Ok, so I got tired of the small capacity of my Little Chief smoker so I ordered 3 more grills; modified the case a little (bent some of the inner side flaps to support more grills) and spaced the grills evenly.

WOW. 100% more capacity for only about $12...I can fit mr. 40lb spring in there now.

So I did my secret brine (soy sauce/brown sugar/water/hot chilli sauce/ginger/garlic) and packed those fillets in there nice and tight.

It looked great all packed in there; but after a few hours of smoking I checked the temperature...And where it used to get to about 145 degress with 3 grills (filled with fish)...it is now only getting up to 115 degrees with 6 grills (filled with fish). Ok, the ambient temp is a bit cool, but I have it covered with a box and it is getting about as hot as it will get.

What I want to know is did I potentially create a killer smoker - where my smoked salmon may kill me because it does not get "hot" enough?? I am a rank amateur at this stuff and am unacquainted with the science of smoking/food poisoning. I will likely have to leave the fish in there for a good 18hrs because I do prefer my salmon on the dry prosciutto style side...but is this lower smoker temp going to cause health problems.

Opinions kindly appreciated.

I put 3 charcoal briquets in my chip pan to get the smoker temp. up if it isn't getting hot enough for me. Make sure to use ones that are plain, not with the lighter fluid already in there.

Just take the racks in the house and put them in your stove oven at 200 degrees until it is done to your liking.
Or take just three racks inside and finish the other three in the smoker. The fish has absorbed all the smoke flavor it is going to get in the first couple of hours. You will not be able to tell which was finished in the oven or came out of the smoker.
I often do that in the winter if the temp turns cold after I take a notion to smoke some fish.

thanks for the tips guys

so in other words I must raise the temp by way of oven or briquettes - leaving it in for 18hrs at 115 degrees just won't cut it?

You ever heard of sushi? It may not be as done as you like it,but it won't hurt you to eat it.
Some of the best smoked salmon I've ever had was cold smoked. To cold smoke fish you place the heat source far enough away from the fish so the smoke is cold when it gets to the fish. It usually takes alot of space to cold smoke though,you have to run somekind of duct to the fish,so the smoke can cool. All the ones I've seen have a duct about 25-30'

bongo, i wouldnt worry to much about the temp, 115 is hot enough it will take awhile though, the brine should kill any enzymes or harmfull bacterias,hence the name (cure) my smoker rides about 200 degress and i can get about 50lbs of meat in it, most guys keep it under 200 degress.

thanks, yeah the brine......I wonder if my using 1 cup soysauce with maybe 1/8 cup salt is sufficient...I figure soy is basically all salt no?

OK, QUESTION, i have a little chief smoker too, but i lost the cord which supplies the power to the heater element, where do i get a replacement? thanks

I lost mine as well; but replaced it with an old laptop computer cord...check out an electrica/electronicsl supply place...it does not have to be the original...just so it fits is ok...

BB75, I've picked up replacments at G.I joes

It could. I agree that cold-smoked fish is some of the best stuff I've eaten, but it always makes me nervous. I read a book called "Parasitic Rex" about various parasites you can get from eating undercooked meat. SCARY.

I second the suggestion to finish it in the oven. It's easy, doesn't change the flavor, and it removes any risk of a nice hookworm finding its way into your stomach.

Hey Bongo - Where did you get racks for a little chief? I would also like to increase capacity (mostly for jerky) but cant find racks that fit!

The only thing I can see wrong with more capacity is getting the fat to run off will be a problem (just dont do springs!)

Try my favorite brine some time (3/1 brown sugar/salt) MMMMM good. Gonna get some from the freezer right now.

Heading down to stand in the rain and fish today. This rain had to move some of those fish up!! (2 inches in 3 days)

Tight Lines

If you can't locate the parts and pieces you need locally you can buy direct from the website, Luhr-Jensen .

I personally wait for the colder days to do my smoking because I think that the Little Chiefs' get too hot on warmer days and cause the fat and oils to curdle. Even though it rubs right off, I think that a lower outside temperature prevents most of it. I used to put the box on top, but don't do that anymore either. I also like a more jerky like product so I'll leave mine in for up to 24 hours if the outside temperature is around 40 degrees or less, mmmm, yummy! The oven method mentioned or the freezer seem to be good options if you're worried about the little bugs.

Here's the Luhr-Jensen perspective, "Your Little Chief or Big Chief Home Electric Smokehouse has been factory-tuned to provide exactly the proper temperature and air flow to remove excess surface moisture, raise the internal temperature of your food to approximately 165 degrees where it becomes pasteurized (one hour at 145 degrees or higher [internal temperature of the meat ), and finally, to provide an efficient and reliable smoke generator that will supply those old-fashioned smoke flavors to the various foods you are processing. The smoke not only marvelously flavors these foods, but also provides certain natural chemicals that penetrate the surface and assist in controlling the growth of various decay-causing organisms."

I'm munching a piece of my candy right now, woof woof!

hey, I ordered them thru LJensen...it was impossible to find anything that would fit properly otherwise plus it was quite cheap ~ $3 per grill plus s/h.

hope it helps....

Swains in PA or PT also has a good selection of parts -- they even have replacement instruction booklets.

I read a salmon smoking recipe where, after the smoke is done smoking, the critters are maintained at about 85 degrees for eight hours.

I found that one by doing a google for 'salmon smoking.'

Got one link that said they're hard to light. . .

When I was up in Canada recently, this German guy gave me a chunk of cold-smoked silver to try.

Man, talk about tasty. You had to slice it nice and thin because it almost had the consistency of raw fish, but the flavor was out of this world. A slice on a cracker with a little cream cheese, add a cold beer, and you're livin' large.

I like sushi and sashimi too, but I don't eat it too often because raw meat is home to BAD things.

If it's store-bought sushi or sashimi, I've heard they're required to freeze the fish for a minimum of three days...

I have eaten sashimi cut right off fresh fish, while out on the boat (did it a few times this summer)... it's tasty and really tender, but it's risky.

-N.