kind of shit. I've had it done to me.

Okay, rant off. Back to smokin'. Let's keep posting here with ideas. Right now I can say the Cookshack is a fine little smoker and you might just as well leave the Pollack on the supermarket shelf.

Edited May 21, 2004 by Nick (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

Nick,

I have a question. How do you clean that thing? Can you pull the element and hose it out, or is it a wiping thing only? How about the shelves? Can you adjust the levels like in an oven, or just take them out to make more room for a big hunk o' meat?

Thanks,

Brooks

[Nick]

Brooks, The element doesn't come out, but everything else does. The woodbox, the racks, and even the rack slides. It's pretty well thought out. A removeable element would make things a little easier though. Hosing out won't work with a smoker. You're dealing with smoke. And you don't want a perfectly clean inside anyhow. The first thing you do with a new smoker is run it with nothing inside to "season" it. I like to keep the racks clean and that's easy enough. I've got that big sink I put in that Fifi dug. (Where is Fifi? I haven't been around in awhile.).. And there are three racks with rack holders that have two positions. There's room for a big hunk of meat, or a small turkey.