Little Chief Chip Pan--what to use

[BrontoBurger]

I scored my Little Chief for cheap, but the pan wasn't with it.

Since the pan has direct contact with the heating element I'm wondering what the best (inexpensive) thing to use is that has the best/proper thickness.

Do I just get a cheap little metal frying pan at the thrift shop? Would a good foil pan work (i.e. a higher-end Jiffy pop model, lol). Am i right in thinking that cast iron might be too thick of a material, and that a thin pan would be better?

Appreciate your experience. Electric smoking is new to me.

 

[forktender]

Go buy a little 6'' lodge castiron skillet. or you can just use an old coffee can cut down, anything will work as long as it's steel. I always cover the chip pan with foil and poke a few holes in it so it doesn't ignite and burn, it just smolders like it should.

 

[Mofatguy]

Just buy it from the manufacture. Smokehouseproducts.com

 

[BrontoBurger]

Thanks so much, all of you! Appreciate the expertise.

 

[Mofatguy]

Thanks so much, all of you! Appreciate the expertise.

I really like my big chief smoker for certain things. Just know that it won't cook big chunks of meat. Only good for stuff like sausage, snack sticks, fish, etc.
If I remember correctly I think you can download a manual for you little chief if yours didn't come with one.

 

[BrontoBurger]

Yep, thanks! I think salmon will be the go-to on the Little Chief. I got it for about $5 at the Goodwill Outlet, brand new. Couldn't pass it up!

 

[daveomak]

Cast iron will not work in the Little Chief Smoker... W-M has the chief smokers and I have seen chip pan there... If your W_M doesn't carry them, Amazon does...

Chief smoking chip pan

..

 

[normanaj]

What dave said.Our local Wallyworld has the chip pans.

 

[forktender]

I use C.I. in my Big Chief all the time and it smokes just as well as the OG tin pan that it came with. I just set in there while I'm waiting for the fish to glaze over. Once it starts smoking I cover it with a small pie pan that has 6 1/4'' holes drilled through it and it smoke perfectly for 2 hours. Does the big chief run hotter than the little chief? I don't know. I assumed that they ran at the same temp.

 

[daveomak]

225 watt burner vs. 400 or 425 watt burner...

Mine has a 1200 watt burner.... I installed it...

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a...ent-for-colder-climates-and-hot-smoking.9579/

 

[forktender]

Well, that makes sense.
Thank you.

 

[EmilyJAckson]

Hi guys, before buying my first grill I found out a grill pan to save money and to compare taste of it with the real grill. What do you guys think about this?

 

[daveomak]

Hi guys, before buying my first grill I found out a grill pan to save money and to compare taste of it with the real grill. What do you guys think about this?

..

IMO, It will not work in the little chief smoker... Too much thermal mass...
The original pan was designed for that 400 watt element...

 

[Steve H]

IMO, It will not work in the little chief smoker... Too much thermal mass...
The original pan was designed for that 400 watt element...

It should work. But with the thermo mass. It will take much longer to reach temp and create smoke. As daveomak pointed out. The original will work better because it carries far less mass to heat.

 

[browneyesvictim]

I really like my big chief smoker for certain things. Just know that it won't cook big chunks of meat. Only good for stuff like sausage, snack sticks, fish, etc.
If I remember correctly I think you can download a manual for you little chief if yours didn't come with one.

Only partially true... The Chief smokers are great cold smokers too. Get a pellet tube or tray and don't plug it in, and viola! Even slabs of bacon! You can warm smoke with it too but at the ~165 temp is a little higher than I personally like for bacon it but does work. You stay in the rules if you are using cure.

I have smoked larger items before such as pulled pork and whole turkeys before in my Big Chief. BUT!!! You will run into food safety issues if not done carefully and it is very hard on the smoker. I won't do it anymore for those reasons. The secret is adding briquettes to the chip pan for additional heat throughout the smoke. It will pretty much destroy the chip pan handle and over-temp the element and the wiring.

 

[daveomak]

It should work. But with the thermo mass. It will take much longer to reach temp and create smoke. As daveomak pointed out. The original will work better because it carries far less mass to heat.

I have tried a 6" CI pans in this smoker.... They don't work....

 

[forktender]

And yet it works fine in mine........go figure.