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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Hi Dave, Great Post mate. Has made me get my old kipper box out again.

I use a mix of half salt and half brown sugar and rub it straight onto the flesh part of the fillet. Place them back in the fridge for about 30 mins and then cook the way you do.

fresh mullet like this are my favourite. mmmm hot kippers - cold beer - more hot kippers - much more cold beer. it just keeps getting better.


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

Yep, definitely tailor (very fresh obviously) and sea mullet, yumm yumm, dammit, where's my smoke box!


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

I must try this one day, I'm not sure I have ever tried smoked fish??? :?

Does the fish have to be certain size in order to be smoked? What does it taste like can someone describe the flavour? :?

Milt,


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## water_baby (Oct 26, 2005)

occy you are right on with the aussie salmon. nice big fillets, portioned into cutlets, smoked and eaten cold are fantastic mate. definitely works better on the oilier-type fishes.

anyone who has not eaten a smoked fish is missing out. 8)


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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

hairymick said:


> I use a mix of half salt and half brown sugar and rub it straight onto the flesh part of the fillet. Place them back in the fridge for about 30 mins and then cook the way you do.


That's great Mick! An even simpler and less messy way to smoke fish. I'll be trying that


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Occy, If you take it on your trip. One smoker will never be enough  
If you ar lucky, you might, just might get one piece. :lol: :lol:


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

Milt said:


> I must try this one day, I'm not sure I have ever tried smoked fish??? :?
> 
> Does the fish have to be certain size in order to be smoked? What does it taste like can someone describe the flavour? :?
> 
> Milt,


Any size peice of fish is fine, and I reckon any fish too, but as mentioned, the oilier varieties seem to take on the flavour of the smoke more. It's very sweet if a little drier than most forms of cooking, with a kinda .... smokey flavour lol.


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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Milt

Be sure to try smoked fish its superb.

When I lived in Port Macquarie, there were about 4-5 blokes around town had converted their former backyard dunnies to smoke rooms [after the sewer went through].

Each man had is own recipe brine and were distinct flavours [they wouldnt divulge their recipe].

Anglers took their fish to them gutted and beheaded [minimum of 40 fish], and the cooks salted,. brined and cold smoked them for about 2 days, the windows of the buildings were replaced with hession bags, and the smell within a 100m was drooling time.

You collected your fish 3 days later when cold less 10-20% of catch, the cooks took their share down to the pub, all sold in 5 minutes, and made good cash money.

When the tailor and luderick runs were on it was a battle to get smoker space as they were flatout


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

I think I'll be smoking my excess Salmon from now on. I'll give it a try, here a great little article I found on the net about it it takes a while to load:

http://www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/publication ... -00325.pdf

Cheers Milt,


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

> Unlike cold smoking where the smoke actually cures the fish in hot smoking, the heat actually cooks the fish.


Occy

You're spot on thats why in Port we had to wait a couple of days, the fire was about 3m from the smoker, and fed up a 100mm pipe.

Quite happy with hot smoking though, its quicker and just as tasty


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## mullet gut (Apr 25, 2006)

I just use clean TAS oak hardwood sawdust and the fish tastes great. Warning - make sure you know what saw dust you are using - you don't want to be using any of that treated pine or hardwood ... could seriously ruin your health. Also, saw dust from capenter workshops usually contain glues and resins etc. If you are going to use your own sawdust, know whats in it.


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## Fishmatics (Feb 9, 2006)

Sounds Fantastic

What Make of Smokers would you recommend? I have heard of home made smokers - any suggestions?

Regards


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Fishmatics said:


> Sounds Fantastic
> 
> What Make of Smokers would you recommend? I have heard of home made smokers - any suggestions?
> 
> Regards


 Nearly all major local tackle stores all have them, and they are all pretty much the same design ... Nipper is one brand


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Avoid galvo smokers - there is some toxicity. Any stainless steel one should be fine. Camping stores also stock them.


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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

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## something fishy (Sep 5, 2006)

After reading this thread I could'nt help but get myself a smoker. I got one for $24.00 at Kmart  (Bargain) hopefully i'll get to use tommorow after a successfull day on the dam


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

G'day occy,

here ya go  Merry Christmas mate.  
http://www.neilbank.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=954

just follow the link :twisted:


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## phantom (Oct 16, 2006)

Just read this great artical on smoking fish, it really got my taste buds going.
Is there a compact smoker you could fit in the hull of a sea Kayak or can you build a makeshift smoker when camping in an isolated spot. This would be a great help, as keeping the fish on ice is not an option on a 2-5 day trip.

Kind Regards,

Phantom (Eric)


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## evarn (Jul 10, 2006)

Smoking mussels is fantastic too


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## Waka (Nov 3, 2005)

Hi all,

I am a big fan of the hot smoker and give mine a regular workout. Atlantic Salmon, Kahwai (Aussie Salmon), Snapper, Chicken Breasts, sausages are all favourites for my family.

Sausages go unseasoned but the rest are all coated in either raw brown sugar or maple syrup. Sat on the kitchen bench for an hour or so or refrigetated overnight then into the smoker.

Manuka sawdust (Tea Tree) is the common wood shaving in NZ and the results are always better than anything off the supermarket shelves.

Waka


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Mulletgut wrote


> I just use clean TAS oak hardwood sawdust and the fish tastes great. Warning - make sure you know what saw dust you are using - you don't want to be using any of that treated pine or hardwood ... could seriously ruin your health. Also, saw dust from capenter workshops usually contain glues and resins etc. If you are going to use your own sawdust, know whats in it.


He is right on here. A few times mighten hurt you because most treated pine up untill a couple of years ago was treated with C.C.A or copper chrome arsinate. Don't know about the copper or the chrome but the arsenic will slowly poison you until you croak (see napoleon bonapart and why he is still in mint condition just a bit dryer).
Some of the new treated pines are treated using salt but i wouldn't take the chance and people can be alergic to Western red cedar very serious if your are (it the sauna type smell).

Cheers Dave


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## feel the sting (Aug 8, 2006)

Guys

I've been smoking for about 6 months, and can't eat tailor any other way. In fact whilst they are smoking i have to keep walking past to have a smell. Wife isn't a big fan though.

The Sting


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

arpie said:


> Don't forget to try the humble mullet smoked as well! Superb!


Agreed Roberta, smoked mullet is tops, they're just bloody hard to catch sometimes!


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## mal.com (Feb 10, 2007)

NSW State Fisheries in the 70's (when they had a budget and could afford to employ me) had a food technologist who wrote a paper on how to make a home hot/cold fish smoker. The guys name was Patrick Parish.

I made one of his smokers during the early 80's when we were living in Tassie. It was made out of weather sealed chip board & had an electric radiator in it to provide the hot bit. The product was absolutely magnificent.

We ran everything through it, trout, snottys, gem fish, bacon, jack Mackeral & salmon when the farms came on line& I knew one of the divers who worked on them; apparently you were allowed to take some home only if they attacked you.

cheers

mal de mer


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## squizzy (Mar 3, 2007)

Great input everybody, got my taste buds goin. Im off tomorrow to get a smoker...then I guess I had better catch some fish :wink: Smoking em sounds easier than catching them so I might need a day or 2 b4 I can report back. If the shocking weather continues in Melbourne Im hitting the surf for the salmon, but off the beach though, I have a hakerin for some fishin but the strong winds are keeping the kayak at home


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## PoddyMullet (Aug 29, 2005)

I gave this one a lash yesterday after a Google...mighty fine for those of us with a tank in need of a fill. I used flattie fillets instead of atlantic salmon (they're just a little hard to come by in PPB unless ya fishing with PeterJ and his good kingfisher the "Caviar Express".... a yak where champagne and smoked salmon are only considered good enough to create a berley trail :wink:  ). Flattie did a serviceable job but would probably be better off cooked in other ways. Us gutso's have gotta add the optional cream (optional cream...who are they kiddin?). I also added some chopped sundried tom's to finish. Next time I'd also toast up some slivered almonds to mix through to boot. Twas my first attempt at smoking mussels, Ivan I didn't steam em off in wine and garlic to open em first and I noticed they held a lotta water if put straight into the smoker..what's ya method with those fella's? :?: My pasta mussels weren't smoked...that was a side show I ran. :wink: 

http://www.abc.net.au/northandwest/stories/s1235809.htm


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## PoddyMullet (Aug 29, 2005)

Hiya arpie..tailor are one of my fav's. And a hoot to catch. My father is an old smoker, and one of his fav's was coutta...his tip is to use butchers salt in the brine overnight to help break down the bones. Cardboard boxes, chicken wire, wet hession bags and John Denver or Charley Pride are also his smoking tools. I'm from good ol stock I guess.... I just may go out and run some rings around Boss Hogg today :shock: :wink:


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Just a note everyone.

Dont run out and buy a smoker if you already own a Weber Kettle BBQ. They do the job just as well if not better because there is more room than most small smoker boxes.

With the Weber there is no need for saw dust, your wood can be in chunks or pieces. Also try BBQ shops for diffrent woods like mesquite or hickory.

Cheers

Scott


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

Hi all.
This is the way that I smoke my fishÃ¢â‚¬Â¦.a little unconventional I know, but it works for me.

It is a 100 litre drum that I have converted into a smoker. I got an element out of an old stove along with the thermostat.

I place the hickory chunks directly onto the element (after soaking in water) changing the chunks about every twenty minutes after they burn out.

The length of time that I smoke the fish depends on the thickness of the fish.

Herring, about one hour. Skippy one and a half hours. Salmon two and a half hours.

I firstly soak the fish for about a day in salt water.

I then roll the fish in brown sugar before smoking.

I will also add one of my recipes.

This is smoked fish and white sauce.

Two cloves of garlic, one chilli, 1 onion.

Fry all of this together.

I then put about two cups of milk into a pot, add the smoked fish broken up, add the other ingredients and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard.

I then add pepper and parsley; I like parsley so I put in quite a lot. Salt if required but the fish is reasonably salty anyway.

I will add picks of some fish that I smoked two weeks ago. These are Skippy that I caught out at alexanders.

I only smoked three, but have the ability to have two racks of fish if needed.


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

Here are some more Pics.


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

Sorry,

The pics are "back to front"


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

Sorry,
I also forgot to add that I thicked the mix when finished.

Great on toast or with snacks.


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## squizzy (Mar 3, 2007)

Nice work wattie, sheeish Im very hungry now. And yet not only a smoked fish recipe but a recipe for smoked fish if you know what I mean. I also liked one of the otherv earlier recipes for smoked fish, a heap of blokes drinking beer. :lol:


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## itchyant-senior (Apr 30, 2007)

Hi Dave
Try this one next time for some delicious flavours:
Use Tailor or Blackfish
Cover with salt and leave for 24 fours to draw out the moisture.
Smoke and allow to cool
Remove all flesh and chop finely
Mix with some cracked black pepper, chopped up calamata olives, juice of a lemon and some olive oil (mix to a paste consistency)
Enjoy it with some unflavoured biscuits

a b s o l u t e l y d e l i c i o u s

David


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## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

Here's what I turned a slimey mackerel into....

1 x 35cm slimey filleted
250ml water
2 tbl spoons of salt
1.5 tbl spoons of brown sugar

Leave the fillets in the brine for 30 mins. After that pat down the fish with paper towel and rub a little bit more of the brown sugar into the fish. Put a little bit of oil on the skin side of the fish and place skin side down on the smoker tray.

15 mins of smoking later and voila! Delicious smoked slimey mackerel. Served with a fresh wholemeal roll, some sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives and some marinated feta cheese. Yum!


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## crazyratwoman (Feb 26, 2007)

can you smoke stuff in a normal gas bbq with a lid?


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## crazyratwoman (Feb 26, 2007)

Hi Roberta, thanks, we use those cannister stove things when we camp... i'll have to try this, i get a bit sick of normal cooked fish, this sounds like something different


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

Roberta thats a great little tip, would never of thought of using 2 stainless steel bowls 

How long does it need to hot smoke a couple of Aus Salmon fillets, 30 minutes on a low heat???

Milt,


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## kjwilly (Jun 27, 2007)

Hi Dave
A method i use when smoking fish is not to brine them but to pack them in dry salt for about 2 hours and then wash the salt off dry with paper towel and smoke.You might think this will make the fish salty but it does not and the flavour is way better than brining.
I told a few die had fish smokers here in Horsham this process and they now only do it this way.
Cheers
Kevin


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

Thanks Kevin, I will be smoking some fish later on today......I will give it a go.

By the way have a look at the time........well I just can't sleep. :lol:


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## Seasquirt (Jul 17, 2007)

Hi all,
The recipe I was given is half salt half sugar and enough water to cover( taste test before you add the fish, should taste neither salty or sweet ) and soak 30 mins to 1 hour max. I have left it overnight( not good ) too strong a flavour. I normally use a simple smoker with two metho burners.

2 other options for a smoker are a camp oven with a little wood chip and a cake rack in the bottom over either a fire or a BBQ or Webber and the simplest of all for camping is a one off smoker bag bought from a camping or tackle shop over your fire or stove set up.

Chicken "pieces " (rather than whole ) rubbed with rum and honey is absolutely delectable . Snags work well too, many options.
Cheers
Pam

P.S. Agree with Roberta (above) wrap all except the fish in al-foil, definitely saves on the clean up afterwards.


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

Out the bush/camp use Bedourie camp oven








For saw dust run the chain saw or hand crosscut saw through some old seasoned river red gum (choose wood up high as there is less dirt in cracks etc to blunt saw). With a wet hessian bag underneath, catch saw dust and wrap for an hour or so to moisten. Not a cigarette smoker, but stop on way to camp and buy a good quality/scented cigar add a small amount of cigar tobacco (1/8)to saw dust.

Place Bedourie oven upside down on coals, put some small stones around inside edge (this will help with ventilation) line with foil( easy to clean) and add saw dust mix, place cake rack inside and lay salt dried seasoned fillets on rack skin down. Finally chop onion, chili and garlic and cover flesh of fish, Cut tomato into 1/2" thick steaks and cover onion, chili & garlic (helps keep it moist + flavour). Put Bedourie oven base (lid) on-top (sitting on small stones). 15 to 20 min depending on fillets. Have cooked Murray Cod, Yella's, Red fin, yabbie's and even carp, Fatty cod were the best. Seasoned carp roe smoked thin like a pancake in a thin cloth bag is worth a try as well.
Must warn you, ;-)

The missus reckons I would eat sh#t off a blanket. :twisted:

By the way no affiliation to Bedourie camp ovens, just love cookin with em.
Also smoked wild goat & pig, wasn't to bad, better roasted + add all left overs to roasting oven. Veg, meat and gravy, mix well then bury with camp fire over night. Wake up to hot braised breaky plus hot coals for damper MMmmmmm.
Sorry been to long since camping/bowhunting/fishing.


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

Hi all,
anyone have any recommendations for where to buy wood chips on line ?
I found this place
http://www.bbqbazaar.com/page/45718202
the choices seem to be Alder, Cherry or Hickory.


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## petanquedon (May 27, 2008)

Buy saw dust?

I would try making my own.

Plain or drill some wood should be a start.

Not treated permapine!! :shock:

There may be customs issues with importing untreated wood into Australia.

You can use wood from all sorts of trees such as gum trees or olive trees.


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Most native hardwoods work great, experiment and see which you prefer.
Some are "too smokey" though.
I often just use deadfall.


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

damn. that came up under an oz google search, didn't notice it was in the USA.


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## noeskimo (Oct 20, 2008)

below is a post i made on another forum....it relates to smoking on a bbq. (you will need some sort of lid over the fish and woodchips[in a foil cup] to keep the smoke in)

also, dont go buying woodchips from camping/fishing stores etc.....eucalyptus (any sort of gum tree) is a great smoking wood. you may also use tea leaves, and wood from all sorts of fruit and nut trees.....

"..with gas it is hard to keep the heat down. i only use gas for smaller cuts of fish, as they lend themselves to cooking quickly anyway.

people seem to think they are trying to cure the fish with smoke, when in reality what we are trying to do is just add smoke flavour. it is the brine that cures the fish. although, smoke does to a degree.

the whole process of smoking fish (for personal use, hehehe) is really for flavour....so what you should concentrate on is just to make the fish TASTE good.

therefore, it is 'salt to taste' and 'smoke to taste'.....

commercial cures use nitrates to 'keep' a product. we dont want to keep them. we wanna eat em!! so concentrate on making the fish taste good.....

dont smoke fish for too long. the more plumes of smoke you produce, the quicker the fish will taste smokey....so you must judge when the fish is "smoked to taste". not by time, but by the ammount of smoke that you run over the fish.

the trick is to cook the fish while it is smoking. so, to get a consistent result the ammount of smoke must be uniform as to the heat and time taken. again it is trial and error. but start with the things you CAN control. like heat and time to cook. and keep a record. measuring the ammount of woodchips or sawdust will increase you chances of a consistent result. you may find that to underestimate the ammount of wood used is a better option. you can always add more smoke, but you cant fix a ruined fish. (although you can make dips from oversmoked fish).

with a brine....fist find a recipe and stick to it. dont juggle the ammount of salt. vary the time the fish is in the salt till you get the right result. trial and error.

you can also buy liquid smoke at places like lesnies if all else fails....

mackerel are an excellent fish to smoke. go to a decent supermarket and find some smoked mackerel from "springs" smkehouse in south australia. try and replicate their result...truely an excellent product. i can get close. but they really have it down pat...try it, "springs"!!!!


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## bankmaggot (Nov 9, 2008)

I smoke 80% of the fish I catch,but all of them are very oily.You guys have a totaly different aproach or method,thanks,because now I have some different ideas I can try.So try this,brown sugar-sea salt-garlic-alspice-black pepper-imagination. sugar 2 cups salt 1 cup spices in table spoons I just gues, fish meat shoudn't be thicker than 1 inch-40mm,my opinion.Mix up in 2 gallon ziplock bag put fillets in same bag.Get air out,and put in fridge for 24 hours,turn every 4 hours if you remember.We call this a dry brine.A fish killed and cleaned and quikly put in brine will turn out better.Now rinse off the now wet brine,and pat dry fish and let dry for an hour? Surface of fish will look glossy or tacky when it's ready for smoker. Smoke at 150 ferinheght for up to 12 hours.Some only 4 or 5 hours depending on thickness-oil and moisture content.Check by poking fish ,checking firmness.Too long in smoker you get particle board,not long enough just put in oven,at 200 f for 15 mi.3 or 4 hours of smoke is plenty,more than that often leaves harsh or bitter tastes. Scott & Tiffany Haugen Smoking SALMON & STEELHEAD,www.amatobooks.com good book for starters!


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## YakCult (Nov 4, 2008)

Daveyak said:


> MMMmmm, kayak fishing followed by smoked fish with beer. How much better can life get?
> I'd be interested to hear others' ideas for and experiences with smoking fish.


G'Day Dave,
Your last line made me hungry (& thirsty!)  
Many years ago, used to cold smoke using 100mm pipe and the old tea chests - multiple steel rods going through it, with hooks holding the pre-brined fish.....
An old steel drum, with "precision" adjustable holes, to keep banksia sawdust smoking......
Used to create the sawdust by doing consecutive half inch cuts with a chainsaw.
It worked very well!!


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

I notice that all the wood you buy now for smokers is in chip form but when i used to smoke fish 20 years ago we always used saw dust. Do the chips work as well ? 
I'm using a small portable smoker.


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## noeskimo (Oct 20, 2008)

firstly, sawdust from a chainsaw will have chain oil in it.....that is if you put oil in the chain oiler...not good for your saw if you dont..

secondly. you dont need any wood other than australian native timbers, to get excellent results. the australian fish and pork industry has been using aussie native timber for smoking for 200 years and is on par with the best products in the world....

if you want to pay through the nose and get all fancy, then sure, buy imported hickory, oak, ash etc......but you wouldnt be able to tell the difference between to simmilarly smoked products using hickory, etc, and aussie timbers...

thirdly. woodchips are prone to flame....sawdust (from a hardwood sawmill) is less likely to flame. but it has more to do with the availability of oxigen than the size of the wood....

hope this helps... 

.


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## bankmaggot (Nov 9, 2008)

keza said:


> I notice that all the wood you buy now for smokers is in chip form but when i used to smoke fish 20 years ago we always used saw dust. Do the chips work as well ?
> I'm using a small portable smoker.


I like chips because they burn longer.I also soak them in wine.A chain saw makes something between chips and dust,try cutting with the grain to get longer chips.Don't forget to use olive oil for chain loob, NOT BAR OIL!


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## bream88 (Dec 29, 2009)

smoked fish very nice


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