When smoking salmon, what temperature do you want your element to maintain throughout the smoking process?

I am using a little cheif that I found at a garage sale for $2. I test ran a batch of chips and they smoked but I want to put in a thermometer to see if it will maintain such said temperature.

Thanks.

Don't worry about it. Your Little Chief will be fine. Temp. is not a big thing.

My dad had a smokehouse that relied on a small wood fire from an outside pit. It often went out and somethmes burned too hot. The fish was delicious. Smoking is more art than science. Enjoy.

180 degrees is concidered about right. But I agree with Surecatch. As long as it gets done it will taste just fine.

Now do we get any of it for the free advice.

Speaking of smoked salmon anybody on the east side of Tacoma smell it...

Low heat, let the smoke cook them.

Thanks guys. Salmon is on. My only worry was the fact that I got this smoker at a garage sell for $2. Just wanted a to test the temp before possibly ruining some salmon

Most of the information that I've read, including a couple of extension service bulletins, recommend achieving an internal temperature of 160 degrees for at least one hour to insure killing any possible bacteria or other nasties. Since electric smokers don't achieve temperatures anything like that, the bulletin even recommends putting fish smoked in an electric smoker into a 200 degree oven for an hour after smoking just to be sure.

Just test your fish after 4 or 5 hours, If you don't like what you se, smoke away for another 2 or 3. You are not cooking the fish, so time is on youe side...

When purchaseing smoked salmon in Astoria, they had either cold smoked or normal smoked. The cold smoked had more of the delicious oils still in the fish. I don't know what the temp was but the cold smoked cost more.The Duck

Well during smoking it seems to hold about 140 so far. I think without taking the pan in and out filling it up plus removing the pan after smoking will acheive a higher temp. think it will be alright.

catch it, smoke it , eat it, repeat until you get it right

I grew up with a Norwegian family and my dad was a butcher. His smoked salmon was second to none. We built him a large brick smoker with steel doors. He always taught me to use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of the fish. We used a small fire with either alder or apple wood on it for smoke. We also used charcoal fires with moist wood chips. I can tell the fish is done by looking for the white excretions which is the oil coming out on top. The curing process "cooks" the fish and makes it edible if done correctly without using a hot fire. That is how Lox is made with either cold smoke or no smoke at all. The fish is really cured and not cooked. I prefer my fish to be on the raw side of cooked so 140 degrees if ok by me. A Little Chief won't get hot enough. I know some friends who put the box the smoker came in over the smoker while it is smoking to keep the heat in.

There is a big difference in properly handled and smoked fish and fish that is haphazardly done.

Well looks like the majority of the time it is 120. So do you think it is alright. Has been about 8 hours. Top looks fine but since I went fishing I didn't get to flip it. Bottom is soft and inside still guey.

Might just throw it in the oven since the majority of the process is done.

You can up the temp by putting a few pieces of BBQ charcoal in with the chips. If you use a salt brine this would be safer from a food poisoning viewpoint.

If you "cold smoke" fish it is safer to use a true cure, which cointains sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. The best and easiest route to do this is by buying Morton's "tender quick". It is nothing more than a salt-sugar- and nitrite/nitrate mix. The added bonus with this is it gives the fish great color, moisture, and is a safer fish to eat with regards to food poisoning.

When I was using a Little Chief I would finish it in the oven. Just very hard to get the fish really done.

Now I use a Smokey Moutain, it uses charcol, and the temp is very adjustable. I also like how fish and other things come out. Man I started smoking everything with it, turkey's, hams, you name it. I will never go back to a little chief, although they are a good place to start.

BW: I think that you had a defective Little Chief or are confusing cooked with a smoke flavor with smoking.

I have smoked literally thousands of pounds of salmon in a Big Chief and a Little Chief. I never had a problem getting it done. I understand that my idea of done and yours may vary. I consider it done when the flesh is no longer soft or slimy and when it flakes when broken open.

For many centries the native americans dried fish with no heat other than the sun and smoked it with almost no heat.

When I was a kid my dad smoked his salmon for seven days. It didn't get burnt becsue it never got over 120 degrees.

My dad usd to rant that fish smoked less than five days was cooked not smoked. Now I find myself sounding like him. I think the primary goal is to make a product you like. If you do you win. Is it smoked or cooked - who cares. Just my .02

BTW: I often barbeque my salmon on a low heat for 30 mins while burning lots of alder chips on the charcoal. I think that's cooking, not smoking. But it has a ncie smoky taste.

dude ? mushy fish? this brings us full circle. what kind of fish are you smoking ? how thick are your pieces? how did you salt it? did you let it air dry , perhaps one of the most important steps to good smokin? If that fish was brined in a salt and sugar wet brine you NEED to dry it out or it will bee mushy no matter how long you leave it in the lil chief.

lots of people want it done right now!!! when in fact good smoked salmon is like a good woman, if you take your time and treat her kind she will return the flavor.

I should have save THAT post for #69 :p

I used a dry brine and let it sit for about 13 hours. Then rinsed it off, dried it and put back in fridge for 2 hours. Then sat in front of a fan for about 30min. Smoked three pans of chips then cooked for 5 extra hours (8hours total). Then one hour in the oven at 200.

It wasn't "MUSHY" but really soft. Not done as in cooked that's for sure but did break apart.

Personally it is too sweet.

Bear with me I am really new at this smoking and I also as mentioned above bought this little cheif at a garage sell for $2. I soon plan to upgrade but for the time being wanted this to work while my experimenting stage wore off.

Thanks for all the replies.

Once I was forced into buying some fish around Christmas , and made to smoke em up. The meat was soft no matter what I did to it, I think that it was pond raised though.

GT,
I have a Little Chief and I used my dad's when I was growing. I recall his ran colder than mine, but still worked fine. We have always left the smoker in the cardboard box it came in, assuming it would run a little hotter. In cold weather this is more important (plus you may need to smoke it a little longer.

Generally I smoke my fish (1.5"-2" pieces) for 5 hours. I've found the 50/50 salt sugar brine to be too salty so currently use a 25/75 salt to sugar ratio.

Edit: One last thing - I believe you can buy a replacement element for your smoker if you think its necessary. I would probably get/make a cardboard box for it first though.

I was going to replace the burner when I was at Walmart the other day but the burner does not look like the two they had there. They were kind of horseshoe plug in type of elements kind of like a stove top. Is there actually different versions? Here is my burner. May be an antique little cheif.n The wires run to the underside and it is complete one peice not even element looking to me or am I missing something?

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP3482.jpg

Alright searched for awhile and the damn burner for this is $29.95. Versus the $6 one. Also the other little cheif is like 250 watts and this one is 175. Might as well buy a brand new smoker but is it likely that the burner is bad if it will reach 120 degrees? Don't they either work or don't work. Not really half way?

On any of the Little Chief type aluminum electric smokers you absolutely have to leave the cardboard box on them when smoking or the temperature will be too cold. I prop mine up a bit so it is not down on the element and covering the inlet holes under the element though - otherwise it might catch fire. I use a Totem front loader with 5 racks and can fit 45 pounds round weight of fish in there, which is around 20-25 pounds of filets. With that much fish it takes 2 days to smoke, more even with big king pieces. Smoke 'em until they are no longer mushy to the touch, they will brown nicely and feel cooked all the way through even if the temp is not real high, just takes longer. As long as your element gets visibly red hot it will be fine. If you do want to get a new smoker I highly recommend the Totem front loader, easy to access and holds up real well - I've had mine for over 10 years and smoke over 100 salmon and steelhead a year in it!

This subject has alot of ideas. Ive been using a big chief for years with nothing but ravs about my smoked fish. Dray brine 8-1 hrs then smoke at least 6 hrs while filling chip tray 3 to 4 times. And I also look for the oils on the surface aand the fish to flake. You can vacuum pak and freeze it overnight with no loose of flavor. Thats if you worried about someting? My favorite is to eat it warm off the smoker! So let me know when you buy a new smoker, would take the little chief off your hands.

Here is my process. I have hundreds and hundreds of lbs of fish through my little chiefs this way. Infact there are three running at this minute..

I line the bottom tray in the little chiefs with foil to catch the extras

I too am fairly new at smoking fish and have received all my information on this subject from this board and the Luhr Jensen web site. Also, I have gotten both of my smokers at G-sales, (or my wife has).

My first Lil' Chief had an older style element, and I found that it took fish for ever to be "done". (compared to my friends newer version with the newer element).

The smoker I am using now is an "Outters" brand, purchased at Eddie Bauer way back when EB was an actual outfitters store. It runs much hotter than the old lil chief and smokes fairly fast (6-8 hrs for fillets from a average size coho), especially now in the summer months. I think it has a ceramic piece as part of it's element.

I may try smoking with the box on during the winter, but am a little concerned about fire hazards. Anyone else have this concern, or should I forget about it?
I like the charcol idea though.

Thanks

GT - your element is an original replacement element from Luhr-Jensen (Little Chief Mfgr). It used to have a spiral element in it. Your current element replaced the spiral element. This is found on the older top loading Little Chiefs.

The replacement element part number is 9810-000-0000, it's a 175w round disc and Luhr Jensen sells it for $33.50. You can call them at 800-535-1711.

In my opinion you don't have a problem with the smoker though. Like others have said, you really need to put the box that it came in over the top of the smoker to effectively dry the fish. Either that or keep the fish in for another half day. I found that I'd leave my fish in the Little Cheif for about 10-14 hours depending on fish size, outside temperature and if the wind was blowing or not. if there is ANY wind you absolutely must have the box. The instruction manual also said that if the temperature dropped below 45 degFarenheit that you should use the box to insulate it. They do make a insulating blanket for the Little Chief now. It's part number 9999-940-0000 and they sell it for 24.99.

All that aside, before I spent any money on any of the above, I'd go out and pick-up a Big Cheif, cost around $70. You can do twice as much fish, you get the box it came in and it runs much hotter (I've owned both). I can do a full smoke in about 7-8 hours with the Big Chief.

BTW - as other have said, one of the biggest keys to a successful smoke is to let the meat dry and get tacky before you place it in the smoker... There's a term for what happens to the meat. I can't remember it, but this needs to happen for the fish to smoke proplerly.

Good luck!

It's call a pelicle (sp?) and is very important, takes at least an hour or so of air drying.