Adding ingredients to wood pan???? Discuss.

[nomorecoop]

Was watching Emeril this am & he was smoking salmon. He was using an indoor stove top type smoker.

He got the chips smoking in the wood pan, then he added rice, tea, & orange peels to the wood pan. To complete the setup, he put a drip pan over the wood pan, added the grate, salmon on the grate & lid. He mopped once with saki to give the salmon a little moisture.

Has anyone ever tried to add ingredients to the chip pan? I've tried to add liquid ingredients to the water pan, but it didn't seem to do anything. My initial thought is that it might add a little flavor, since the rice/tea/orange peel would actually be cooking & giving off aroma.

Thoughts???

[Richtee]

I will sometine toss in a couple tablespoons of black pepper, or even my rub. Gives an awesome "spicy" nose to the smoke. I'll do this maybe 3 times during a session if I'm looking for that flavor.

The waterpan thing is pretty much a waste of time and ingredients I feel. Perhaps you might get SOME of the flavor out in steam, mainly from the aromatic type spices/herbs, but I have never found much effect on final flavor.

[Fat_Head_Carl]

I'm also not a proponent to adding ingredients to the water pan.

[Vlap]

Tea smoke is quite tasty.

[Bbq Bubba]

Its all about putting on a show.

[curious aardvark]

I think if you put the ingredients into a marinade/mop (particularly for fish) you'd get much better results.

Hell I'm not even convinced that with the light smoke I tend to use that different woods make that much difference.
I use oak 'cos there's just so much of it lying around.
Tried apple the other day - didn't seem to make any difference.

[Richtee]

Hell I'm not even convinced that with the light smoke I tend to use that different woods make that much difference.
I use oak 'cos there's just so much of it lying around.
Tried apple the other day - didn't seem to make any difference.

You could be right there. If using just light smoke, some wood's character might not be as pronounced...especially the lighter flavors of apple, oak, maple...etc...

I notice a definate difference in my apple ribs as opposed to maple. But I pretty much try for thin blue thruout the smoke.

[Bbqgoddess]

I had recently read... and I can't remember now where, but in other parts of the world, smoking with rice is quite popular. I never thought to add it to the chip pan tho... hey why not, peeps here have been smoking with corn cobs forever... Tea smoke is amazing too.. Were the orange peels dried? it seems they would have a lot of oil in them and I would think that would create a funky smoke??

[JustSmoke2]

Now I have never added pepper or rice to my wood box but I have used corn cobs for smoke. A native american traded his knack for smoked salmon for my apple flavored beef jerky. He made sure that I understood it most be corn cobs for the smoke. Now I hate to eat fish but the people who got some of the salmon said it was the best they ever had and the smoke was really light.
As for adding something different to a water pan I added apple juice once. Everything was going fine until I turned my back on it and began to boil. I came home and asked my wife if she added more wood chips and she said no. Well the smoke was from the juice boiling dry. Now I don't even use water I use sand or just foil my pan and let it go.

[nomorecoop]

I had recently read... and I can't remember now where, but in other parts of the world, smoking with rice is quite popular. I never thought to add it to the chip pan tho... hey why not, peeps here have been smoking with corn cobs forever... Tea smoke is amazing too.. Were the orange peels dried? it seems they would have a lot of oil in them and I would think that would create a funky smoke??

Yup. Orange peels were dried. Guess I'll have to throw some rice in the smoker next time (since I don't eat rice).

[Walking Dude]

rosemary is another great ingrediant to add to the chip box..........

but what flavor would/will rice bring to the party?

[Richtee]

rosemary is another great ingrediant to add to the chip box..........

but what flavor would/will rice bring to the party?

I hear it tastes like a new Honda...

[Walking Dude]

I hear it tastes like a new Honda...

like a LAWNMOWER?

[curious aardvark]

apple flavored beef jerky.

OOh that's a good idea :-)
And apples are supposed to cure all ills ;-)

[Richtee]

OOh that's a good idea :-)
And apples are supposed to cure all ills ;-)

Dammit CA QUOTE the post...yer confusing me!