fish ruin a smoker?

[KFhunter]

Do you all have dedicated fish smokers?  I can't get the fish smell out of my little smoker and got to thinking about when I upgrade.   

Looking at building a big smoker here soon, wondering if I should build a side by side setup for fish on one side,  everything else on the other!

[The scout]

yep it will take a long time for the smell to come out. I have put smoke to it empty for like 12hrs before to try and get rid of the smell, I don't smoke meat in the same smoker I do fish in

[LndShrk]

 

I have done hundreds and hundreds of lbs of fish through my smoker and never had any issue with fish smell. I also run sausage and various meats through mine never had any issue with fish smell on anything.

what kind of fish is leaving stank in the smoke house?
Also how are you curing that fish?
What is the quality to begin with?

[Ridgeratt]

Nope!

[KFhunter]

It was just trips out of the lake brined in a salt with soy bath and smoked.

I can smell the fish long after, in fact this was a big chief smoker that's sat up in the garage and hadn't been used for over a year and I still smell the fish.   I scrubbed it out and still smell fish.   Got me to thinking I need a dedicated fish smoker and was contemplating a new smoker build.



I did heat it up and run it before I put meat in it, but I still smell fish.

[The scout]

maybe I'm just picky, I have smoked thousands of pound of salmon, did a big batch after a 3 day trip to Westport, with fresh kings 25 in my smoke house I use a dry brine. mostly do fresh but sometimes will freeze it to get enough for a batch, its always kings

[The Weazle]

I have noticed in my Bradley that fish will leave a little scent.  I use a dry brine, let the fish dry out before smoking, and don't use any water in the pan, and leave the vent wide open, so it really reduces the moisture, and makes more salmon jerky, or candy, then smoked salmon.  Then when I am done, while everything is still warm, I wipe the smoker out really good with a vinegar soaked rag.  Then I crank up the heat as high as it will go and do one 20 minute smoke once it reaches temperature to re-cure the smoker.  No more problems.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Get some orange citrus based food grade degreaser to clean your metal smokers, that's what I used on my master built  . But I gifted it to lokidog for a fish smoker, now it's his problem. 

[The Weazle]

Get some orange citrus based food grade degreaser to clean your metal smokers, that's what I used on my master built  . But I gifted it to lokidog for a fish smoker, now it's his problem. 

Nice!

[Jonathan_S]

I have two smokers.  I have an old Little Chief that I use for fish and a MasterBuilt (sic?) for everything else.

[Commando]

Yep! I have had a little chief that I have always done my salmon, nothing else goes in it. Just got a smoker for Christmas that's gonna be for everything else.

[Jason]

I have two smokers.  I have an old Little Chief that I use for fish and a MasterBuilt (sic?) for everything else.

  Same for me, all fish get smoked in the little chief, all the rest in the masterbuilt.

[Alchase]

I use a drip pan in my Bradley, not much fish smell once the drip pan is cleaned

[NRA4LIFE]

Never been a problem here.  I have smoked probably 500 lbs in mine and there has never been a fish stank.  Just smoked 10 lbs of bacon and 10 lbs of hams and they were awesome. 

[runamuk]

I have noticed in my Bradley that fish will leave a little scent.  I use a dry brine, let the fish dry out before smoking, and don't use any water in the pan, and leave the vent wide open, so it really reduces the moisture, and makes more salmon jerky, or candy, then smoked salmon.  Then when I am done, while everything is still warm, I wipe the smoker out really good with a vinegar soaked rag.  Then I crank up the heat as high as it will go and do one 20 minute smoke once it reaches temperature to re-cure the smoker.  No more problems.

Can you PM me and elaborate on how you do this times, temps etc.  I love salmon candy apparently and most of the smoked fish I have had was not smoked that way.  I really don't like paying $17 lb on the occasions they have candy at the fish counter.  I have a little smoker at my disposal so would love to experiment.  Amd if you dont want to share your trade secrets thats also cool 

[Jonathan_S]

Salmon candy is good stuff 

[lokidog]

I have two smokers.  I have an old Little Chief that I use for fish and a MasterBuilt (sic?) for everything else.

Same for me, but only because the Little Chief stays cooler than my propane one.  I've used the same LC for almost 25 years and don't smell any fishiness in it.   

[The Weazle]

I have two smokers.  I have an old Little Chief that I use for fish and a MasterBuilt (sic?) for everything else.

Same for me, but only because the Little Chief stays cooler than my propane one.  I've used the same LC for almost 25 years and don't smell any fishiness in it.   

I wonder if that is because the little chief is so "open", it doesn't retain moisture?

[lokidog]

Seems to retain plenty of smoke residue. Maybe the OP tried smoking some past prime Chums?      

[The Weazle]

Seems to retain plenty of smoke residue. Maybe the OP tried smoking some past prime Chums?      

I've seen people retain chums up river on the Skagit that should have been fertilizer, for smoking...

[jeepster]

My smoker smells like a smoker.

I have a Bradley and I smoke a few dozen fish a year, and use it for doing meats the rest... The way I had it explained to me, a smoker is like a cast iron pan, the favors just kind of build up in it, they get seasoned. I clean the big chunks out, keep my racks clean, use a drip pan, and what not, but when I'm done smoking, I usually just unplug it and proceed with eating whatever I smoked.

If it smells funny, I'd smoke something else and if it tastes funny, Then you have an issue

[jasnt]

We do everything in our smokehallow smoker (propane). After doing fish we crank it up to 500ish for an hour or so. No fish smell after that

[j_h_nimrod]

I wonder if you are not getting a strong pellicle on your meat or are having lots of dripping or something to funk up your smoker.  Maybe your fish drippings are getting in your chips and you are getting that burned fish funk?

 I primarily smoke fish but have smoked everything from jerky to cheese to tomatoes to peppers in the same smoker and never had more than a slight fish smell in the smoker, and never on my other products.

I would think that even if the smoker smells like fish it should not impart a fishyness to whatever else you are smoking. Once your pellicle forms the smoke is mostly a surface deposition. As long as you are not using fish chips for your smoke there shouldn't be a fishy flavor/essence in whatever else you are smoking.

[Alchase]

I have noticed in my Bradley that fish will leave a little scent.  I use a dry brine, let the fish dry out before smoking, and don't use any water in the pan, and leave the vent wide open, so it really reduces the moisture, and makes more salmon jerky, or candy, then smoked salmon.  Then when I am done, while everything is still warm, I wipe the smoker out really good with a vinegar soaked rag.  Then I crank up the heat as high as it will go and do one 20 minute smoke once it reaches temperature to re-cure the smoker.  No more problems.

Can you PM me and elaborate on how you do this times, temps etc.  I love salmon candy apparently and most of the smoked fish I have had was not smoked that way.  I really don't like paying $17 lb on the occasions they have candy at the fish counter.  I have a little smoker at my disposal so would love to experiment.  Amd if you dont want to share your trade secrets thats also cool 

Run, when I make sqaw candy, i do not brine just lay out and dry your salmon then cover salmon completely with brown sugar, and place in fridge over night. The sugar will cure the salmon. You can tell by touch. Then place in smoker for a couple of hours.
Smoke time is smoker dependant, but you do not need a lot of heat. The salmon is basically cooked by the brown sugar.
Might take a couple attempts to find the smoke length you like, mine comes out perfect in about two hours in the Bradley.
Good luck

[The Weazle]

I have noticed in my Bradley that fish will leave a little scent.  I use a dry brine, let the fish dry out before smoking, and don't use any water in the pan, and leave the vent wide open, so it really reduces the moisture, and makes more salmon jerky, or candy, then smoked salmon.  Then when I am done, while everything is still warm, I wipe the smoker out really good with a vinegar soaked rag.  Then I crank up the heat as high as it will go and do one 20 minute smoke once it reaches temperature to re-cure the smoker.  No more problems.

Can you PM me and elaborate on how you do this times, temps etc.  I love salmon candy apparently and most of the smoked fish I have had was not smoked that way.  I really don't like paying $17 lb on the occasions they have candy at the fish counter.  I have a little smoker at my disposal so would love to experiment.  Amd if you dont want to share your trade secrets thats also cool 

Run, when I make sqaw candy, i do not brine just lay out and dry your salmon then cover salmon completely with brown sugar, and place in fridge over night. The sugar will cure the salmon. You can tell by touch. Then place in smoker for a couple of hours.
Smoke time is smoker dependant, but you do not need a lot of heat. The salmon is basically cooked by the brown sugar.
Might take a couple attempts to find the smoke length you like, mine comes out perfect in about two hours in the Bradley.
Good luck

Using sugar to cover your fish overnight is dry brining it.  I use three cups of dark brown sugar to one cup of salt.

[Alchase]

Ya that,
I should have said "I don't wet brine" when making squaw candy.

[jbauch357]

I wonder if you are not getting a strong pellicle on your meat or are having lots of dripping or something to funk up your smoker.  Maybe your fish drippings are getting in your chips and you are getting that burned fish funk?

 I primarily smoke fish but have smoked everything from jerky to cheese to tomatoes to peppers in the same smoker and never had more than a slight fish smell in the smoker, and never on my other products.

I would think that even if the smoker smells like fish it should not impart a fishyness to whatever else you are smoking. Once your pellicle forms the smoke is mostly a surface deposition. As long as you are not using fish chips for your smoke there shouldn't be a fishy flavor/essence in whatever else you are smoking.

I have to agree with this response specifically.  With a wet brine (I like the consistency and flavor more than dry brine, it is also actually a lot cleaner in the long run) I'll give my fish at least 2hrs on racks in front of a fan in the sun to form a pellicle before I toss them in the smoker.  Keep the heat under 150 degrees and you won't cook out any albumin and won't leave any fish smell in the smoker.

[Alchase]

 

If you are seeing albumin, you are cooking not smoking.
Keep the inside temp below 150.
Some like to do a step up process where they start the first hour at 110, then 2nd hour 120, 3rd hour to 140.
I find 120 is about perfect, then just adjust time on smoke, to taste.

[NRA4LIFE]

http://honest-food.net/2012/08/12/how-to-smoke-salmon-recipe/

Follow this guy's instructions and you will never have the albumin cook out.  Developing the pellicle is key.  I use a fan for 2-3 hours prior to smoking.

[Thefisherman83]

I smoke everything in my smoker, never had any cross contamination.  I do a lot of cheese and it has never come out tasting like fish. 

Pic to make people hungry.

[TommyH]

I smoke everything in my smoker, never had any cross contamination.  I do a lot of cheese and it has never come out tasting like fish. 

Pic to make people hungry.

That looks verrry good! What was your process ? I want to be able to replicate that!!!

My old smoker (dad made in high school-OLD) does have a fish smell from the last batch I did in it...? I’ll clean it an only do fish in it and all other meat on the masterbuild.