Smoking meats and fish

[Mike N]

I'm on my second smoker from Cabela's, this one with a glass door so my buddies stop opening it to "make sure everything is going ok."

I really like smoking fresh kielbasa. I tie it with butcher's string and hang it from the top rack. When it cools it makes a great snack to take along on a hunt or fishing trip. I smoke almost all the Brooke Trout we catch in the spring. My wife makes a great smoked fish pate to eat with crackers.

I also smoked the pheasants my sons and I shot this fall. I brined them over night in ice water/sugar/salt in a plastic container in the fridge. I make about three cuts and stuff the birds with red chili peppers I grow every year. The chili's get smoky and crispy and are a real treat. The last 15 minutes, I coat the pheasant with Log Cabin maple syrup.

My next project is a cold smoker for cheeses and vegetables. The key is to run the pipe from the fire to the smoker underground to cool the smoke so it doesn't melt the cheese or overcook the vegetables.

Any one else in ORCA use a smoker?

[Brian F.]

Smoked fish pate sounds really good. Some favorites for the smoker here are wild boar, venison and marlin but I'm sure just about everything we catch here makes their way in there too. People are pretty creative. I've also had chicken "smoked" in a weber grille with guava branches.

[Ron Mc]

venison flanks and backstrap



pork shoulder and Polish wedding sausage


chiles rellenos


though roasting corn in this spot works just as well