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Using Little Chief electric smoker

by Doug
(Vancouver, WA)

I have been smoking with a little chief electric smoker and finishing on the grill or oven. Is that about all I can do with larger cuts of meat with this type of smoker?

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Using Little Chief electric smoker

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starstarstarstarstar 		No basic instructions in manual
by: Amasea

SmokerBill, in the manual you link to, there are no basic instructions on how to use the Little Chief -- i.e. how to clean it, where the chips go, how many pans of chips to use for how long you're smoking, etc.
Does anyone know where the BASIC instructions can be found?
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starstarstarstarstar 		Smoker
by: Phil

Last nite the temp. outside was 40 & my Little Chief smoker temp. was over 195. One thing I suggest is wrap a couple old blankets around the cooker...that really helps bring the temp up. The second thing is, when the chips stop smoking & are a white ash(but still a little black), that's when the temp really starts to go up. Wait til it climbs 10 degrees higher than you want, dump out the old chips & add new chips. The temp will then drop 20+ degrees & 15-20 mins. later it will start smoking again & temp will start climbing. I think they work great. I have used one for 25 yrs.
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starstarstarstarstar 		USE IT FOR WHAT IT IS
by: Dan

I've used a little chief for years. Salmon and chicken are the best but I've done it all. I have three of them. I hook two together with a dryer hose to have a hot box and a cold box for smoking cheese, lox and other cold smoke foods -works great! Use the hot box to burn the wood and the cold box (locate above the hot box) to place the food. I've made pastrami (smoked corn beef,) Chipotle (smoked jalapeno peppers,) liquid smoke, and the usual ribs, steaks, turkey, hamburger, vegetables, nuts...you name it. Wrap the smoked food in plastic and put in the frig overnight to cure then grill it the next day. Get creative, take your time and have some fun using it for what it's designed for. Get a hot smoker if all you want to do is cook in smoke.

Cheers!
Rating
starstar 		CAMPING
by: NELL

So dissappointed I wish I had never bought the smoker. I was hoping not to have to take the meat out and find another place to cook it while camping. It is hard to carry another grill or oven too.
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starstarstarstarstar 		lil chief
by: Anonymous

I just got one for xmas thinking i could smoke a brisket and eat it....man was i wrong....I dont fish and i dont like jerky very much, so this is a real drag for me...I need a hot smoker.
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starstarstarstarstar 		It's not made for that.
by: Anonymous

Doug,

Your appliance just isn't made for it. Cooking large cuts to proper temperatures would take just about forever, and during the process, your food would likely be in the "danger zone" (between 45 and 140 degrees) for hours, encouraging dangerous levels of bacterial growth.

Looking at the manual, the unit is suited to smoke flavoring, drying and curing, but not true smoke cooking.

Nonetheless, be of good cheer. I would love to have a unit like that to put next to my pit cooker.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Little Chief Smoker Capabilities
by: SmokerBill

I called the manufacturer of the Little Chief smoker and was told that the Little Chief (and Big Chief) smokers are temperature regulated to operate at 165-170 degrees in fair weather. They are capable of completely smoking and finishing seafood and jerky, but because of the low temperature, larger cuts of meat MUST be finished in the oven or on the grill.

The Little Chief can be used to smoke-flavor meats like ribs, brisket, chicken, etc., but after a short time in the smoker, need to be cooked as usual.

You'll find a link to the Little Chief User Manual on my Grill and Smoker Manuals Page.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		little chief smoker
by: Doug

Why do you finish in the oven or grill? If that's the way you want to do it and your happy with it I guess that's fine. I would let it finish on the smoker. What do you want to be able to do with it?

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