First smoke unsuccessful .....help please

[j 2the w]

I tried smoking salmon yesterday on my kamado. I started by using the minion method, but had trouble controlling the heat. It started off fine and I had the heat at about 100 for 45 min then it kept creeping up. I had the dampers both pretty much all the way choked and could not bring the heat below 160. The salmon had the white stuff all over it by 2 1/2 hours. If someone can give me a tip on how to control the heat or know what I did wrong, I would greatly appreciate some advice.

Thanks,
James

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Thew white stuff is the fat rendering out of the salmon. With that type of smoker it is going to be hard to get the temps to maintain that low for smoking salmon. It will work great though for hotter smokes.

 

[cmayna]

Yup, sounds well over cooked.  Hopefully other Kamando owners will chime in with suggestions.  Depending on how much fish you plan to smoke in the future, maybe you should consider a dedicated electric smoker.

 

[chef jimmyj]

I don't have one of those grills but Salmon doesn't take that long. Instead of the minion method try just adding a few hot coals as needed. Try a trial run maybe 5 lit Briquettes and see what temp you get and how long they last...JJ

 

[daveomak]

James, morning..... Yep, overcooked....   Pull the fish at the FIRST sign of fat oozing to the surface or just before that, if possible.... (That is very hard to determine I would like to add)....   IT will be around 135-140 when the fat starts oozing... 

Sounds like the Kamado needs some gaskets to stop the air leaks....  Properly sealed up, the fire should go out with the air intakes closed and good temp control should be fairly easy....  even the smallest air leak will cause temps to rise...  Do a search for BGE or Kamado gasket mods...   I have seen where folks do use gaskets on them....   

Dave

 

[themule69]

All of the above is correct. I have a BGE. Make sure the top is seated good to the bottom. You may have to adjust the hinge.

 

[j 2the w]

Thank you everyone, I am a rookie and appreciate your help