i got one of the good old galvanized style boxes (hot smoker), which has served me well for about 4 years, but time to upgrade. the plate where the sawdust goes is nearly rusted through!
it has done countless trays of mackeral, dolphinfish, chicken, even crays!!
i got a mate that reckons cold smokers are the shit, and once you use one, wont go back to hot smokers.
I just use a webber, about 8 heat beads does a fairly full rack of macky or snapper fillets and a couple of jarrah 2x1 offcuts for the smoke.
Usually add a couple more blocks of timber half way through to keep the smoke crankin, takes about 45min cookin time
The brine i use is 1 cup of salt 1 cup of brown sugar to about 5L of water and one hour soak minimum, 4 hours is best. Might do some tomorrow now havnt done any for a while!
I hot smoke mine in a small stainless steel smoker.Works well.But with reguards to using jarra . I may be wrong ,but it has a naturaly occuring arsenic thats what my mates from the deep south that smoke their salmon tell me.
I don't use that either Stu. Jarrah turns to coal and not ash. The closest I get is Karri and that works great with Trout (and anything else I guess). Sheoke is my Fav.
I have the same setup as you Stu for quick jobs.
As previously mentioned on here I did build a smoker out of a 44. I drilled holes and placed rio rods all through it and lit a fire under it. Bacause of the size it worked as a cold smoker with longer periods of smoking required at lower temps. It was a cracker!
but avoid stuff like pine, eucalypt etc due to the resin/sap in the wood (even when dried). Same with any manufactured wood like MDF and so fourth. try using wood from trees that bear fruit - its why applewood, cheerywood etc are so popular. My mate dried out some limbs from an orange tree and it worked awesome in a smoker.
Also try adding some spices to your smoking chips/sawdust for added flavour.
I have a small Stainless smoker i got from ranger camping for around the $100 mark. They are great....i mainly use sheoak. Have gone away from using the shavings, to using chips..as the shavings can blow onto the flesh you are smoking..if there is a bit of wind around.
Depends on how much fish you want to smoke at one time. We throw chicken thighs in cook for 15 mins.....lovely. Put a small rolled roast on the smoker for 30 mins..then finish it off in the oven. Good luck
The set-up at my mates place was waaaaaaaaaay more eloborate! He had a 44 cut in half and buried in the ground at the bottom of the hill for the fire, then ran a pipe 5 m up the hill to a buried 44 with hanging racks. Granted you need a hill, but you can do the same thing by having an enclosed fire then running flexi duct with a small fan halfway to get the airflow and then run it into a chamber of sorts away from the heat source (fire). Do that over 12/24 hours - sensational.
guy that i know has family that have a massive property in the perongerups (albany way), and they have an old slow combustion stove, with the flu (chimeny) traveling 10m up a small hill to an old fridge filled with racks!
they have heaps of pigs, so quite often smoke hams and bacon, as well as whole 15kg yellowtail kings and tuna!
love it whenever he goes down there, cos he brings back bacon nearly 10mm thick, hams like you've never had before, or any number of pork or lamb products that taste 10 times better than the shops shit.
scotto
Posts: 2470
Date Joined: 21/04/08
me
i got one of the good old galvanized style boxes (hot smoker), which has served me well for about 4 years, but time to upgrade. the plate where the sawdust goes is nearly rusted through!
it has done countless trays of mackeral, dolphinfish, chicken, even crays!!
i got a mate that reckons cold smokers are the shit, and once you use one, wont go back to hot smokers.
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
your mate is right
but its a lot longer process, far more involved and a lot bigger "footprint".
but the results are f**king magnificent. Generally any smoked salmon you buy is cold smoked.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
kwozz
Posts: 36
Date Joined: 03/11/09
hot smoke
I just use a webber, about 8 heat beads does a fairly full rack of macky or snapper fillets and a couple of jarrah 2x1 offcuts for the smoke.
Usually add a couple more blocks of timber half way through to keep the smoke crankin, takes about 45min cookin time
The brine i use is 1 cup of salt 1 cup of brown sugar to about 5L of water and one hour soak minimum, 4 hours is best. Might do some tomorrow now havnt done any for a while!
UncleStu
Posts: 313
Date Joined: 18/05/08
I hot smoke mine
I hot smoke mine in a small stainless steel smoker.Works well
.But with reguards to using jarra . I may be wrong ,but it has a naturaly occuring arsenic 
thats what my mates from the deep south that smoke their salmon tell me.
UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
Jarrah
I don't use that either Stu. Jarrah turns to coal and not ash. The closest I get is Karri and that works great with Trout (and anything else I guess). Sheoke is my Fav.
I have the same setup as you Stu for quick jobs.
As previously mentioned on here I did build a smoker out of a 44. I drilled holes and placed rio rods all through it and lit a fire under it. Bacause of the size it worked as a cold smoker with longer periods of smoking required at lower temps. It was a cracker!
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
dont think there is a problem with jarrah
but avoid stuff like pine, eucalypt etc due to the resin/sap in the wood (even when dried). Same with any manufactured wood like MDF and so fourth. try using wood from trees that bear fruit - its why applewood, cheerywood etc are so popular. My mate dried out some limbs from an orange tree and it worked awesome in a smoker.
Also try adding some spices to your smoking chips/sawdust for added flavour.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
saltatrix
Posts: 1081
Date Joined: 30/03/08
Mallee, Hickory, Sheoak are
Mallee, Hickory, Sheoak are all good woods.
Brown sugar and Salt ina bag; shake shake shake and in she goes.
Once you eat brown sugar smoked salmon fillets with a dark wood youll be keeping more.
Vac Pac it after wouldto suck in more flavour.
Small smokers need less time. Most on the market fit the bill.
Angling tourism is worth $10 billion to the Australian economy - 90000 jobs; more than any sport; spread the word
wadetolley
Posts: 2258
Date Joined: 27/06/08
I have
I have a small Stainless smoker i got from ranger camping for around the $100 mark. They are great....i mainly use sheoak. Have gone away from using the shavings, to using chips..as the shavings can blow onto the flesh you are smoking..if there is a bit of wind around.
Depends on how much fish you want to smoke at one time. We throw chicken thighs in cook for 15 mins.....lovely. Put a small rolled roast on the smoker for 30 mins..then finish it off in the oven. Good luck
Decella
Posts: 401
Date Joined: 01/02/09
Cold Smokers
Check this out for cold smoking at home...............Genius.....LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sivMMDnUEpc
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
that
is actually brilliant.
The set-up at my mates place was waaaaaaaaaay more eloborate! He had a 44 cut in half and buried in the ground at the bottom of the hill for the fire, then ran a pipe 5 m up the hill to a buried 44 with hanging racks. Granted you need a hill, but you can do the same thing by having an enclosed fire then running flexi duct with a small fan halfway to get the airflow and then run it into a chamber of sorts away from the heat source (fire). Do that over 12/24 hours - sensational.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
scotto
Posts: 2470
Date Joined: 21/04/08
another
guy that i know has family that have a massive property in the perongerups (albany way), and they have an old slow combustion stove, with the flu (chimeny) traveling 10m up a small hill to an old fridge filled with racks!
they have heaps of pigs, so quite often smoke hams and bacon, as well as whole 15kg yellowtail kings and tuna!
love it whenever he goes down there, cos he brings back bacon nearly 10mm thick, hams like you've never had before, or any number of pork or lamb products that taste 10 times better than the shops shit.
Decella
Posts: 401
Date Joined: 01/02/09
Check this one out
Best Ive found for the money
http://www.mistygully.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=58_40&products_id=295&osCsid=cec829448ded555b7e9fc081f8b01b9d
Alan James
Posts: 2223
Date Joined: 30/06/09
And check this out
If you are into smoked food take a look here. Heaps of recipes / home made smokers etc
http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/forum_topics.asp?FID=20&title=the-kitchen-sponsored-by-bradley-smokers