little chief smoker help

[gasman]

Well i put it up on some bricks and created a windblock for it.

I started the smoking today at 8:30am so im hoping it will be done at a reasonable hour. Just will be hard to judge since this is my first time doing it.

I can see fairly quickly that my smoker is not going to be as pretty as it once was after today

What you smoking 

[road.kill]

duck jerky and it is just about done!

I started at 8:30, and ran 3 pans of chips about an hour each

I tried a piece and its edible and has a jerky like consistency so I think its done. I dont want to overcook it but now Im at the point where im wondering whether i should pull it out or let it go a few minutes longer. decisions decisions...

[klickman]

It looks like I'm a little late but for you next batch of smoking I would suggest using Blue board to insulate the smoker.  I have smoked fish at 10 below before without any problem.  I like to have a lot of smoke so as soon as the smoke starts to die down I put a fresh batch of chips in. 

Klickman

[road.kill]

Okay i might try that blue board idea. I had a garbage can with holes poked in it and it seemed to work pretty good.

So you replace your chips as soon as it stops smoking?

When i was changing pans I couldnt tell if i had used them all up or not, is a good clue when it stops emitting smoke?   When i changed them they still looked like chips but they were all black (no smoke was coming out), but i didnt know if you are supposed to let the chips get all the way down to a powdery ash before you switch out pans?

[klickman]

As soon as it starts to stop smoking change them out.  I like to have a lot of smoke in the smoker at all times.  If the pan isn't smoking its time to change.  Very rarely do I burn the chips down to powder ash.  CHips are cheap just keep them coming.

KLICKMAN

[GregU]

I also have a little cheif smokerbut every time ive smoked meats in it they have a matalic taste. I use chips but not chunks and I just put the meat on the smoker. Can someone tell me if im doing somthing wrong or if there is a way to get ride of the matalic taste? Should i use a brine?

[ICEMAN]

The brine is what is mostly preserving the meat. The smoker isnt really fully cooking things. It is a mix of the two.  You really should do both, brine, then smoke.

[klickman]