Smoking meat and fish at home

[Bob12345]

I've tried the search function but mostly found stuff about smoking cigarettes, so let me try a new topic on this subject.

And I am aware of the pollution problems in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but please try to refrain making jokes about that in this topic, thanks.

 

Currently I am looking into setting up my own smoker to smoke meats and fish.

I really love smoked fish and would like to make my own smoked pulled pork, or smoke some pork belly and other sausages. 

 

Now I am wondering who is doing the same here in Thailand and if you can share some tips and tricks?

I am planning to use coconut husk on a bed of charcoal. 

 

But what I first need is a decent smoker. I've found several websites selling expensive imported smokers but my guess is that there should be some locally made ones also at a fraction of the price. Has anybody any idea where to get one? I see tutorials online how to do it yourself but I am not a welder and don't have the tools to do it myself, plus it would take me ages. I am located in Phuket by the way but hiring a truck to drive around the country with a smoker cant be that expensive (having a truck from BKK to Phuket is about 10K if i remember correctly when i bought my home gym).

 

And what size smoker should I look for?

My guess is that the bigger the better as you can do more meats at once and I just want to freeze a good portion of it for later consumption.

[4MyEgo]

You may reconsider and do some research of the health impacts of eating smoked meat and smoked fish:

 

The reasonable conclusion is that grilling meat may be hazardous to your health. ... Newer studies suggest that eating smoked meats may lead to cancer even outside the gastrointestinal tract.

 

The omega-3 fatty acids found in these fish are known to be good for the heart and brain. But, as with many foods, the key is to make sure you're not having too much. Studies have shown that eating excessive amounts of smoked foods can increase our risk of certain cancers, particularly of the stomach and colon.

 

Just saying ????

 

 

 

[robblok]

Interesting topic, i will keep an eye on it. Smoked meat and fish can be healthy and an easy way to keep to a diet. 

 

I looked into smoking too but decided against it as I thought it would be too much of a hassle. I will check up on the topic to see.

[robblok]

Just now, 4MyEgo said:

You may reconsider and do some research of the health impacts of eating smoked meat and smoked fish:

 

The reasonable conclusion is that grilling meat may be hazardous to your health. ... Newer studies suggest that eating smoked meats may lead to cancer even outside the gastrointestinal tract.

 

The omega-3 fatty acids found in these fish are known to be good for the heart and brain. But, as with many foods, the key is to make sure you're not having too much. Studies have shown that eating excessive amounts of smoked foods can increase our risk of certain cancers, particularly of the stomach and colon.

 

Just saying ????

 

 

 

Problem with these studies is that they are done on people with non healthy life styles. Usually if you eat a lot of these meats you do other bad things too. As far as I know the OP is an sports man who takes care of his diet.

 

Not saying there are no risks but many of these studies look at correlation but that is not the same as causation. 

 

But its a fair warning.

[chickenslegs]

Example from Lazada

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/fire-magic-smoker-i150275603-s175076302.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.43.96a757a0n3lyrY&search=1

[madmen]

17 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

You may reconsider and do some research of the health impacts of eating smoked meat and smoked fish:

 

The reasonable conclusion is that grilling meat may be hazardous to your health. ... Newer studies suggest that eating smoked meats may lead to cancer even outside the gastrointestinal tract.

 

The omega-3 fatty acids found in these fish are known to be good for the heart and brain. But, as with many foods, the key is to make sure you're not having too much. Studies have shown that eating excessive amounts of smoked foods can increase our risk of certain cancers, particularly of the stomach and colon.

 

Just saying ????

 

 

 

Just breathing is a health hazard. Everything in moderation..except beer ????

[madmen]

7 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

Example from Lazada

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/fire-magic-smoker-i150275603-s175076302.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.43.96a757a0n3lyrY&search=1

Thats a very reasonable price. I grew up in an east European family where everything was home made eg sausages , smoked meats, pickled veges, wine , grappa. Miss that food and if I wasn't in a condo I would be smoking for sure

[Bob12345]

37 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

Example from Lazada

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/fire-magic-smoker-i150275603-s175076302.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.43.96a757a0n3lyrY&search=1

Yes, that seems like reasonable price.

 

Anyone any experience with this type and size? 

 

I was more looking in this type: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/jumbuck-smoker-charcoal-grill-i262236031-s403774342.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.39.f76125ccKTdiPf&search=1
Main reason would be that you can handle the meat/fish without needing to disassamble the red hot thing in the middle of the process to make adjustments or check how far along it is.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Bob12345

[Nyezhov]

We used old fridges for smoking in Alaska. Worked great.

[Snow Leopard]

9 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

We used old fridges for smoking in Alaska. Worked great.

Any links to a design that works? I have heard of using fridges as well.

 

I had an oil drum shape with a burner box to the side. I found this difficult to use. I eventually gave up on it.

 

The person who posted the one on Lazada my mate had. Weber. This works very well for small amounts which I prefer. I would go for Weber if you can find it. 

[Nyezhov]

4 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

Any links to a design that works? I have heard of using fridges as well.

 

I had an oil drum shape with a burner box to the side. I found this difficult to use. I eventually gave up on it.

 

The person who posted the one on Lazada my mate had. Weber. This works very well for small amounts which I prefer. I would go for Weber if you can find it. 

Start by learning. Visit http://www.theingredientstore.com/foodpreservation/refrig_smoker.htm and then Google is your friend. Get me some power tools and a fridge and beer and food and a ticket to wherever and Ill help.

[Bob12345]

27 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

Any links to a design that works? I have heard of using fridges as well.

 

I had an oil drum shape with a burner box to the side. I found this difficult to use. I eventually gave up on it.

 

The person who posted the one on Lazada my mate had. Weber. This works very well for small amounts which I prefer. I would go for Weber if you can find it. 

Weber is already expensive in Europe, i would not dare to check the prices here without a cardiologist on hand. I was hoping for some locally made smokers at a fraction of the price.

[erymax]

hi bob, i regularly do smoking meat for ham and sausages. First you have to cure the meat with nitrite curing salt for 10-14 days plus 3 days leave it an fridge. You have to use a cold smoking for most of ham and sausages. It means the temp of the smoke between 15 - 25 C which is a bit difficult in Thailand. As far the smoker, you can make it your self very easy. i use a stainless steel pipe as a burner connected to a plastic pipe which goes in a plastic bucket. I put 2 plastic  bottles which were filled with water and deep frozen over night and of course the meat and sausages hanging in the bucket. Temp around 20 - 25 C. For burning I use sawdust from any wood processing factory. I smoke ham 7 days and sausages 3 days 10 -12 hrs/day.      

[Snow Leopard]

11 minutes ago, Bob12345 said:

Weber is already expensive in Europe, i would not dare to check the prices here without a cardiologist on hand. I was hoping for some locally made smokers at a fraction of the price.

http://www.bbqthai.com/vertical_smoker.html

 

Not too bad.

[wayned]

Many plans available for converting an old fridge into a smoker on google.  here's one:

 

[mickeyknox1686]

WOODS FOR SMOKING
Hard, fruit or nut woods are preferred. All woods impart a slightly different flavor of their own. Wood is available in sawdust, chip/nugget and chunk form (use the form recommended by the manufacturer of the smokehouse). Hickory is the most common type used and provides good color and flavor. Apple,cherry, mesquite and alder wood are other commonly used woods. 

TECHNIQUE OF THE QUARTER : THE SMOKING PROCESS

[jumbo]

where can you get these woods you mention??

 

[Bob12345]

I've made my first steps with smoking... all low budget as i just want to try it out first.

Last week I had some nice marinated spareribs and to smoke them i fired up the BBQ, moved all the hot coals to one side, added some pecan wood chips, put on the meat on the other side, and closed the lit on the bbq for 99%.

 

The wood lasted for maybe 20 minutes and the ribs looked and smelled stunning. Next I put them in the sous vide, together with a similar rack of spareribs, and finished them both off for 20 hours to be able to compare the two.

 

The result was stunning. The smell on the smoked meat was gorgeous and the taste of the meat was much deeper than the unsmoked rack. And then to think i only smoked the rack for only 30 minutes, in a relatively uncontrolled environment, with only a handful of wood chips.

 

I am going to try some more meats to see if the results are similar and then I will start looking into more expensive smoking devices. My preferance goes to a completely automatic controlled smoker as it will require no effort from my side. Downside will be the price of course.

 

 

@jumbo: BBQ shops around the country sell smoking woods. It is not cheap though... I got 180 cu (which is just a small bag full) for 390 baht. Imported from the USA. I also wanna try coconut chips which is much cheaper as they are locally available: gardening centers sell those for a fraction of the price the pecan wood chips cost.

[norfolkandchance]

To

 

On 5/6/2019 at 1:16 PM, Bob12345 said:

I've made my first steps with smoking... all low budget as i just want to try it out first.

Last week I had some nice marinated spareribs and to smoke them i fired up the BBQ, moved all the hot coals to one side, added some pecan wood chips, put on the meat on the other side, and closed the lit on the bbq for 99%.

 

The wood lasted for maybe 20 minutes and the ribs looked and smelled stunning. Next I put them in the sous vide, together with a similar rack of spareribs, and finished them both off for 20 hours to be able to compare the two.

 

The result was stunning. The smell on the smoked meat was gorgeous and the taste of the meat was much deeper than the unsmoked rack. And then to think i only smoked the rack for only 30 minutes, in a relatively uncontrolled environment, with only a handful of wood chips.

 

I am going to try some more meats to see if the results are similar and then I will start looking into more expensive smoking devices. My preferance goes to a completely automatic controlled smoker as it will require no effort from my side. Downside will be the price of course.

 

 

@jumbo: BBQ shops around the country sell smoking woods. It is not cheap though... I got 180 cu (which is just a small bag full) for 390 baht. Imported from the USA. I also wanna try coconut chips which is much cheaper as they are locally available: gardening centers sell those for a fraction of the price the pecan wood chips cost.

I googled. ‘Smoker out of a trash can’. Watched a couple of videos and have just started to get the equipment together. I’ll get the guy in a metal shop to put it together.

[geoffbezoz]

Over the years had a  complete kitchen built and other items from Don. Highly recommended and high class products.

 

His site is here;

https://quik-fire.com/pages/bbq-grill-udon-thani

 

And yes he does ship anywhere

Edited May 8, 2019 by geoffbezoz

[Bob12345]

15 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

To

 

I googled. ‘Smoker out of a trash can’. Watched a couple of videos and have just started to get the equipment together. I’ll get the guy in a metal shop to put it together.

Yeah, you can just improvise the whole thing to try it out (as I am doing).

 

In the long run you might want to explore other options though, as now you need to manually control the temperature the whole time you smoke and might need to open your smoker to increase or lower the fire a bit which is a waste of smoke (expensive to create the smoke with imported woods). But best to try it out first and see how it goes before investing serious money in stuff you might not like soon after buying them.

[soalbundy]

call me an old traditionalist but I will stick to tobacco, wrapping a rizla paper around a fish is a messy business and it's difficult to light.

[norfolkandchance]

3 hours ago, soalbundy said:

call me an old traditionalist but I will stick to tobacco, wrapping a rizla paper around a fish is a messy business and it's difficult to light.

Hopefully your smoking will have a lasting effect.

[from the home of CC]

4 hours ago, soalbundy said:

call me an old traditionalist but I will stick to tobacco, wrapping a rizla paper around a fish is a messy business and it's difficult to light.

and rollin' a spliff outta a pork tenderloin makes you want to drink instead..

Edited May 8, 2019 by from the home of CC

[norfolkandchance]

54 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

and rollin' a spliff outta a pork tenderloin makes you want to drink instead..

I blame Ted.

[bangsaenguy]

Www.bbqgrillsthai.com has smokers and smoking pellets. 

[james.d]

On 5/8/2019 at 4:04 PM, Bob12345 said:

Yeah, you can just improvise the whole thing to try it out (as I am doing).

 

In the long run you might want to explore other options though, as now you need to manually control the temperature the whole time you smoke and might need to open your smoker to increase or lower the fire a bit which is a waste of smoke (expensive to create the smoke with imported woods). But best to try it out first and see how it goes before investing serious money in stuff you might not like soon after buying them.

Hi Bob,

 

I was just reading your thread on smoking foods, it is a year since the last post, may l ask how it went?

I miss smoked fish especially and wondering if you continued to smoke some food, which smoker did you use?

 

Thanks and regards.

James

[Bob12345]

Hi James,

 

I have been smoking regularly, but not enough to justify buying special smoker equipment for it.

 

When smoking I make use of my regular BBQ which has a lid on it to trap the smoke. Basically I just heat up coals, spread them out, make a open container from aluminium foil in which i place a hand full of smoking woods, and place that on top of the coals. In about 15 minutes all the wood will be up in smokes and with the lid closed the smoke is trapped long enough to give great taste to the meats. The meat itself barely gets cooked during this period, so its a bit in between cold and hot smoking.

 

Next I use my sous vide equipment to actually cook the meat.

 

While it is some work, I think it is worth the effort as the taste of smoke is a great additions to pulled pork or simple drumsticks. I always try to cook it in bulk and freeze parts of it to be more efficient. 

 

My smoking wood just finished last week and three new bags will be coming in soon i hope (a friend flying in from Europe who had some extra space in her suitcases).

 

My BBQ is currently falling a apart a bit after 4 years, so maybe I will look into buying an actual smoker in the future. I think i would prefer a tower/stacked smoker in that case to be able to handle a lot of volume with as little wood as possible. Having an electric smoker or more professional equipment would be nice but not really necessary for the volumes I am making at the moment. 

 

 

[james.d]

17 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

Hi James,

 

I have been smoking regularly, but not enough to justify buying special smoker equipment for it.

 

When smoking I make use of my regular BBQ which has a lid on it to trap the smoke. Basically I just heat up coals, spread them out, make a open container from aluminium foil in which i place a hand full of smoking woods, and place that on top of the coals. In about 15 minutes all the wood will be up in smokes and with the lid closed the smoke is trapped long enough to give great taste to the meats. The meat itself barely gets cooked during this period, so its a bit in between cold and hot smoking.

 

Next I use my sous vide equipment to actually cook the meat.

 

While it is some work, I think it is worth the effort as the taste of smoke is a great additions to pulled pork or simple drumsticks. I always try to cook it in bulk and freeze parts of it to be more efficient. 

 

My smoking wood just finished last week and three new bags will be coming in soon i hope (a friend flying in from Europe who had some extra space in her suitcases).

 

My BBQ is currently falling a apart a bit after 4 years, so maybe I will look into buying an actual smoker in the future. I think i would prefer a tower/stacked smoker in that case to be able to handle a lot of volume with as little wood as possible. Having an electric smoker or more professional equipment would be nice but not really necessary for the volumes I am making at the moment. 

 

 

Cheers Bob for the feedback,

 

I have a gas bbq that only gets used when we have people over and was looking at a smaller one just for me really.

I was tempted to get a weber kettle but will give the method you use a try.

 

May I ask, were you unable to find decent wood here?

Also, you mentioned your sous vide, while i do not have one but what vacuum bag sealing machine do you use? (I have had 2 vacuum sealers and they both failed after a few months)

 

Again, many thanks for your time to reply.

[Bob12345]

You can get decent wood here in Thailand, i found a BBQ shop not too far away in a shopping mall and the wood is just imported from abroad.

Given how much wood, or better said how little, you need to smoke a load of meat its not too expensive, but i just finished my smoking wood and someone asked if they could bring things from abroad as they had luggage space left... so why not?

 

The vacuum machine i got is a cheap one from lazada, not really happy about it.

Same with my sous vide machine, it stops working after a few hours which isnt a problem from drumsticks (which need to be cooked 3 hrs only) but it is for a load of pulled pork that needs to cook for 60 hours. 

 

Decent sous vide machines and vacuum machines start at 20K and go much more expensive. If you run a business selling smoked meats it should be fine, but I only cook for myself so can't justify it. 

 

My previous bag of smoking chips:

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Bob12345