Smoking fish flavor after previous smoke

[smokinmikey]

I am a total newbie using an electric Meco stainless bullet. I smoked a filet salmon which turned out good. I smoked a brisket a few days later and it tasted like salmon ! This is a smoker I used as a BBQ with charcoal to do steaks, etc. Do other people have this problem or do you use separate smokers. I really don't want to buy another smoker.

 

[T3660]

I personally don’t like using my meat smoker for fish. I have a separate smoker for fish. You could use your meat smoker for fish but you would have to really clean it out after use.

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Clean off the grates, water pan, etc. I smoke salmon too. The smell goes away after one smoke of something else. No need to scrub smoker walls.

 

[T3660]

One year I had very much salmon fillets and ended up smoking 70 pounds of fillets over a weekend. I was mad after that at myself because I had to clean all the seasoning off my Pit with oven cleaner. After 3 cooks I couldn’t get that flavor out till I stripped it down. Then again with that amount of drippings of oily fish, it had to smell!!!!!

 

[smokinmikey]

I found a CL ad for a Masterbuilt 340 for $100 so I think I'll take it and see about cleaning it, there is no remote but thats ok.

 

[daveomak]

Some folks on here say that doesn't happen.... Well 30+ years ago, it happened to me... sooooooo, now I have a dedicated fish smoker... the same one from 30+ years ago... and I have about 6 meat smokers.... Time for a new smoker that's dedicated to meat... Keep the fish smoker... Join the group of fish smoking loyalists...

 

[SonnyE]

I'm one of those "One Smoker Fitz All" types.
If your next smoke has a fish taste, you are not using enough Cyan pepper.
I like enough Cyan so everybody gripes about that, and nobody mentions anything about "fishy tastes". ;)
Decoys. :rolleyes:

I use Dave's idea of sterilizing my smoker before, and after. So that might help to "burn it out".
I use a MES 30 electric. I let it run at 275° for two hours before a smoke. And after I clean up, I will run it for two hours to sterilize mine before parking it.

There is a Member here who runs his racks through the dishwasher. Boy does that ever make them chiney again!

 

[Bearcarver]

I once smoked over 100 pounds of Salmon over a period of 4 months.
I did some other things in between, and didn't notice any bad flavors.
Then afterwards I went back to all my red meat smoking, and tasted NO FISH.

All I do is change foil coverings on the water pan, and the floor, and Mrs Bear washes the smoking racks.

Bear

 

[gmc2003]

Change the foil on the water pan and clean the grates is all I do. Never noticed any fishy smell on any of my cooks.

Chris

 

[T3660]

I once smoked over 100 pounds of Salmon over a period of 4 months.
I did some other things in between, and didn't notice any bad flavors.
Then afterwards I went back to all my red meat smoking, and tasted NO FISH.

All I do is change foil coverings on the water pan, and the floor, and Mrs Bear washes the smoking racks.

Bear

My smoker wasn’t set up that way. I have a large oil drum with an internal firebox. I have no water pans and the fish slime was dripping in the bottom of my rig and formed a hardened fish slime crust. After the 3 smokes afterwards it still had the wonderful aroma of fish.

 

[Tim Stevens]

I'm a single-smoker guy, too. I have distinctly salmon-y odors lingering after smoking salmon. I always use New Zealand farmed Ora King salmon, which is REALLY fatty. Like butter when it's cooked. If you haven't tried it, you should. So all the fat that reaches smoker box surfaces leaves some deposits. I wash it out with Dawn detergent or I use my pressure washer. Do it as soon as possible before any salmon bits and fat have become hard, dried and sticky. I'd probably do this even if I had a second smoker, because I think the salmon oils can get a little funky over time. My two cents worth.

 

[Bearcarver]

My smoker wasn’t set up that way. I have a large oil drum with an internal firebox. I have no water pans and the fish slime was dripping in the bottom of my rig and formed a hardened fish slime crust. After the 3 smokes afterwards it still had the wonderful aroma of fish.

I have no experience with a barrel smoker, but I would think you could pressure wash that one, unlike my Electric Smoker.

Bear