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