new from Newfounland

[BruceG1964]

Iv had my smoker for a while now and have cold smoked some salmon and just smoked some sausage last night. For some reason the food has a strong burnt aroma almost acrid . Is this because I didnt dump the pan enough ? thank you

[TedEbear]

What flavor smoke are you using and how long are you smoking it?  Certain flavors, such as hickory and mesquite, have a stronger flavor than others.  Also, if you don't have the top vent at least halfway open it can lead to bad tasting foods.

[Salmonsmoker]

If your spent puck pan ran dry, the pucks will continue to smoulder. That would be a source of harsh smoke. If your vent isn't open far enough it's possible that could also contribute. My vent is always fully open. A third thought, are you mis-matching the wood type with the type of meat your smoking?

[BruceG1964]

Thanks for the help guys .Ive been using maple but Ive been keeping the vent nearly closed I guess thats likely causing the problem. Also the pan is quite small and the pucks pile up and keep smoldering ill put a larger pan in there and tend to it more frequently.thanks again

[RedJada]

 Keep the vent wide open. You can also get a larger foil pan to catch the pucks. In most cases, smoking for 2-3 hours is enough. Any more than that, the meat cant soak it in. But it all comes to personal preference.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi BruceG1964;

Welcome to the forum.

I'm one that will adjust the vent, but rarely will use the nearly closed position. I'll have the vent fully open during the drying stage. After the drying period I will close the vent to 1/2 to 3/4 open.

Applying too much smoke will also give you an acrid taste. How much smoke are you applying?

[Saber 4]

Welcome from Texas, everyone has given you good advice to think about as you plan your next smoke.

[BruceG1964]

Thank you for all the good advice.im planning to try some salmon again tomorrow with vent open fully and maybe a bigger tin foil pan to catch pucks.

[TedEbear]

Again, how long are you applying smoke?  You don't need to apply smoke for the entire cooking time.

[Saber 4]

Thank you for all the good advice.im planning to try some salmon again tomorrow with vent open fully and maybe a bigger tin foil pan to catch pucks.

If you fill the standard bowl almost to the top with boiling water it will hold the 6-9 pucks for a 2-3 hour smoke with no problem, then you can replace it with a 9 x 13 disposable cake pan with boiling water for the rest of your smoke, not sure how much water you want for fish though, I would defer to the fish experts on that.

[BruceG1964]

Well I smoked some more salmon today this time with the vent wide open . I used maple and didnt use the cold smoke adapter whereas its a few degrees below freezing and windy.I smoked it for 2 hours. It was a great success and im pleased that the burnt taste is gone just the nice mellow smoky taste..thanks for everyones help

[Saber 4]

Glad everything worked out for you, it only get's better as you get to know what works for you.

[Smoker John]

Welcome aboard, looks like you received some great info/help

[BoxcarBetts]

If you fill the standard bowl almost to the top with boiling water it will hold the 6-9 pucks for a 2-3 hour smoke with no problem, then you can replace it with a 9 x 13 disposable cake pan with boiling water for the rest of your smoke, not sure how much water you want for fish though, I would defer to the fish experts on that.

What's the purpose of changing to a bigger pan after 2-3 hours? Is it to keep extra water in after the smoke cycle to add humidity?

[tskeeter]

If you fill the standard bowl almost to the top with boiling water it will hold the 6-9 pucks for a 2-3 hour smoke with no problem, then you can replace it with a 9 x 13 disposable cake pan with boiling water for the rest of your smoke, not sure how much water you want for fish though, I would defer to the fish experts on that.

What's the purpose of changing to a bigger pan after 2-3 hours? Is it to keep extra water in after the smoke cycle to add humidity?

Betts, the puck bowl serves two purposes.  It extinguishes the charred pucks so you don't get the acrid smoke and a bitter smoke flavor.  And it catches the grease drippings coming through the drip tray.

The reason for changing to a big pan with more water after the smoking part of your program is that the water keeps the grease and dripping from scorching giving your food an off flavor.  And the large pans means that you can smoke for a long time without having to open the smoker door and cool off the smoker.