countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org

blowin · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:17 am Post subject: using turf in a smoker

I thought there was already a thread on this but I can't find it !
Anyway , I love the smell of good turf and was wondering why the old cottages don't have a smoking hatch up in the chimney . Presumably they would be burning smokey turf all the time ( if they were lucky ) so could preserve fish and meat that way ? Or maybe they didn't have any of that in the first place ?
I have been told that turf can be ok but it isn't used because the quality varies so much . If that is the only reason it would be easy enough to set a bit of good stuff aside and I would expect a pleasant result . Any thoughts ?

blowin · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:36 am Post subject:

Aha , the exhaust/smoke goes out the back of our range , into a fairly large circulation (?) chamber , then up the chimney above . There is a small hole which gives access to the chamber from the outside wall . I thought I'd try smoking fish in there . I folded chicken wire into layers to make a sort of hammock suspended between the flue from the range and the plate in the wall . I put good quality , nice smelling turf into the range and damped it down to get smoke . It didn't seem particularly hot in the chamber but the underside of the fish burnt while the top stayed raw so that lot went straight to the cats . Then I placed a sheet of tinfoil beneath the next lot of mackerel when they went onto the hammock . That stopped the burning but the whole fish seemed be drying out rather than cooking as I expected . I had visions of something like smoked eel Very Happy

when I tried it after about an hour , and I can honestly tell you it was ..........absolutely digusting . Super-concentrated soot flavour with an intense tang of fish-oil . It might have helped if I had swept the chimney before that little experiment but I really can't be bothered to try it again ! Laughing

lofty · Joined: 07 May 2008 Posts: 65 Location: north mayo

i know a restaraunt that did hot smoked turf smoked salmon. The salmon was only in the smoke for a few minutes and it was mild enough flavour. The fish wasnt left in salt before hand either. You would imagine that it would have worked for you im surprised it hasnt.

blowin · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:20 am Post subject:

Perhaps they added turf "mold" ( ? -- the dampish dust ) in the same way that you would add hickory chips ie in small amounts , not as the main fuel for the cooking fire ? Just a guess as I have never yet smoked anything successfully . Not that I am going to admit to anyway Laughing

.
There was quite a lot of tar in the chimney . Perhaps that flavoured it ?
I wonder what result you'd get if you mixed turf with the charcoal on a BBQ but I don't do many of those .

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

I am a bit put off using turf as lamp oil used to be extracted from it. Kind a like paraffin. I am no expert but I would have thought that the cool temps needed to smoke the likes of Salmon/kippers would require the meat to be a fare way away from the heat sauce.
_________________
Leave not a trace.

lofty · Joined: 07 May 2008 Posts: 65 Location: north mayo

i know for a fact it was an actual small piece of turf they used and it was in
one of those small abu garcia fish smokers that they did it

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

Great little smokers they are too. Wink

_________________
Leave not a trace.

blowin · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:27 am Post subject: