On 5/15/2011 11:25 AM, Heavy_Smoker wrote:
> I'm trying to smoke my first salmon today. I brined overnight and stuck
> into my beloved WSM. In an effort to keep the temps to 140F, I (used the
> minion method, just as all my other smoking activites), I kept the lower
> vents as *closed* as possible.
>
> Well, now I'll well over 250F, thinking I should have thought about this
> more, and severly limited the qty of lump... maybe just to the lump in my
> charcoal starter.
>
> So, can anyone give me some pointers:
>
> 1) How will this salmon come out? I can't imagine it being bad, but not
> like I was hoping. I'll cook it to ~160F and see, this ship has sailed.
> ;-)
>
> 2) How does one keep a WSM ~140F. Maybe just pour (into an empty WSM)
> whatever lump is in the charcoal starter and add more lump as needed?
>
>
> I s'ppose nothing is lost here. I have two loins waiting in the wings for
> their chance into the smoker. ;-)
>


I have cold smoked cheese, I know in an ECB smoker. Don't remember if I
have tried it in the WSM. I used 3 hardwood briquettes kept close
together using a small ring. That got me to about 80F on a very cool
day (40F) or so.

It doesn't take much in coals to get that low of temperature. One of
the keys is to keep them close together, so they help each other stay
started.

Lump being irregular shape and size, hard to say how much to use. I was
told of the "use 3 briquettes method" and he held up 3 fingers.
Not 2, not 4, but 3 was the way I took that. It worked. Obviously,
that is a cool weather cook. You wanting to get a temperature of 140F,
my guess would be outside temperature 70F or less.

Good luck

BBQ
--
Vegetarian

An old Indian term for poor hunter...