Hello from Ottawa, Ontario

[Skyhawk]

G'day to ya'll.  Got my 4 rack digital Bradley just yesterday at Canadian Tire.  I'm not completely new to smoking, because I'm originally from Nova Scotia where as a teenager I helped my uncle cold smoke cod, halibut, and Atlantic salmon in a large wooden smokehouse. He was an inshore commercial fisherman before the collapse of the east coast fishery.  Anyway, then I left for university, and smoking from then on was left as an artifact of my past... although I always thought of it from time to time.  But from studies, workin', my sport, getting married, raising kids... you know what I mean.

Fast forward 30 years!

I really missed my childhood comfort food - smoked cod in a white sauce poured over boiled potatoes!  (You'd have to be a bluenoser to understand.)  Smoked cod is made of unobtainium in Ontario, so it was a major motivator to get me into smoking.   Plus I've lately been making my own wine, salami, sausages, growing food in the garden - obviously getting a smoker was the next obvious step.  So I've been lurking around on various sites on the Internet and finally decided on the Bradley.  I "seasoned" it this morning, and now have four racks filled with cheese, salmon (using the 2 step cure process) and lightly salted cod!  Yes cod... OMG!  It's also the coldest day of the year so far (like -20 C here) so keeping the temperature of the cold smoke at room level or cooler isn't a problem.   The grocery store had a sale on whole fresh pork legs a week ago, so I also have a ham brining that will be ready to smoke next weekend.

Canadian Tire gave me a great deal on the digital Bradley.  At first I was going to buy the non-digital 4 rack one.  But the sales went to the warehousing area upstairs and brought down the digital by mistake.  The non-digital was on sale for $311 at another store and they said they would price match it.  When they realized they brought the wrong one down, they said "the heck with it, we don't want to put it back up there!) so they offered it to me for $389.  I took it and ran!  ;)

[Jim O]

Welcome aboard Skyhawk ! Unless you're planning on cold smoking the salmon and cod,keep in mind that the cheese smoking process doesn't use heat,only the heat generated from the SG,unless you have a cold smoker box.

If I'm telling you something you already know-sorry 'bout that !!

Good luck on your first (Bradley) smoke !

Jim O

[beefmann]

welcome aboard and it  sounds like your on your way

[Quarlow]

Oh good you took my advice. Glad to have another canuck here. Sweet deal on the DBS (digital Bradley Smoker). I have the OBS (Original Bradley Smoker) and love it. You can just let your imagination run wild here cause these guys and gals will smoke anything that ain't moving and if it is they will kill it first then smoke it. If you have any questions at all just ask, don't worry if it has been asked you will still get an answer and there are no dumb questions here either. Don't forget to check out the recipe site. Someone will post a link to it soon for you I am sure. I don't ...oh maybe I do have it, just a second. Yup here it is. Lots of good recipes here and other info how do fix things and what abreviations mean.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/index.php?s=c71a840a58a782b6d7cae6165f48cc85

[Skyhawk]

Thanks guys!  Well just to update, my smoke went fairly well today.  The temp never got above 22 C, even with the top vent partially closed.  The digital thermometer built into the Bradley thingy said it was only 50-something Fahrenheit the whole time.  Hmmm... my probe thermometer @ 70 F versus Bradley's build-in @ 54 F?  Who to believe?

Anyway, I cold smoked for 3 hours with the ambient temperature outside around -20 C (-4 F).  The cheese looks really good.   It was cut up in 1 1/2"to 2" thick slabs, so I'll keep that vacuum packed for at least a month before I try it.  I'm keeping it in the cold storage where I keep my salami and stuff.  The salmon on the other hand is a bit too salty and a bit too smoked.  To be honest, I decided for my first try I wouldn't use the good stuff.  This is practice.  The salmon was just ol' lil' pink salmon frozen thin fillets (Highliner brand!).  You know the kind.  I'll keep it packed in the fridge for a day or two and see if it mellows.  Considering I pay $10 for 120 grams of good quality smoked sockeye or coho at the store, I figure I can break down and pay $22 bucks a kilo for good quality fresh salmon for smoking!  ::)

The cod came out yellowish, just slightly translucent, and lovely smelling - just like I remember it.  You can't over smoke cod really.  It's for cooking into a white sauce after all.  The potatoes are boiling as I type!  ;D

[mikecorn.1]

Welcome aboard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ghost9mm]

Hello and welcome to a really great forum,

[Quarlow]

Hey glad it worked out. And pinks being thinner will get salty easy. Just cut back on the salt a bit. let them mellow for a day or so. Don't even look at the door thermo. Just get a good Maverick or whatever you choose( most here like the Maverick ET-732 daul probe) and go with what it says. The cheese if vac sealed will last a long time in the back of the fridge. And one month is minimum to age. NePaSmoker keeps his as long as 12 months that way and it is still good.
And your cod and potato thing sounds great even if it is an east coast thing or not. You can Screech me and feed me a ton of that dish. LOL

[Smokeville]

Hi Skyhawk!

You got me hungry talking about your smoked cod in a white sauce...... I've cold smoked a lot of haddock for Finnan Haddie.

Check out this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUgcebo7Zus&feature=youtu.be

It would work equally well with cod!

Regards,
Rich (Oakville)

[lumpy]

Welcome to the forum......eh!

To all the members living in ON. keep your eyes open for a summer smokeout!

Lumpy

[jiggerjams]

Welcome Skyhawk,

You are in a good place here. Good people, help and pics too!!

Cheers,
JJ

[Smoke some]

Welcome aboard Skyhawk

[Quarlow]

Welcome to the forum......eh!

To all the members living in ON. keep your eyes open for a summer smokeout!

Lumpy

Hey I got a buddy in Ottawa. I might have to visit him this year  ;) ;) if you get my drift.

[slowpoke]

Welcome, skyhawk,If Gran is still with us,might ask her what wood he used to smoke the cod.If your grandad, smoked the fish for the full day or so,could be cold smoked.Hotter the smoke less time smoking.I'm  thinking cold.Most Scotianers cold smoke fish,for the flavor.Good smoking.

[Skyhawk]

Welcome, skyhawk,If Gran is still with us,might ask her what wood he used to smoke the cod.If your grandad, smoked the fish for the full day or so,could be cold smoked.Hotter the smoke less time smoking.I'm  thinking cold.Most Scotianers cold smoke fish,for the flavor.Good smoking.

Yup definitely cold smoked because heat would have burned down the (mostly) wooden smoke house  :P  ;D

Since this was close to Annapolis valley but up on North Mountain, my guess is that he was smoking with apple or some other fruit wood.