Hi Gang,
I'm trying to work out a new system for cold smoking salmon. I've been having good success with my current system, but I want to be able to easily increase my volume. I have a MES 30" which I use as a smoker box. I use the "mailbox mod", where I put the Amaz-n-pellet inside a standard mailbox on the floor (with some holes in it for air supply). I run a dryer vent hose out of the top of the mailbox, and into the inlet in the MES. I get a beautiful amount of smoke, for as long as I need. I'd previously tried having the Amaze-n-pellet inside the smoker, but sometimes it would raise the ambient temperature too high, and cook the salmon. This system does well in letting the smoke all run into the smoker, but the heat mostly doesn't transfer, and the food doesn't cook.
My problem is I want to be able to smoke a much larger quantity than the MES will allow. I use this in my commercial kitchen at my bagel shop, so I smoke inside, with the MES on my range, right under my exhaust hood. My the range has an oven in it, which I never use as it doesn't regulate temp well. I'd looked around for something larger to use as a smoker box, which would be able to hold full sheet pans, so I could fit multiple sides of salmon in there at once, and would also fit onto the range top so it would be under the hoods. I cannot find anything like this.
My idea is to either modify the oven itself (cut a hole into the side to run my dryer hose through), or maybe try to use the amaze-n-pellet inside of it, and hope that it won't raise the temp too much. I don't know if any of the smoke will escape the oven (would that be bad, would it be too much creosote?), or if I should cut another hole for venting. I don't want to do too much to this thing, I still use the range on top of it.
Any thoughts about using an oven as a smoker in general, or on my modification ideas?
I'm trying to work out a new system for cold smoking salmon. I've been having good success with my current system, but I want to be able to easily increase my volume. I have a MES 30" which I use as a smoker box. I use the "mailbox mod", where I put the Amaz-n-pellet inside a standard mailbox on the floor (with some holes in it for air supply). I run a dryer vent hose out of the top of the mailbox, and into the inlet in the MES. I get a beautiful amount of smoke, for as long as I need. I'd previously tried having the Amaze-n-pellet inside the smoker, but sometimes it would raise the ambient temperature too high, and cook the salmon. This system does well in letting the smoke all run into the smoker, but the heat mostly doesn't transfer, and the food doesn't cook.
My problem is I want to be able to smoke a much larger quantity than the MES will allow. I use this in my commercial kitchen at my bagel shop, so I smoke inside, with the MES on my range, right under my exhaust hood. My the range has an oven in it, which I never use as it doesn't regulate temp well. I'd looked around for something larger to use as a smoker box, which would be able to hold full sheet pans, so I could fit multiple sides of salmon in there at once, and would also fit onto the range top so it would be under the hoods. I cannot find anything like this.
My idea is to either modify the oven itself (cut a hole into the side to run my dryer hose through), or maybe try to use the amaze-n-pellet inside of it, and hope that it won't raise the temp too much. I don't know if any of the smoke will escape the oven (would that be bad, would it be too much creosote?), or if I should cut another hole for venting. I don't want to do too much to this thing, I still use the range on top of it.
Any thoughts about using an oven as a smoker in general, or on my modification ideas?
