SMOKIN-IT SMOKER

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My experience is "1" Turkey breast so bear that in mind. On that smoke the skin was not very appealing and was discarded. I'm having a senior moment so I can't really give a good description but as I recall it was still yellowish and dry but not crispy..  I have read that some stick it in an oven at 350 to make the skin crispy...

No offense taken.. :)
 
I sprung for the Auber PID since my model 3 took almost 6 hours to cook 3 racks of baby back ribs while set at 250 :( oh well the Auber should serve me well. I don't have a problem with temp other than the constant swings when I smoke something small but I want to be able to fully load this beast and the pid will allow me to do that with great efficiency. I made a small bird last night and it is pretty yummy.
 
 
What kind of fish do you smoke, thickness, temp, kinds of wood, etc?  
 801,

I live in S. Florida so Kingfish is readily available and one of my favorites. Kingfish is part of the mackerel family and is oily and stands up to smoking.

Here's how I prepare it. First, I use a steak that is at least 1 inch thick, preferably even more. I use a very simple brine. Per quart of water use 2 rounded tablespoons of sea salt, and 1 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder. Let it stand for 5 minutes so everything gets dissolved and use it as a brine for the fish. Either put in in a glass dish, or even better a plastic bag and let it marinate for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

When you're ready to smoke it, take it from the brine and rinse it briefly in fresh water, then dry it with a paper towel. I coat the steak with a thin coating of EVO and a simple rub, applied SPARINGLY, of kosher salt and pepper. I use 2 medium chunks of maple as my wood and substitute hickory when I can't find maple. I put the cold plate in the SI #2 with the drip pan on top of it filled to the brim with ice cubes.

Set the Auber PID to come on at 200° for 18 minutes (.3 setting) which is enough to ignite the wood. Turn off the heat and just let the smoke permeate the cold fish for about 20-25 minutes. Then, turn the heat back on for .2 (12 minutes) to reignite the wood, shut the heat off for another 20-25 minutes. Open the smoker and remove the cold plate and drip pan, close it back up and raise the temperature to 225° and cook the Kingfish until it's internal temperature is 140°.

Remove the fish from the smoker and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the skin and flake and debone the fish into a bowl. I then add a stick or two of finely chopped celery and about 2 tablespoons of well chopped red onion. Add 1/3 cup of Hellman's Mayonaise (adjust the mayo for how moist you want the fish salad) and mix well. You should NOT need any additional salt or seasoning, but certainly taste and correct any seasoning you think it may need. In my experience it has plenty of taste without any additional salt or pepper. Put it back in the refrigerator for storage. In a good container it will last at least two weeks. (The salt acts as a preservative.)

Good luck, and enjoy!
 
Sounds great Boca boy. Thanks for sharing. Have you used this method on other fish like mullet? Others?
 
No offense at the suggestion, but doesnt your skin get crispy anyhow with the bark?
Hey jond,  I've smoked chickens both analog and digital.  If you are limited to 250 degrees (analog), you'll have skin that is done and brown, but it's not crispy.  It's kind of chewy.  With a unit that has an Auber, with the stock controller bypassed, you can go above the 250 limit.  Running it up to 325, toward the end, will leave you more of a "roasted" chicken skin; dark and crispy! 
 
Quick bit of news;  SI now has a lower wattage/priced Auber  controller for the model 1 and 2 smokers.  That should help out those with the smaller smokers yearning for crispy skin.
 
1stlink, IMHO mullet is too dry for smoking. I am a bit mystified as to why so many people like it. I have tried Bluefish and Mackerel and both are excellent alternatives to Kingfish, but harder to find in Florida. I also smoked Chilean Sea Bass, and it was amazing. It has the texture of Sablefish when it's smoked, but it is so-o expensive (and overfished) that I don't do it except on very special occasions. Like my birthday, coming up in April!!
 
(sorry shoulda gave a quote. Did not realize this thread was so long..was trying to reply to a guy about a smoker. Quoting is our friend)

Never heard of it but yall have made me want one real bad. I was sorta eyeing the future for a januine Smokin Tex..but looks like this gizmo could save a person some bucks. Yall keep giving it compliments I will have to get the Warden to have santa add it to his list. Thanks and welcome over here.
 
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(sorry shoulda gave a quote. Did not realize this thread was so long..was trying to reply to a guy about a smoker. Quoting is our friend)

Never heard of it but yall have made me want one real bad. I was sorta eyeing the future for a januine Smokin Tex..but looks like this gizmo could save a person some bucks. Yall keep giving it compliments I will have to get the Warden to have santa add it to his list. Thanks and welcome over here.
You should be able to upgrade to a bigger size and/or get a lot of accessories like a PID, extra shelves, etc for the money you will save. I have a SI #3 and I love it.
 
Thanks for the comeback Bocaboy. I saved your original post for future smoking of kings hopefully.. :grilling_smilie:
 
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Just made my PID. Easy as pie and works flawlessly. The only option that doesnt work is that it runs on Celsius.

If someone can tell me how to post pics i will.
 
Jond36. Just above the reply box are. 4 buttons. The 3rd one is for adding pictures. I'd be very interested in your pic's as well as a how to for dummy's on your "easy as pie" build.

Thanks in Advance.

JD
 
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Yes, it is a knockoff of the Smokin Tex, which is itself a knockoff of the Cookshack smoker. Each one gets cheaper as you get farther from the original.
 
Well guess I best go brush up on the aconyms around here but a PID is way over my pay grade. What do it do?  If it has anything to do with compooters and cell phones I aint interested. Hey now did go check out the recommended model. Looked good at a distance till they showed a person in the pic fixing to stick a rack of ribs in it. That 300 buck version is mighty small. Think my Shitzu would be a tight fit. And they did not seem eager to show any more reasonable sized variants. Ok..swinging back to the Smokin Tex.  Thanks.
 

Here is a rear view of the wiring. Just slice the positive and negative in an extension cord. Leave the ground wire alone (green wire).
 
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