Smoker Recommendations

[Western]

Dave, that is an awe full problem to have! Are they natives??

Best smoked fish I ever had was from a lean-too over an open fire. One of the guy's I was hunting with learned it while hunting with a guide in Alaska. He smoked them most of the day while we were out "beating " the brush.

Can't recommend a store bought one, most of the smoked fish I've had out of the homeowner models ones was "OK". I think technique will be the biggest factor.

 

[CurlyDave]

Are they natives??

They are hatchery raised and released. But all of the stock for the hatchery is native, Oregon is really big on that.

The fish divide into 3 populations. 12-14 inches are this year's release, 16-18" are last year's and have survived a year in the wild. Over 18" are more than two years since release. There don't seem to be any under 12", which I take to mean that they are not breeding in the wild yet.

About 75% of the catch is 12-14" and 20% is 16-18". Bigger are rare, but not unknown.

The flesh is pink, almost like a miniature salmon instead of white like most of the trout I have dressed. The taste is also more like salmon than most trout. The problem is really awful, but we are going to help as best we can.

Don't ask why the state doesn't just slow down on stocking. That would endanger some jobs.

 

[EddieWalker]

Back in CA, I have a buddy that would smoke everything that I gave him, and we'd split it in half. I was doing quite a bit of hunting, and he loved to smoke the meat. He built a cabinet smoker that was amazing. I never heard of cold smoking, and I never had him smoke any fish. Just a variety of big game animals that I hunted. The reason he built it was because he couldn't find anything of quality for sale that was big enough to be worthwhile. If you have that much to smoke, I would think that building exactly what you want would be the best way to get what you want.

Good luck and be sure to share pics of what you decide to do,
Eddie

 

[Brad_Blazer]

My Char Griller does pretty good. I remove the grate on the far right and build a little charcoal fire right at the air inlet. I use green maple branches laid over the fire and regulate the heat with the vent so the branches smolder and turn to charcoal. The fish lays to the left of the fire with the big end closest to the heat. I don't have the offset firebox but that should let you use the whole cooking area. It has cast iron grates and an upper wire grate that's a little flimsey but it works.
Char-Griller Grill and Smoker - Walmart.com

 

[NativeSon]

I have a Commercial smoker made by Cookshack. I've had it for over 20 years and have gotten my moneys worth out of it. Have smoked a lot of Brisket, Hams, and Ribs on it but never any Cold smoked fish. I've used it in several restaurants and now just do custom smoking here on the place. Cookshack makes a smaller version for the guy at home and they make some sort of attachment for cold smoking. The beauty of the Cookshack is the Temp. control and the small amount of wood needed, and the fact that you can set the controls and walk away from it. I can put Brisket on at 7 pm and come back in the morning and it's ready for lunch. It's really kind of "Stupid Proof".

I had some great smoked fish many years ago in Florida, but I think our fish here in Texas doesn't have enough fat content to smoke....even cold smoke. Look up their website the smaller version maybe what you're looking for.

Charlie

 

[MarkV]

Dave this may be a useful site for some research. Smoke it Up !

MarkV

 

[Car Doc]

If you have electricity at your place then I would mention a pellet smoker to you.

I have 2 Traegers from back when they were made in Oregon, one I modified for competition/catering with an insulated box and double stainless doors and they are excellent smokers so if you find a used etc one make sure its made in USA.

Now they are made in china and they are not the same as they were so I cant recommend a new Traeger just cheap tin and lousy fit and finish they work fine just feel cheap.

My friend sells the green mountain smokers (made in china also ) and although I haven't used one but they have used the Traegers and they like the green mountain better so I can only go by what they say and they sell a bunch of them!

I also have a modified for competition brinkman charcoal smoker and its fine but no where near as easy as the pellet smokers are to use. hth

 

[GGB]

I think you can get good results from nearly any smoker you buy or make if you practice enough times.

Some of the best smoked fish I remember came from an old refrigerator that my Dad and Uncle gutted-they simply took out the plastic interior pieces, and then cut a hole in the top, made a stack from a piece of sheet metal pipe (might have been a section of gas water heater vent pipe), and then used something I can't recall for a damper. They cut a few holes in the bottom to allow air into the bottom, set a pan of charcoal on the bottom rack, and threw some sort of wood chips or twigs for smoke. The first time they used it was to smoke catfish overnight-just set it and forget it. I'll have to ask my Dad what they used for a brine, but I think it was just a salt and sugar. It was some of the best smoked fish I've ever had, and usually didn't last very long-not because of spoiling, but because we devoured it pretty quickly.

One of the things I've learned is that if you are using a Bullet Smoker in the winter, you will want to either get a barrel larger than the smoker to drop over it to help insulate it from the cold wind, which can really affect smoking times. You lose a lot of heat when the wind is whipping around. Some guys just build a simple box from plywood to do the same thing.

I would like to have a Traeger type wood pellet smokers which have a built in thermostat to control the feed/damper. From what I understand, people who have them really like them. But again, I think you can get good product from almost anything if you work at it enough!

GGB

P.S. I just rebuilt my Weber Bullet after about 12 years of hard use-the bottom finally gave out where the legs attached, but just ordered the new parts directly from Weber-great service and saved buying a complete new one.

 

[elitepmc]

@CurlyDave​

We’ve owned a Big Green Egg for several years–when we bought our house after living in an apartment, it was the first thing we went out and bought. I have never been happier about a purchase.​

I use it mostly for smoking turkey and ribs. The results are amazing–the smoke flavor comes in as a subtle undertone, rather than overwhelming everything else. And, it requires much less cooking time than metal smokers. I can do a whole turkey in about 2 hours techwiff.

My most rewarding experience using it was last fall, when I smoked a brisket, using a dry rub, a wet baste, and mesquite chips. Although still took about 8 hours or more, it was worth every minute of my time.

My enthusiasm for the BGE borders on the evangelical. Just make sure that if you do buy one, you get the largest size, because the smaller ones supposedly don’t circulate the air as effectively, and the grill space is on the small size.

Now if only I can find a place near me where I can get one of those Texas-size briskets. []

 

[blackdog2086]

I'm a smoker guy so thanks for resurrecting a 10 year old thread.