# Hello from Osaka, Japan



## lav25 (Aug 28, 2011)

HI all, new to the forum and completely new to smoking food.  I live in a 5th floor apartment with a very small balcony (about a meter deep!), so I'm reading as much as I can on indoor/small scale and cold smoking.  So far, I've twice smoked things in the oven in a disposable alder smoking bag (not so good), and in a couple of hours I'm going to try and stovetop smoke a couple of chicken breasts in a wok.  We'll see.

-val


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## africanmeat (Aug 28, 2011)




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## SmokinAl (Aug 28, 2011)

Glad to have you with us!


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## bigbob73 (Aug 28, 2011)

sounds like you have room for a small MES.  Welcome!


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## reents (Aug 28, 2011)

_If looking for a small smoker you might try making a flower pot smoker. Welcome_


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## chef willie (Aug 28, 2011)

Welcome to the SMF....you'll figure out a way....somebody on here has to have pics of a small rig that would work for you


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## bluebombersfan (Aug 28, 2011)




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## roller (Aug 28, 2011)

Welcome and there is always a way to do outside smokeing...the flower pot thing sounds good...


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## tyotrain (Aug 28, 2011)




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## doguitar (Aug 28, 2011)

Welcome to the group!

For your situation, a small electric smoker would work well.

This Little Chief is 27" tall by 12.5" wide by 12.5" deep.

Small but effective. Costs around $100USD.







Best of luck!


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## forluvofsmoke (Aug 28, 2011)

bigbob73 said:


> sounds like you have room for a small MES.  Welcome!


A viable option, if electrical service is the correct voltage...don't know if it's 110/120 VAC there or not.
 




REENTS said:


> _If looking for a small smoker you might try making a flower pot smoker. Welcome_


I was thinking that very thing, myself. Order a charcoal starter, cooking grate and charcoal grate online, if not available locally...clay pots are available almost anywhere. A micro/mini UDS would be another possibility, made from a tall stock pot or turkey fryer pot...thought about building one like that myself, but I rarely smoke that small of an amount of meat for a meal.

Don't know what the fire codes entail there regarding solid fuel fired cookers in/near multi-family dwellings...may not be feasible.
 

If an electric heat source were incorporated into the smoker, the above issue would go away.


LAV25 said:


> HI all, new to the forum and completely new to smoking food.  I live in a 5th floor apartment with a very small balcony (about a meter deep!), so I'm reading as much as I can on indoor/small scale and cold smoking.  So far, I've twice smoked things in the oven in a disposable alder smoking bag (not so good), and in a couple of hours I'm going to try and stovetop smoke a couple of chicken breasts in a wok.  We'll see.
> 
> -val


Welcome to the family, Val!

I have wondered about those smoking bags...not that I have a use for them, but now, I am even more sceptacle of them.
 

The wok could very well be a good set-up...small contact area with the heat source on the bottom where the smoke wood will be, while the cooking heat can be built up as needed, and the smoke wood moved partially up the sides to regulate the amount of smoke generation. I can see this working with some patience and a bit of trial and error.

Another option for hot smoking would be a metallic steamer basket to hold the food inside a covered pot, with the smoke wood on the bottom of the pot. If you can elevate the steamer basket far enough off the bottom of the pot, you could also place a small container of water for wet smoke. It would also need to be elevated off the bottom a bit so it doesn't boil, but this would add lots of humidity to keep everything moist. If the cover for the pot fits air-tight would cause a problem with stale smoke/bitter flavor, but a slightly loose fitting cover would do the trick.

Sounds like you're being creative in finding good options for the craft of smoking in your particular environment. Don't give up...you will be rewarded with great eats.

Interesting situation for sure...please, do let us know how the wok works out, and anything else you try.

Again, welcome, and enjoy the wealth of knowledge!

Eric

EDIT: the little-chief doguitar mentioned would be a very good option as well.


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## doguitar (Aug 28, 2011)

doguitar said:


> Welcome to the group!
> 
> For your situation, a small electric smoker would work well.
> 
> ...




I checked and Little Chief makes a 220V export model.


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## doguitar (Aug 28, 2011)

Or...... a Mini-Chief!

Also available in a 220V export model.


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## flash (Aug 28, 2011)

tyotrain said:


>




yep, these don't take alot of room. Good luck and welcome aboard.


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## venture (Aug 28, 2011)

Welcome aboard.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## lav25 (Aug 28, 2011)

Thanks for the welcome and all the suggestions!  Japan is on 100v AC, so pretty much everything from the US works.  I've had a couple problems with a sensored battery charger, but things that just require electricity to make heat will do just fine. 

The wok worked pretty well!  There's still room for improvement, but as a first effort, I'm pretty happy.

Details:

Wok with woodchips (cherry)  This is morning after, last night I did soak the chips in water for an hour or so.







a small screen:







a steamer plate to catch drips (the small screen may not have been necessary)







and a larger grill, to put the food on:







with a loose lid, on my little gas ring:







30 minutes of cooking, and two chicken breasts are done!







Things that went well:

I got smoked chicken out of it, and cherry tastes great with the chicken.  I only used salt and pepper beforehand as a sort of a control, I didn't want to confuse my impressions with rubs or marinades. 

Things that could have gone better:

I started off cooking on my main kitchen gas stove.  Unfortunately, it is "smart," and turns itself down to avoid getting the food too hot.  Like, hot enough to generate smoke.  I realized this when I wasn't seeing any smoke, thought I had burned through my woodchips, and opened it to find out they were mostly unburnt.  That's why I switched to the portable gas ring. 

The chicken was a little bit dry, 35 minutes could probably have been shortened to 20 or so, but since I; a)didn't know exactly what I was doing, and b) have had salmonella from chicken before, I went a little on the long side.  I know, cook to temp not time, but I didn't want to keep opening the lid.  Next time I'll have more smoke taste and juicier chicken, since I'll actually be able to control the heat, rather than having some engineer for Sharp decide it for me.

Anyway, back to my reading and studying, tons of good information here!

Thanks again all

-val


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## forluvofsmoke (Aug 29, 2011)

There ya go, Val...

Looks like it's coming together for you. First run is always a learning experience...well, really, even after a few years, you keep learning better ways and new tricks. Anyway, you're covering the basics pretty well, so with consecutive smokes, you will know more of what to expect and be able to decide the best course of action.

I know how you feel about salmonella...got sick from sliced deli turkey breast once about 13 years ago. Not my idea of a good time.

Have fun with the new addiction...er, uh...hobby? Ha-ha!!!

Eric


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## sqwib (Aug 30, 2011)

Or a DIY flower pot smoker, this will break down nicely for storage

DIY SMOKER LINK







BTW


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## brdprey (Aug 30, 2011)

WELCOME

our play ground your play ground. lots and lots of info here for you

as for your situation i remember some other member had a similar issue

about smoking he (if i remember right got an mes) but the days he smokes

he informs his neighbors about not calling the fire dept. but i would agree with

bigbob about the mes. i personally dislike the big cheif due to the heat retention

and the removeal of the door just not my game. i found the mes is great for small places and you get a better smoke.

but this is all my opinion. hope you get what you need, and you may have to talk to management about the smoker

assure them there is no open flame, they may not let you smoke on your balcony.

cheers  see you around


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## eman (Aug 30, 2011)

Chicken is one of the easiest things to dry out when smoking it.

 You might try laying a few strips of bacon on top of each piece to keep some fat on it.

 Will change your flaor profile a bit,but a lil bacon never hurt anyone.


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## forluvofsmoke (Aug 30, 2011)

eman said:


> _*Chicken is one of the easiest things to dry out when smoking it*_.
> 
> You might try laying a few strips of bacon on top of each piece to keep some fat on it.
> 
> Will change your flaor profile a bit,but a lil bacon never hurt anyone.


True, very true...pork chops being a close second on the list, IMO.

To go along with the rest, I would also add that internal temps are everything with lean meats such as chicken breast, pork loin and the various lean cuts of beef, so probe if at all possible. Looks are only a small part of the picture.

Some other aids for moisture retention are added smoke chamber humidity, and slightly reduced smoke chamber temps (200-210*) for smaller cuts. The reduction in chamber temp slows the internal temp climb rate, which in turn can reduce moisture loss due to steam-off, plus, give you more time to react to internal temp readings. The higher the chamber temp, the faster the internal temp rise, the less time you have to get things moving, the more chance you have to over-cook by not catching temps on time, etc, etc...you get the point.

If skin-on bird is your thing, fine, but it's not necessary for moisture retention. I smoke skinless whole birds, quarters, brests, thighs...everything but the wings themselves...cook to minimum recommended (165* breast), but I like to go to 170* in bone-in thighs...never had dried out chix with skinless if I keep internal temps in check.

Pork chops are another story...usually too thin for my probes to work accurately, so I go by the amount and color of pooling juices on the top and a cut into the meat to determine color...not the best, but never had issues (USDA inspected meats only), and don't have a better way at this point.

Eric


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