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Tue 19 Jul, 2011 01:04 pm
We just bought a nice, new, electric smoker. You set the temperature and the time, put your food, water and wood in, stick the meat thermometer in it and walk away.
Every single thing I've cooked in it has cooked too fast -- the thermometer reads that things are ready hours before it should be so I'm not getting that nice smokey flavor I'm after.
Today I'm smoking some salmon. I spent the last 27 hours getting the salmon cured and ready to cook. It's been in the smoker for only a little more than an hour at 150 degrees (the recipe calls for 5 hours at 150) and the salmon has nearly reached the finished temperature.
Help! What in the world am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
@boomerang,
you are too hot...
is there an external thermometer that tells you how hot the chamber is?
@Rockhead,
Yes. It has one on the top and one for your pocket. I put my oven thermometer in there to double check and the temp is right on.
@boomerang,
How's your meat size? (hee hee hee)
I'm guessing you're getting expectations from a recipe of some sort -- are your cuts too small?
@boomerang,
What's the finished temperature you're looking for?
@boomerang,
hmmm.
all my experience is with wood and coals.
I'd still try reducing the heat and see what happens, but then I don't ever have 27 hours to get salmon ready.
mine takes 5 minutes, so I'm not out much...
@boomerang,
Reposting as a reply to boomer instead of RH:
If the finished temperature you're looking for is the same as the smoking temperature then it's never going to get hotter than that, it will simply get "smokier" the longer you leave it in the smoker.
@JPB,
and dryer...
are you basting with anything, Boom?
I like apple juice
The salmon recipe only says "two large fillets". I bought a 6 pound salmon. After cutting of the tail and deboning it probably weighted about 5.5 pounds.
And a chicken or a rack of ribs is pretty standard in size so I don't think it's that I'm using too small of cuts of meat.
For the salmon I'm looking at a finished temp of 150.
If I reduce the heat beyond 150 I don't get much smoke.
The smoker does have a water pan that sits right above the smoke box so I'm not worried about basting.
I'm going to try messing around with the vent a bit......
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