Smoker recommendations?

I use the little chief and have gotten used to it. You need a warm day without a lot of wind to get consistent dry times. Etienne uses his just for the smoke phase and finishes them in the oven at 175 degrees. It has no insulation so on a cold days dry times are very long. I do all my smoking from July-October and they last well to the next season. It is not an exact science like an insulated smoker with a thermometer. You check for doneness by pushing on it first, then breaking a piece open. The more expensive insulated smokers don't need as much checking. I use Rockfish's version of ChuckE's Indian smoked candy and is a real crowd pleaser.

AWESOME!!  Made my day right there
Thanks Scott

You outta try my fish fry, its an adaptation from something I saw at GS7 and is amazing

I'm going to try making a fridge-hack smoker this season.  When I'm into the salmon, I just don't have enough room on my little ones, nor the time to babysit them.  Basically, find a hotplate at thrift store, free old steel fridge, some pipe and cut/weld it together so that the hotplate and intake vent are in the bottom, vent pipe on top (fan optional) and thermostat/ rheostat set up on side of unit for control (timer optional).  The goal is to have 20-30cf of room for some salmon or meat.
this might be a good project to start this weekend even

http://www.smokenator.com/

Check this out. Its perfect if you already have an 22" Weber. I have an offset smoker but i tend to use the smokenator because it's easier to control the temp.

+1   I use my Weber/Smokenator with and without the rotisserie,  Smokenator also makes a "hiver Grill" that sits ont he 22" grill grate which I think would be great for a smoiking a bunch of fish.  You could do the something similar with an 18 grate and and some nuts and bolts and fender washers.

I have a Little Chief and think it does a great job of smoking fish, nuts, cheese, and other things you want to have low heat smoking done too.  But it's just not hot enough to do thick meats, or bone in meats, unless you want to finish them off in the oven.  Like Scott said, they work best on warm-hot days, and is hard to use in the winter. 

Andy/Fishmaster came up with a brilliant way to re-use a old gas BBQ as a smoker and it's really cool!:  http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=45338.0

But like Jason/Str8Fishing and FiShadow the WDS smoker is totally awesome, and I want one for camping for sure!!!

However I also have a 55 gallon drum thanks to Chadrock and PolePole that should either become a smoker, or a BBQ/Fire pit, just not sure which yet. 

If I could afford a Green Egg, I'd totally buy one! 

Walmart has lots of smokers on their website too, and often have 1$ delivery deals.

With any smoker, look how well it seals up.  To many of the wally world smokers leak like a sieve.  Many BBQ forums talk highly of the Little Chef, but the same problem does not get hot enough for meats.  The Weber gives you a lot of versatility that other grills don't.  A smaller weber 18 with a fire brick and a small aluminum water pan can give you really good results as well.  Adding a fire brick to any charcoal grill with a water pan can make a difference in direct grilling.  alton Brown has made a decent smoker out of clay pots, you can find video's for it on You tube.  If all you plan on is cold smoking fish, you might even think of Alton Browns smoking fish episode in which he uses a cardboard bok, some wooden dowels, a rack from an old fridge , a cast iron pan and a hot plate.  It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.

Wont work if you're in a hurry but you can find an old Kamado on CL if you're patient and quick. Same as a Big Green Egg except made of clay and wont take the higher temps that a BGE will. I got a large one for 50 bucks and found another sitting in a friend's backyard, both originally made in the 70's. Usually the firebox or ring is cracked but doesn't matter, replace the seal with an oven gasket and good to go. Perfect for smoking, if I want to do a steak T-Rex style though, I go to the BGE, best steaks ever!

Had these for many years. The ultimate smoker would be the Big Chief with a Little Chief heating element.

I have a Little Chief and think it does a great job of smoking fish, nuts, cheese, and other things you want to have low heat smoking done too.  But it's just not hot enough to do thick meats, or bone in meats, unless you want to finish them off in the oven.  Like Scott said, they work best on warm-hot days, and is hard to use in the winter. 

Take the cardboard box it comes in and put it over the top upside down when it is cold out.  It add just enough insulation to make it hot enough in the cold/winter.  Used to do this all the time in WA, smoking fish when it was <40 degrees outside.  Just don't leave it out in the rain lest your box disintegrates and you can no longer use it.  DAMHIK.

-Allen

I have a Little Chief and think it does a great job of smoking fish, nuts, cheese, and other things you want to have low heat smoking done too.  But it's just not hot enough to do thick meats, or bone in meats, unless you want to finish them off in the oven.  Like Scott said, they work best on warm-hot days, and is hard to use in the winter. 

Take the cardboard box it comes in and put it over the top upside down when it is cold out.  It add just enough insulation to make it hot enough in the cold/winter.  Used to do this all the time in WA, smoking fish when it was <40 degrees outside.  Just don't leave it out in the rain lest your box disintegrates and you can no longer use it.  DAMHIK.

-Allen

Oh ... I didn't see O2B's pic.  Looks like he does something similar with cardboard insulation!

-Allen

I love my little chief!
I've had it since the early 90's and it has never failed me.
It does a great job on fish. That's all I use it for.
Dave

......  It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.

Sure it does!
1. Build fire.
2. Line beer box w/ foil.
3. Fish on grill.
4. Box on fish.
5. Keep a nice smokey fire going, enough to hotbox the entire campground.
6. Eat fish and polish off the 12-pack.
 

For $50 or less you can build a UDS (ugly drum smoker) out of a 55g drum. Done right, they're pretty foolproof. You get them dialed in to the point where you just fill the briquettes (or lump and/or wood/bark) up, add some lit ones and can pretty much set and forget. Mine runs from about 180* to 220* solid for 14+ hours if I don't open it. Not for everyone, but if you're into it, they're easy to make.

I'm really happy with my UDS for smoking salmon. I can keep temps around 140-150 living on the coast and smoking overnight so ambient temps are lower.

I spent more than $50 just on the grill and thermometer. I think mine was about $110 not including some tools I purchased to help with the job like a step bit.

I use Rockfish's version of ChuckE's Indian smoked candy and is a real crowd pleaser.

I found ChuckE's recipe but I couldn't Rockfish's version?  Will try smoking salmon for the first time real soon...

Hmm...

I think I'm gonna spring for the Masterbuilt electric smoker from Home Depot for about $180. The little chief sounds like the way to go for fish, but knowing myself, I might regret it down the line when I want to smoke a big ol' hunk of red meat with a bone in it.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys.

Hmm...

I think I'm gonna spring for the Masterbuilt electric smoker from Home Depot for about $180. The little chief sounds like the way to go for fish, but knowing myself, I might regret it down the line when I want to smoke a big ol' hunk of red meat with a bone in it.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys.

If smoking red meat I use the Weber, Fish in the Chiefs, and never shall the two shall meet ...unless you like fishy meat.   

I prefer Camel straights

What's up NCKA?

Now that I've got salmon in the freezer (hopefully more after tomorrow) I NEED A SMOKER!

Can you guys recommend a good one for a decent price (preferably less than $100-150)?

Thing is, I'm pretty sensitive to the taste of burned propane, lighter fluid, match-light charcoal, etc, etc. I do all my grilling over hardwood lump charcoal. I'm thinking I need a smoker that's either electric or coal- fired to avoid unwanted flavors.

What do you guys use, and how do you like it?

Thanks in advance!

~Alex