Wood for smoking

[VSS]

I prefer to use wood chips rather than sawdust.

 

[Alantoo]

You must have a bit of dried oak somewhere (old gatepost) run the saw across it for dust and down the grain for shavings.

Willowbank.

Just don't use the chain saw though. Oil smoked salmon doesn't sound so appetising.

Alan

 

[Chris J]

In and doing nicely! That's Christmas lunch starter taken care of.

 

[Oldstalker]

Having run a Fish, Game and Poultry business for a few years where we smoked all sorts, both hot and cold, I would strongly advise against mixing woods as it tends to a more bitter taste. As many have said above hardwood is better, but try not to mix species of wood. We were fortunate in having a sawmill locally to where I lived where they processed both hard and softwoods in separate bits of the mill so we were able to get huge quantities of hardwood sawdust and also lots of softwood shavings to put underneath the dampened sawdust. I hope you all enjoy.

 

[User00035]

Where are you in the South West?
I have plenty of oak dust

Mid Dorset. Cheers.

 

[User00035]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm having doubts about the birch I've got. I'm not sure it's seasoned enough. If it isn't, and birch tending to be tarry anyway, I could end up with fishy slab of coal tar soap.
I'll have a root around and see what else I've got, otherwise it might be tea and rice.

I've got stacks of plywood, MDF and some yew... I am joking

 

[Sampo]

I tend to use soft wood such as Apple or Cherry for fish as hardwood in my view are better suited for red meat. I soak the wood chips in water for about 5 mins before placing in the smoker, which provides a smoky but not too intense flavour.

 

[willowbank]

Just don't use the chain saw though. Oil smoked salmon doesn't sound so appetising.

Alan

Run the chain on cod liver oil

WB

 

[Norfolk Horn]

I tend to use soft wood such as Apple or Cherry for fish as hardwood in my view are better suited for red meat. I soak the wood chips in water for about 5 mins before placing in the smoker, which provides a smoky but not too intense flavour.

A friend of mine smokes his trout with apple wood and keeps thin discs to soak and put on his barbeque for a better smokey flavour

 

[gerarddwatts]

You'd be better off making gravadlax...

How to make the perfect gravadlax

Felicity Cloake: Would you cure your own salmon, are dill and Dijon mandatory, and which other healthy yet delicious foods are getting you through the dark days of January?

www.theguardian.com

 

[User00035]

I'm halfway there. The fillets are already in the brine. I'm going to use a bit of the birch but with some tea and rice for smoking. I'll tell you want's in the cure if it works....

I'm greatly enjoying learning about all this though. I could definitely get into smoking. I need a cold smoker....

 

[Ade8mm]

Just a quick safety tip: Don't use sawdust created by a chainsaw - it contains chain oil.

(May sound obvious but I nearly fell for it when a neighbour gave me some lovely oak sawdust for my smoker. Fortunately I asked him where he got it)

 

[mereside]

I like fruit woods for smoking and cooking with apple and cherry are great for fish and poultry

 

[User00035]

Well it didn't work too well. Very strong and acrid like it was cooked on a camp fire. I abandoned the birch as soon as I started scorching it. Had too much of an antiseptic smell. I think it was too green.
I stuck with tea and rice but controlling the amount of smoke and heat was difficult on the stove top.

I've got the bug though. Definitely want to build a cold smoker.
On the plus side, the cure was really nice. I used salt and sugar with lemon zest, ginger, pepper, mace and a touch of juniper. Still got three big slabs left.
Happy festive cooking.

 

[levigsp]

I tend to use soft wood such as Apple or Cherry for fish as hardwood in my view are better suited for red meat. I soak the wood chips in water for about 5 mins before placing in the smoker, which provides a smoky but not too intense flavour.

apple and cherry are hard woods in every definition. softwoods are trees with needles and not leaves. all fruitwoods are great for fish as is oak. for meat alder and beech and fruitwoods are best.

 

[Sampo]

apple and cherry are hard woods in every definition. softwoods are trees with needles and not leaves. all fruitwoods are great for fish as is oak. for meat alder and beech and fruitwoods are best.

Thanks, learnt something new. Thought they were soft.

 

[Overlay]

I’ve just done a little cold smoke using apple wood, prunings of off one of my fruit trees and letting it dry out, broke it up into very small bits and we have now got some delicious tasting home caught de - boned rainbow trout fillets for a light lunch today, amount has reduced unfortunately during the smoking period due to having to repeatedly checking the smoking against product quality someone had to do it.

nice light Smokey taste

I used my little mobile Weber BBQ out of the caravan with a home made steel tray in the bottom and rack works a treat & so easy to use for a little smoke

 

[Griggo06]

This is all useful I am in the process of setting up a cold smoker

 

[Norfolk Horn]

My mates set up for trout is a old wood burner beside a low wall which he has a length of drainage pipe laying on the top of. He then puts his fish on the grill rackes out of old cookers and places them in the opposite end to the burner. By the time the smoke has made it way along the pipe its quiet cool.
His fish is delicious.

 

[User00035]

This is all useful I am in the process of setting up a cold smoker

Google Search

Looking at these, I'd like to build a small walk-in smoke house. Structurally very simple.