" BOB" > wrote in message >...
> JakBQuik typed:
> >> "butch burton" said:
> >>> Several of my friends have said they think my smoked ham has too much
> >>> smoke flavor
> >>>
> >>> Wow But after talking to a local guy who sells lots of smoked
> >>> salmon-learned this: He smokes large filet's for about 30 minutes at
> >>> 225F and then into a convection oven to finish the cooking process.
> >>> He too got complaints about too much smoke flavor.
> >>>>> Comments/suggestions
> Then Jack wrote:
> >>
> >> There's a possibility that you're smoking over the billowing cloud of smoke,
> >> which could render meat with an undesirable flavor, sometimes called
> >> 'over-smoked'. Light wisps of smoke do a much better job. If you're doing
> >> this already then disregard the last 2 sentences.
> >>
> >> As for the Saran wrap, that's just silly, IMO. I hot smoke salmon filets at
> >> about 250º for about an hour and a half and they're not overly smoked, just
> >> lightly kissed by the smoke. I put the fish on when the wood is burned to
> >> coals and the smoke is light and white.
> >>
> >> Jack
> >>
> > I concur with most of what Jack Schidt says. Too smokey-flavored meat
> > happens when you:
> >
> > *Smoke with a billowing cloud of smoke: add fewer wood chips at a time to
> > your lump. The smoke should be wispy, not opaque.
> >
> > *Smoke for too long: only smoke for about a third of the time you cook
> > something.
> >
> > *Smoke with the wrong wood: Please tell me you weren't using mesquite!
> > Mesquite can impart an acrid, burnt flavor. I live in Austin, arguably the
> > mesquite capital of the world, and I won't touch the stuff. I prefer
> > hickory as a standby, pecan if I want a milder product, like with salmon or
> > trout.
> >
> > Then again, your tasters may just not like smokiness in their meat.
> >
> > John in Austin
>
> Me three <EG>
>
> For fish, I don't even (usually) add any wood, just the wispy smoke from the lump
> is usually enough.
>
> Also, what did you cook the last time you used the smoker before you smoked the
> fish?
> If the last cook was really fatty (butt, ribs, brisket, etc.) you may need to burn
> out the remains of the fat before you smoke fish or any delicately flavored food.
> You might even have a greasy coating on the lid that you need to burn off.
>
> HTH
>
> BOB
Thanks for the suggestion but above the smoke racks the inside of the
smoker has a shiny, slick black coating. Below the rack I have large
thin AL foil trays to catch the fat drips and clean them out after
each smoking. Managed to get the grease in the very bottom way to hot
in a partially botched insulation experiment-worked too well-and it
burned some of the grease out-put out with a garden hose.

Think I will try the fish half uncovered with saran wrap and half
covered and see what happens-does not take much wood to keep my offset
smoker at 225F with the smoker part covered with 6" of insulation and
the firebox draped with 2" of foil backed insulation. Tried covering
the firebox completely and thing got way too hot-charred off the
wooden handle on the firebox side.