Good Smoker Suggestion?

[Toad37]

Can someone suggest a good cheap Smoker for trout? Links would be helpful. Much appreciated.

Thanks,
Toad

[fishing collector]

Now is the time for garage-sales...Check Craigs list and Little nickel want ads.... Little Chief Smokers are a good cheap one. If you are handy with wood, it is easy to build one...An old refridgerator works great if you want to make a large one....Good Luck, Steve

[Coastfishin]

I have the Big Chief Smoker. It seems to work good. I think it was around $120.00.
Also, use the search on this site, there was a thread about smokers a couple of months ago...

[Dave]

I have the Brinkman charcoal smoker which I bought at Lowe’s about 8 years ago. I have smoked more trout and salmon on it than I can count and it does a great job. Smoke time is about 3.5 to 4 hours using wet wood chunks applied to the hot coals at the beginning of the process, and only once more midway through the 4 hour process. Lowe’s sells the Brinkman smoker for $49.97. I buy the wood chunks and brine at Fred Meyer.

I have used electric smokers in the past, but the elements have twice burned out on me. I have also used the little chief series smokers. They are great smokers but utilize a cold smoking concept. Cold smoking is an all day process which requires frequent trips to the smoker to add wood chips to the chip pan. For me, I didn’t like how long it took to make smoked fish on the chief smoker, so I switched to the Brinkman charcoal smoker and have had great results ever since.. The Brinkman smoker is inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to operate using charcoal, has 3 grills, and smoke time is quick. You won’t be disappointed.

Although there are many forum posts on smoking fish and brine recipes, I have found the Luhr Jensen trout and salmon brine to be the best. I have tried many brine recipes both home made and store bought and none have produced better smoked fish than the Luhr Jensen brine. I use it exclusively and have made many amazing batches of smoked trout and salmon. Lastly, after letting the finished product cool, I pat dry and use a food saver to package the fish. I leave it in the refrigerator and it stays fresh for up to one year. I never freeze it and it is usually gone long before the year is up.

Hope this helps. Good luck and let us know what you end up buying and how your first batch comes out.


http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... 852-7080-E

[kevinb]

I'm also interested in purchasing a smoker but have VERY limited knowledge of them.
Are they fairly easy to operate? Cooking tips with 'em?

[Toad37]

Thanks for the advice guys. A friend just suggested this one. Any thoughts?

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... true&nyr=1

[leahcim_dahc]

Can someone suggest a good cheap Smoker for trout? Links would be helpful. Much appreciated.

Used "Little Chief", just bought a "Big Chief". Both work just fine for the money. I found them at Joe's last week...$69 for the little chief, and $89 for the big chief.

Only issue I see is no insulation...so they loose heat fairly quickly. Got to keep them out of the wind. Another tip...if you use one of the electric one's, is to plug them directly into the outlet (no extension cord), as there is quite a voltage drop using an extension cord. If you have to use a cord, ensure it's fairly girthy, like around 10ga. or so.

One other thing I didn't like, in particular the "front loading" models...the front door gets stuck with resin (from the wood smoke), and when you try to open it...the thing folds in half. If you do, check out the top loaders...seem to be better design.

A friend just suggested this one. Any thoughts?

I haven't used that model, but I wouldn't think it's much different than the little or big chief.


Chad

[kutthroatkilla]

Can someone suggest a good cheap Smoker for trout? Links would be helpful. Much appreciated.

Thanks,
Toad

Toadster -- I was in Joe's last night and they had a Little Chief for $69.99 and it was quality...this was the Joe's in Bellevue. You can also find them for cheap on Craiglist...sometimes the cheapest smokers are the best. I have a Bradley and love it...but the Little Chief available at Joe's and is sweet and that's what I grew up smoking on with those fine wood flakes that creates that smoke...I'm hungry now!

http://www.cabelas.com/hprod-1/0005854.shtml

:chef:
KTK

[Lotech Joe]

As mentioned before, the Little Chief is a good way to get started. I know several folks that use old refrigerators with a remote burn box. Whatever you do, if you decide on the refrigerator, don't use the racks that come with the fridge. You would be better off using BBQ grills or even hardwood dowels. Refrigerator racks are coated with something that could be bad for your health if exposed to a lot of heat.
There's nothing like sitting around a campfire after a day's fishing, swapping lies with your buddies, and eating smoked fish with an ice cold beer.

[kutthroatkilla]

There's nothing like sitting around a campfire after a day's fishing, swapping lies with you buddies, and eating smoked fish with an ice cold beer.

You ain't a kiddin LTJ. Smoked trout and a Kokanee and I ain't talkin the fish! Should be a fun summer! :jocolor:
KTK

[northfork]

First off- the cabela mini chief says 15# capacity, maybe with thick meat or poultry but no way with fish. There are only 3 racks. Take the measurements and draw up the actual size and you will see how much they will really hold.

Don't buy a used chief smoker that is dark from tar/resin, more than likely the element is weak and won't smoke the chips very good. New elements run about $20.
Second- the plastic liners in newer refrigerators are TOXIC they were never meant to be exposed to heat. Trust me I do refrigeration for a living.

If you find a used chief smoker with none to very little resin/tar on it probably a good one. Got my Big Chief for $40 used ( once) the guy said it was more hassle than it was worth. SCORE

I smoke all year long. In the winter I put the smoker back in the cardboard box with cutouts for the chip door and plug and it works great. Just finished a load of triploids last weekend.

I have to plug mine into an extension cord to reach outside. 10 gauge x 20' ain't no voltage drop in that baby.

I smoked over 200# of fish last year and have another 15# of triploids in the freezer to still smoke up.

[A9]

The Little/Big/Mini chief series is about as minimally insulated as you can get. Trying to smoke outdoors on cold/windy nights is impossible. IMO, if you are going to get serious about smoking, buy yourself at least a mid-range smoker with a temp guage and really get some good information on how to get yourself started...

[kevinb]

First off- the cabela mini chief says 15# capacity, maybe with thick meat or poultry but no way with fish. There are only 3 racks. Take the measurements and draw up the actual size and you will see how much they will really hold.

Don't buy a used chief smoker that is dark from tar/resin, more than likely the element is weak and won't smoke the chips very good. New elements run about $20.
Second- the plastic liners in newer refrigerators are TOXIC they were never meant to be exposed to heat. Trust me I do refrigeration for a living.

If you find a used chief smoker with none to very little resin/tar on it probably a good one. Got my Big Chief for $40 used ( once) the guy said it was more hassle than it was worth. SCORE

I smoke all year long. In the winter I put the smoker back in the cardboard box with cutouts for the chip door and plug and it works great. Just finished a load of triploids last weekend.

I have to plug mine into an extension cord to reach outside. 10 gauge x 20' ain't no voltage drop in that baby.

I smoked over 200# of fish last year and have another 15# of triploids in the freezer to still smoke up.

Wow,northfork. Really good info.
So these things are fairly user friendly? I've never used a smoker but WILL purchase one within the next 2 weeks.

[Coastfishin]

kevinb,
They are real easy to use. I usually burn 3 or 4 pans of chips and just let the heat do the rest.
When I bought mine it came with a recipe book that had several different brines and directions for smoking several different types of meats and fish.

[kutthroatkilla]

I use a $550+ Bradley Smoker and it kicks serious butt. It has 5 racks and smokes them cutts in less than 2 hours...tastes better than salmon, IMO.

KTK

[leahcim_dahc]

I use a $550+ Bradley Smoker and it kicks serious butt. It has 5 racks and smokes them cutts in less than 2 hours...tastes better than salmon, IMO.

KTK

That would be nice...just a bit outside of my budget right at the moment. No more fish, or the occasional chunk of beef than what I do...the big chief works just fine. Some day I'll get me a big shiney one...just not right now.


Chad

[kevinb]

I use a $550+ Bradley Smoker and it kicks serious butt. It has 5 racks and smokes them cutts in less than 2 hours...tastes better than salmon, IMO.

KTK

Thats a bold statement...but coming from you...well,your the guy in the know!!!:salut:
Good stuff..can't wait to fire it up.

Thank you too, Coastfishin. Really good info.

[kutthroatkilla]

I use a $550+ Bradley Smoker and it kicks serious butt. It has 5 racks and smokes them cutts in less than 2 hours...tastes better than salmon, IMO.

KTK

Thats a bold statement...but coming from you...well,your the guy in the know!!!:salut:
Good stuff..can't wait to fire it up.

Thank you too, Coastfishin. Really good info.

You're right kevinb, but when it comes to smokin fish ya just can't beat a Bradley in my book. Those Big Chiefs are sweet as well. You can get a medium priced smoker for $150-$200 that does a swell job...I guess we all speak highly if we like a certain smoker or "brand." In the end, do your research (there is a ton on the internet) and talk to a local smoker guru...I know of 1 in Bellevue who owns a smoke shop and one in Woodinville.

KTK

[Toad37]

I went with the Mini-Chief from Cabela's, I think for what I'll be doing it should be fine. I like the fact that it is a top-loader....If I really get into it, I will end up getting a bigger and better one.

Any tips on freezing what you Smoke?

Thanks for the feedback guys.

[kutthroatkilla]

I went with the Mini-Chief from Cabela's, I think for what I'll be doing it should be fine. I like the fact that it is a top-loader....If I really get into it, I will end up getting a bigger and better one.

Any tips on freezing what you Smoke?

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Nice choice Toadster. What I do after I smoke my trout is let it cool and then vaccum pack it with the Food Saver I bought from Fred Meyer in those food saver bags...works like a charm...when I need some smoked fish, out it comes, and it's very fresh! Good to hear you'll be doing your own smoking -- so many people pay others' to do it for them...not that's there's anything wrong with that, but it's fun to do it yourself.

KTK