Hello everyone, Newbie and glad to be here.

[Tonybigeyes]

Greetings all, Okay so the skinny on me is that I am an avid fisherman that stumbled upon a new neighbor in my condo complex that was smoking . He couldn’t have been nicer and before you know it I was bringing him fish and he was smoking it for me . He kept maybe half or less for his troubles. I was immediately hooked on smoked fish(Striped Bass/Rockfish) I made a dill sauce and it went great with the smoked fish. PS he had a few smokers and he was looking to sell one so I bought a Char broil vertical propane smoker from him. He showed me how to use it and we smoked some more fish together. Now, there is only one tray above the flame element which has a round compartment for water and the sides for wood chips. However , my neighbor said he doesn’t use the round chamber for water he just puts wood chips in there too. Anyway, I was so excited when I smoked chicken wings by myself for the first time and they unfortunately came out HORRIBlE !! , Skin was like rubber, basically inedible. I was so disappointed I didn’t try again for a few weeks later and this time I did some fish and it came out pretty good. I guess it’s a big learning curve with smoking. I can’t wait to do something else besides fish but I need to read up on here to get some tips. Just wanted to share . Thanks and Happy to be here!

 

[bradger]

The nature of chicken skin is why it got rubbery. what you can try is after smoking the wings. put them in a cold cast iron turn burner on and allow to crisp up, when you hear a heavy crackling. there done start checking the skin so it doesn't' burn. and welcome plenty of advice on here

 

[jcam222]

How hot will your smoker get? I did wings today that started around 275 and rode pretty quick up to 300. They can out with nice bite through skin. All I did prior to smoking was toss them in avocado oil and hit them with rub. I always recommend the first smoker project being smoked pork butt for pulled pork. It’s a VERY forgiving meat and you will love the results.

 

[kruizer]

Welcome to SMF from Minnesota.

 

[siege]

Welcome from the greater Yellowstone area. Glad to have you here. Great place to learn and share. I love to fish, too. There was a pretty little brookie on the fly in my profile picture. I sent him home to grow up.
The first thing I ever smoked was fish also. There was a Kokane salmon run that had a snagging season. At the time, limit was 75 a day, 150 in possession. An old timer in the neighborhood helped me put together a smoker, and taught me the the way to process, smoke and preserve. That was 1974. Now I'm the old timer in the neighborhood =)

 

[noboundaries]

Welcome from California! Great lessons learned so far about smoking. The biggest? Skin-on poultry is NEVER low n slow. The skin needs high heat, and there are a lot of ways you can do it.

Enjoy the Forum!

Ray

 

[bluewhisper]

Welcome to the board! You're lucky to have found a neighbor like that. Sharing knowledge among smokers is the purpose of this board.

I found SMF by way of a fishing board. This place can seem big and overwhelming at first but people will welcome you and answer questions.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Welcome glad to have you on board as said high temps is the way for crisp chicken skin. Pork butts is a long cook to get pulled pork it can be up to 14 hours depending on the size of the butt. My $.02 is its not an easy beginning item.

Warren

 

[uncle eddie]

Welcome to the forum!

Chicken and turkey skin requires a short time in the oven to crisp the skin or a high temperature finish in your smoker (if it can go that high). I usually turn the oven to 425F and put the bird in for 10 to 15 minutes to finish. You will see the skin sizzle and your kitchen will smell amazing :-)

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome to the site happy to have ya join the fun.

Chris

 

[Tonybigeyes]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome, I know I lucked out finding this forum. Also, thanks for the advice on the chicken wings ,will do things different next time.

 

[one eyed jack]

Welcome aboard Big Eye, Congrats on your first smoker.

You've come to the right place. Just do a search for any item you decide to smoke. You'll probably find it here.