Need help smoking salmon

[vaindioux]

Shall I get this dial for cold smoking? It has low range temps which I need.

http://www.dealaboo.com/usa/Man-Law-...df1512393.html

Will it fit in place of the dial I have on my smoker (See pic below)?




Thanks

Patrick

[IrishChef]

Shall I get this dial for cold smoking? It has low range temps which I need.

http://www.dealaboo.com/usa/Man-Law-...df1512393.html

Will it fit in place of the dial I have on my smoker (See pic below)?

http://s85.photobucket.com/user/vain...moker.jpg.html

Thanks

Patrick

The first one you listed is a meat thermometer used for checking internal temps. I saw this one listed on a sidebar. It is more in line with what you are looking for:
http://www.dealaboo.com/usa/Man-Law-...df1551638.html

[vaindioux]

The first one you listed is a meat thermometer used for checking internal temps. I saw this one listed on a sidebar. It is more in line with what you are looking for:
http://www.dealaboo.com/usa/Man-Law-...df1551638.html

Thanks so much, I might go for it.

Patrick

[HistoricFoodie]

Think in terms of "in addition to," rather than "replace." Reason for that is how the thermometers are mounted.

Most OEM dials fit into a full-sized hole. That is, the hole in the unit is as wide as the thermometer face.

Replacement thermometers, on the other hand, use holes slightly larger than the diameter of the probe. For instance, the ones I get locally only require a 3/8 inch hole.

Don't know how handy you are, but installing a new one is a simple job of drilling a hole. If you remove the OEM dial, however, you'll have to fair-over the hole.

My advice: Leave the OEM dial in place, and install replacement(s) where you want them.

[HistoricFoodie]

A couple more thoughts that might be useful to you.

The thermometer in the unit is measuring the ambient temperature inside the unit. Good, so far as it goes. But that only tells you the surface temperature of the food product.

What's important is the internal temperature. And that takes a probe-type; of which there are several kinds.

The first product you showed is a probe type. You would plunge the "needle" halfway into the thickest part of the meat (or fish, in your case) and the dial almost instantly give you a reading.

Benefit to this type: They're relatively cheap.
Downside: You have to open the unit to use them. Each time you do so the heat of the unit lowers to a lesser or greater degree. Not a good procedure.

The other basic type of probe has a flexible cable attached to the needle, at one end, and plugs into the dial at the other. With this type, the needle remains in the meat all through the cook, and the dial is put in a handy location outside the unit.

Benefit: The unit doesn't have to be opened to get a reading; generally more accurate than the plunge types.
Downside: Comparatively more expensive.

[vaindioux]

Historic

Thanks for the detailed answer. Can you point me to one of those expensive dials you mention (The one with the flexible cable)?
Yes I am handy enough to install a new dial in my smoker.

Thanks again

Patrick

[Bearcarver]

Historic

Thanks for the detailed answer. Can you point me to one of those expensive dials you mention (The one with the flexible cable)?
Yes I am handy enough to install a new dial in my smoker.

Thanks again

Patrick

If I may:

The one used most seems to be the Maverick ET-732 Digital Wireless. It has 2 probes attached to a unit that displays the temps & transmits them to a second (receiving) unit---One probe measures smoker temp, and the other is inserted into the center of the meat for Internal Temp. There is a 2nd unit that receives the info from the transmitter at the smoker. You can keep an eye on the temps from nearly any place in or around your home. I have my ET-732 for over 4 years, and wouldn't want to go without it.

Bear

[HistoricFoodie]

In all due respect, Bear, I would not start a beginner with a unit like that. Instead, termometers like those made by Oneida run less than 20 bucks, and do the job just fine.

Once he catches the smoking bug is more than enough time to start investing in that more expensive equipment.

Of course, by the time he reaches that stage he'll have replaced the Brinkman anyway. :>)

[206]

I remember my days using the same smoker and same dial. (Hot) smoked many salmon in it and Q'd up a lot of good meat on it. For the fish I ended up having two coal fires. One in a coffee can and one in the ECB. I would only use about (abooot) 4-5 coals in the ECB (with a chunk of wood) and add more from the coffee can when needed.

The dial? Ideal is prolly abooot 225-250. You can test it with a thermometer. I bought a cheap Tayler probe thermometer boot 15 years ago, and it still shows water boiling at 212. You will need a probe when you stick the big ol hunk of pork on your ECB.

The ECB coal pan needs holes drilled in it and a coal rack.

[Bearcarver]

In all due respect, Bear, I would not start a beginner with a unit like that. Instead, termometers like those made by Oneida run less than 20 bucks, and do the job just fine.

Once he catches the smoking bug is more than enough time to start investing in that more expensive equipment.

Of course, by the time he reaches that stage he'll have replaced the Brinkman anyway. :>)

LOL---I used to think that way until I learned that if you buy Junk for $20, and end up getting something good for $40, you end up shelling out $60.

Same thing as I did, when I bought an MES 30 to save money. Then after finding out it wasn't big enough, I bought an MES 40, and ended up wasting my money on the cheaper smaller one.

Besides---Most beginners I've seen over the last 4 years have started out with a Maverick.

Bear

[TasunkaWitko]

I see it both ways - I've got a 15$ AccuView thermometer that has been working very well for years, so it's fine for me. But if a person wants to fork out the money for a Maverick, it can't hurt. As with most things, it comes down to what your budget can handle, and how deep you want to get into it.

The "cool/ideal/hot" indicator is good for getting a basic, over-all indication of what's going on in the unit, but if you want specifics, there are several ways to go. One option that is quite affordable and practical is to drill a hole in the side of the unit - just above the grate level. Make it big enough to shove a small cork into it. Now do the same just above the level of the other grate. Shove a cork into each hole, then shove the probe of whichever thermometer you choose into a third cork that is the same size. when you want to check the temperature, simply remove the "stopper" cork and insert the "thermometer" cork. You know what the temperature is at grate level.

[HistoricFoodie]

if you buy Junk for $20, and end up getting something good for $40, you end up shelling out $60.

I certainly have not argument with your basic thesis, Bear. It's like daddy used to say; don't be afraid to buy the best, you won't be disappointed.

But "best" is a nebulous term. We're talking about a difference in features, not in the basic operating system. There's nothing junk-like about the Oneida. My first one lasted more than a dozen years, and then broke down because of an error on my part.

So the question is, being as they both do the job intended for them, does a newbie---who doesn't know yet if smoking is going become his thing---really need the special features of a $60 (sixty, not forty) thermometer? Why stop there? If your argument is valid for a $60 unit, then why not a hundred dollar one? Or even go crazy and build a computer generated control system that not only measures, but maintains, heat levels (and maybe busses the little woman and pats the baby on the tush in passing).

[Bearcarver]

if you buy Junk for $20, and end up getting something good for $40, you end up shelling out $60.

I certainly have not argument with your basic thesis, Bear. It's like daddy used to say; don't be afraid to buy the best, you won't be disappointed.

But "best" is a nebulous term. We're talking about a difference in features, not in the basic operating system. There's nothing junk-like about the Oneida. My first one lasted more than a dozen years, and then broke down because of an error on my part.

So the question is, being as they both do the job intended for them, does a newbie---who doesn't know yet if smoking is going become his thing---really need the special features of a $60 (sixty, not forty) thermometer? Why stop there? If your argument is valid for a $60 unit, then why not a hundred dollar one? Or even go crazy and build a computer generated control system that not only measures, but maintains, heat levels (and maybe busses the little woman and pats the baby on the tush in passing).

Now you're getting ridiculous & being a sarcastic jerk. I've been mostly haunting 2 forums over the last 5 years, and just like most other guys who help a lot of Newbies, I've been suggesting they get an AMNPS & something like a Maverick ET-732, because very few smokers can put out up to 11 straight hours of perfect smoke without touching it (especially electric smokers), and with the Maverick ET-732 you can make up for an inaccurate stock smoker therm, plus probe the meat for the internal temp, so they know when to pull said meat, and they don't have to be standing in front of the smoker the whole time. My 347 page FREE book (With pictures) uses these things in every smoke. If they get a better smoker these things can be used in most of those better smokers too, so they don't become a loss & they can move them to the new smoker.
You're the first one to ever have a problem with my suggesting these two items, in fact most of the time I get a bunch of "I agree with Bear" type quotes & replies.
Most people are intelligent enough to know these are only suggestions, not orders.

So you suggest what you want to suggest, and I'll continue to do the same.

Thank You,
Bear

[Richtee]

Christ sakes.. let's just get this guy on the right track.

He's got some stuff to digest already. THEN we can argue over the whistles and bells... eh?

[Charcuteryan]

Wow this one turned out way better than i expected Good BBQ takes practice, not a certain thermometer or smoker