The gas fired Smoke Vault has trouble generating smoke at lower temperatures. So its understandable that many like a big/little chief better.
And smoking fish requires not real hot internal temps.
I'll grant that the chief's are more trouble free for low temp smoking, but I love my Vault.
To fix this problem, remove the Vault's cast iron chip-smoking-pan from its little holder and just put it right on the floor of the smoker; don't cover up the entire gas flame hole though. With the cast iron pan closer to the flame it generates the smoke with less heat.
This way you can get low internal temps that are proper for fish, while generating proper smoke too.
And to do a cold smoke, I put a vent (roof vent for 4" pipe) on top of my Vault, run an aluminum expando dryer vent over to my little chief smoker and into it, and voila', I'm making great smoke with my Vault which ends up in the Chief. Since the expando can vary the distance, in cold weather I run it only 4 feet out and up to the Chief while summer temps make that distance more like 20 feet. Works like a charm!
And smoking fish requires not real hot internal temps.
I'll grant that the chief's are more trouble free for low temp smoking, but I love my Vault.
To fix this problem, remove the Vault's cast iron chip-smoking-pan from its little holder and just put it right on the floor of the smoker; don't cover up the entire gas flame hole though. With the cast iron pan closer to the flame it generates the smoke with less heat.
This way you can get low internal temps that are proper for fish, while generating proper smoke too.
And to do a cold smoke, I put a vent (roof vent for 4" pipe) on top of my Vault, run an aluminum expando dryer vent over to my little chief smoker and into it, and voila', I'm making great smoke with my Vault which ends up in the Chief. Since the expando can vary the distance, in cold weather I run it only 4 feet out and up to the Chief while summer temps make that distance more like 20 feet. Works like a charm!
