Pompeii oven as a smoker

[RandyJ]

It is something that I would love to try once I get my door done. I am sure that I will not have embers left and only 250 degrees. I am with no door 24 hours later I am at 400F plus. 40 to 48 hours after pizza with no door I am around 175F so with a door I do not know how it will all shake out. But I know I have the insulation to do anything I want.

Randy

[Spunkoid]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

...What about one of those campfire racks? They are elevated - meant to be place over a campfire. The ones I've seen are folding, so you could easily get it in and out of the oven.
Just a thought.

Bumping this thread to see if anyone else is using their oven as a smoker and if that is working for them. I have not tried it yet, but am seriously thinking about trying some ribs. I am firing up the oven this weekend to cook a couple of crown rack of lamb roasts. Maybe give it a try as the oven is cooling down. As far as racks go, I can't think of anything better than a tuscan grill, anyone try one?

[Mountian Mick]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

Hi Yes we love slowly smoking hams bacon and chickens in our oven nice a slow heat and lots of smoke I use wood chips of hickory & plum that as be soaked in water for 1 to 2 hours just place on the hot coals ,

[asudavew]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

I am considering abandoning my smoker plans ( they were only an afterthought to the oven) and I have one last questions before using the big pink eraser.

Is anyone having problems with residual smoke in thier ovens ? I know that dedicated smokers can develop quite a coating of residue on the inside. Does running your oven up to pizza temp clear out this residue ? or do all your pizzas have that smokey flavor.

Thanks
Bruce

Usually no smoky flavor in the pies.

The high temps burn the dome clean as a whistle.

[brokencookie]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

I am considering abandoning my smoker plans ( they were only an afterthought to the oven) and I have one last questions before using the big pink eraser.

Is anyone having problems with residual smoke in thier ovens ? I know that dedicated smokers can develop quite a coating of residue on the inside. Does running your oven up to pizza temp clear out this residue ? or do all your pizzas have that smokey flavor.

Thanks
Bruce

[edschmidt]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

The next thing I plan on smoking is jalapenios (unfiltered) Im thinking more in the 150 deg. range, more like dehydrating with smoke. Im undecided to do them whole, or without the seeds (refered to as castrated) Im thinking if I dry them to wetter level than the overly dry store bought variety they should be incredible.

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

I have been expiramenting using my oven for smoking lately as well. Pull out some coals and seal them so they stop burning. The next morning I put them in a coffee can which I poked a bunch of holes in and light with a piece of newspaper. When they get good and hot (10min) I drop on applewood shavings which I poured some bacon grease on. I immediately get tons of smoke for 1 hr. or more from the first hadfull. The only thing I have been wondering lately is whether I should either suspend the meat, or build an elevated wire rack to get the meat closer to the cieling for optimal smoke infusion.

I agree with Ed, the thing to try and do is get your chips to smoke, not burn.

I use a variety of wood chips....Alder, Apple, Hickory or Mesquite......I like to soak them to slow down the smoking.....and apple branches work well too. I put them in a piece of stainless tubing with holes in it so they smoke more than burn.

The coffee can technique sounds great!

[Frances]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

Bump. Always loved this thread.

I put some pork sausages and a piece of unsmoked bacon in the oven this morning at 80 C (180 F) with a small bed of coals and some fresh rosemary twigs for the smoke... and now I'm wondering how long to leave them there.

RT hows your smoking coming along? Anyone else done any in the meantime?

Could someone give me a quick list of do's and don'ts on smoking? (How to avaid food poisening would be a favourite right now... )

[Jerald Powell]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

Great info on smoking! I also attempted to smoke a pork roast. I got great smoke flavor but ran out of heat and had to finish it in my electric convection oven. I can't wait to try it again!

[RTflorida]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

Ed, I'm giving cold smoking a try later this week; although I'm not using my WFO. I built one out of the above mentioned Brinkmann (locker style), a heavy duty CPU fan, 10' of flex duct, hot plate, and a steel storage tub (firebox) - Got the idea from the Food Network's Alton Brown (the Scrapiron chef episode where he makes his own bacon).
I had a tough time finding pork bellies, I ended up at a small latin meat market/takeout in Tampa. Anyway, the bellies went into the brine today and I should be smoking on Wed. Seems to me bacon should be the easiest, will progress to fish and cheese if I don't screw up the bacon. I will post again after the experiment.

RT

[Inishta]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

It seems that folks from the US/Canada do a lot more in the way of smoking than us from the UK. I bought a Brinkmann smoker to bring with us when we moved to Turkey this year but have not gotten tound to using it yet.

Just a thought, would it not be possible to put a door in the chimney of the WFO, place some SS rods into the aperture and hang meat,sausage or fish in there for smoking. I realize this should only be done with particular types of wood. Thoughts anyone?

[edschmidt]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

Sorry I havent updated, The alaskan salmon I got had so much freezer burn I could not try to cold smoke it. Insted I decided to try cold smoking bacon, chicken, and mazzarella. I left the door off the oven one particularly cold night. The next morning I placed the meat and mozzarella on a screen in the oven and did the coffee-can with holes thing (see earlier post). I let it smoke for 4 hours and when I opened the door and checked the temp it was 50 deg. the cheese was still solid. I then made a chicken bacon ranch pizza with everything that I previously smoked. I can tell you this, there is such a thing as too smokey. It was really an experiment to see how much smoke I could infuse. Any one of those smoked ingredients would have been perfect, but all together made me burp the taste of apple smoke for 2 days straight.

Try cold smoking, the nice thing is you can preserve the meat without drying.

[david s]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

When roasting meat or poultry now, I usually throw some hickory chips or another small piece of wood onto the coals just before putting the roast in. The sealing of the door prevents air getting in and produces a very nice smokey flavour, particularly in the meat juices which make superb gravy..hmmm I'm salivating just writing about it

[Acoma]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

RT, based on your success, you are doing it at the correct temp (275 for about 4.5 hours, or 225 for 5.5hrs). I would go further and suggest you apply a rub the day before, but be sure to remove the membrane in back. Put ribs in pan, elevated from the water (be sure to have water at all times. The last hour of smoking, get favorite sauce and rub every 20 minutes (4 times). You think what you have is great, try it this way. I have a serious smoker and smoke foods frequently, mine being different because it is solely for smoking.

[edschmidt]

Re: Pompeii oven as a smoker

My father in-law just gave me some alaskan salmon which I will try to cold smoke in my oven. After all these ovens retain heat, they must retain cold as well, so I am planning on piping in applewood smoke with the dome below 70deg. Ill let you know how it works.