Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

[jonboat]

I've found the best way for me to free up freezer space is to fire up the old Brinkmann Smoke & Grill.

batch one, and

batch two,

Once those fillets get to looking like this, they develop a magic power to quickly disappear!!!

My super-simple recipe, for any one who wants it...

Brine:

1 gal Water

1 C dark brown sugar

1/2 C Kosher salt

brine overnight.

Smoke at 200-225 for 5 hours with apple wood

30 minutes before done, baste with maple syrup.

Enjoy!

[dukhnter8]

Insert homer simpson drooling. mmmmm looks good.

[makoshrk2]

Try smoking half a fish. Just gut, cut in half and leave skin on. Throw it in the smoker on LOW LOW heat. When it is done you will be amazed at how juicy and tender it is. No flavoring, just good ole smokiness. Rainbows and lakers come out even better

[carpedium]

I need a smoker.

[indian]

OMG! STOP IT...can't wait till the 16th.....here we come lake O!

[makoshrk2]

I need a smoker.

I bought this smoker this year. It's virtually retard proof. Put the wood pucks in, set temp, set smoke time and walk away. No need to keep adding wood chips or adjusting temp. A little pricey, but I'll pay for the conveniance

http://www.bradleysmoker.com/digital-smoker-4-rack.asp

[adirondackice]

Thats awesome!! Hoping to be making some smoke this weekend!!!

[jonboat]

I need a smoker.

You can get one like mine for $40 at Home Depot, then another $10 bucks to modify it to make it easier to use.

[carpedium]

I need a smoker.

You can get one like mine for $40 at Home Depot, then another $10 bucks to modify it to make it easier to use.

That seems reasonable.

What did you do to modify it?

[jonboat]

I need a smoker.

You can get one like mine for $40 at Home Depot, then another $10 bucks to modify it to make it easier to use.

That seems reasonable.

What did you do to modify it?

That's actually an old photo of the smoker itself from the first time I used it the salmon photos are from this past weekend, but I need to take some photos of my hot rodded smoker.

First mod: I put the legs on the outside then used 10" or 12" long 1/2" Bolts to make legs on the fire pan so that the whole unit can easily be lifted off the fire pan. This makes tending to your coals much much easier than trying to do it thru the door. this also makes you lose less heat when you need to tinker with your coals.

Next mod, put a charcoal grate from a little smokey-joe grill in the bottom of the fire pan so that the ashes from your charcoal have some place to go - instead of smothering your coals. Anything you can find to act as a grate and get the coals up off the bottom of the bowl will work here - I just happened to have an old mini grill sitting around that I could steal the part from.

Last "gotta have it" mod, drill about 8 3/8" holes in the fire pan to get more air to your coals (4 on the bottom, 4 a little ways up the side). These smokers can be a bear to get up to temp then maintain temps - Before the mods, I had to fiddle with it non-stop to keep it up to temp - on something big like a pork shoulder that's a lot of hours of babysitting the fire. With these last two mods, it gets a lot easier - I check on it every 30 - 45 minutes and usually don't have to do anything. This at least lets me get stuff done around the house instead of holding me hostage.

The final mod is optional. I haven't done it yet because I keep forgetting when I'm shopping... The thermometer that comes with this smoker does not tell you temps. It simply says "WARM", "IDEAL", and "HOT". In order to actually follow someone's recipe, you generally need to know your temps, and a real thermometer is how you do that. I've been told you can get one at Wally-world for 5 or 6 bucks - and I will if I ever manage to remember while we're out shopping.

[carpedium]

That's actually an old photo of the smoker itself from the first time I used it the salmon photos are from this past weekend, but I need to take some photos of my hot rodded smoker.

First mod: I put the legs on the outside then used 10" or 12" long 1/2" Bolts to make legs on the fire pan so that the whole unit can easily be lifted off the fire pan. This makes tending to your coals much much easier than trying to do it thru the door. this also makes you lose less heat when you need to tinker with your coals.

Next mod, put a charcoal grate from a little smokey-joe grill in the bottom of the fire pan so that the ashes from your charcoal have some place to go - instead of smothering your coals. Anything you can find to act as a grate and get the coals up off the bottom of the bowl will work here - I just happened to have an old mini grill sitting around that I could steal the part from.

Last "gotta have it" mod, drill about 8 3/8" holes in the fire pan to get more air to your coals (4 on the bottom, 4 a little ways up the side). These smokers can be a bear to get up to temp then maintain temps - Before the mods, I had to fiddle with it non-stop to keep it up to temp - on something big like a pork shoulder that's a lot of hours of babysitting the fire. With these last two mods, it gets a lot easier - I check on it every 30 - 45 minutes and usually don't have to do anything. This at least lets me get stuff done around the house instead of holding me hostage.

The final mod is optional. I haven't done it yet because I keep forgetting when I'm shopping... The thermometer that comes with this smoker does not tell you temps. It simply says "WARM", "IDEAL", and "HOT". In order to actually follow someone's recipe, you generally need to know your temps, and a real thermometer is how you do that. I've been told you can get one at Wally-world for 5 or 6 bucks - and I will if I ever manage to remember while we're out shopping.

Very Cool Jonboat!

Now I just have to find that 10% off lowes coupon that has been floating around.

Thanks for your time.

[jonboat]

Those Bradley's are really nice - one of these days I'll get either one of those or a Masterbuilt Electric smoker. Just a whole lote easier than messing with coals.

[GAMBLER]

Carpedium,

Go with an electric or propane smoker. THey are more expensive but way easier to use. Charcoal smokers are ok but it is a lot harder to regulate the temp of the smoker.