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I've owned a Mini Chief smoker for more than 10 years, and I still use it at least weekly.
I've smoked many pounds of Salmon, whole chickens, turkey legs, ribs, etc.
When I follow directions, it works perfectly. The problem is that many users don't understand how to properly smoke.
If you can fit it in the smoker, it will smoke it. As with any smoker, meat should be cooked "low and slow", with low heat, over several hours.
A whole fryer chicken, which I brined over night, took about 6 hours, and was as tender, juicy and delicious as any other method I've used to cook a chicken. I snack on delicious smoked Salmon daily, and it's as good or better than any that I've bought in the store.
Btw, I highly recommend Alder wood for fish and poultry do a web search for "justsmokedsalmon" for more info, recipes and great prices on Alder wood chips.
The Mini Chief maintains an internal temp of about 250-275 degrees, the perfect temperature for proper smoking.
It does get harder to maintain proper temps in cold and/or windy weather, but I just use it in a semi-sheltered corner area next to my porch. I've used it on windy, 15 degree days with no problem other than adding 30-60 minutes on to the cooking time. I set the thermo. up so I can see it from my kitchen window, so I don't have to run outside to check it.
Also, I use a thermometer with a remote probe so I can monitor the temp. of the meat without removing the lid, otherwise you lose the heat you built up and will add hours onto the cooking time and/or dry out the meat. I highly recommend you get one, you won't be sorry.
Oh, yeah, the book contains instructions for smoking cheese. You can cold smoke with it if you are careful.
The only issue I would have if I were to buy another one is the size. Depending on what and how much you intend to smoke, you may do better with a larger smoker, but it will be almost twice the price. Also, it would be nice to have a front loading model, but that has never really caused a problem, it would just add convenience.
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Had a Little Chief smoker (20 years old). Decided for my type of smoking I would get a mini-chief. It was 3 shelves vs 4 shelves, but being much shorter in height,I really liked that feature. I mainly smoke lake trout and venison. Smoker worked excellent. Took about 5-6 hours smoking time and the results were fantastic. Bought the insulated blanket which I thinks really helps a lot. Also purchased the shelf pads which greatly helps in laying the fish and meat strips on the racks. They are easy to clean.Best Deals for Smokehouse Products Mini Chief Top Load Smoker
Smokehouse Mini Chief Smoker (Purchased on 04/27/2011)I received the Mini smoker and was surprised at the poor quality. the bottom which is staked in was crooked by at least 1/4 inch preventing the smoker from siting flat on the bottom. the bracket holding the heater which was to be welded, was broken free. the top cover would not fit on to the unit until I bent the edges on both the top and the housing. there was a dent in the side of the housing, but nothing wrong with the cardboard package that the unit came in, meaning the dent was made at the factory and shipped that way. I wrote all this up with photos and sent it to the smokehouse factory, only to say that we should all buy American made products, but the manufacturer would have to do their part in providing a decent item. I waited close to a month before reviewing the smoker, hoping to hear something from them, I have not heard a word, which makes me think they don't really care. I repaired all the problems and used the smoker on my last fishing trip. It was OK.
Honest reviews on Smokehouse Products Mini Chief Top Load Smoker
This review is written by someone who used one of these for a couple years, as our first smoker, and recently switched to a "real" smoker.WHAT IT IS
Its an aluminum box, with a lid on top and an electric heating element at the bottom. Inside is a metal framework with three trays. You lift the frame out through the top, put food on the trays, and put the frame/food back. You put wood chips in the (included) metal pan, then slide the pan through a trap door so that it sits on top of the heating element. The heat makes the wood chips smolder and burn, and the smoke infuses the food. A pan of wood lasts 1/2 to 1 hours, then needs to be refilled. Amazon sells wood, so does our local grocery store.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Other "smokers" are also slow cookers. Like the Chief they burn wood, whose smoke also infuses the food in them. But they get their internal temp up to (a controllable) 225 350 degrees F, and slow cook the food. Put in meat, take out food.
Chief smokers will not cook your food. They get their internal temp up to some (uncontrollable) temp in the mid-100s and that's it. This is not enough to cook your food. Put in raw meat, take out smokey raw meat. If you want your food cooked, you'll have to take it out of the Chief smoker and move it to the oven for cooking.
As a "smoker" in the usual sense of a smoker-slow-cooker, the Chief should get one star. It doesn't do what "smokers" need to do.
As a "smoke infuser," which just puts smoke in the food, I'd give it 4 stars.
GOOD
Does a good job infusing smoke in your food.
Smaller than "real" smokers. Light weight, easy to carry. Fits conveniently on a shelf in our garage.
Light weight, but not flimsy. We used it often over 2 years, and it held up fine.
.
BAD
Doesn't cook the food. I guess this isn't a problem unless you think it is. Just move the food to the oven for cooking. But in our experience oven-finishing the food always ended up making smoky oven-cooked food. It didn't produce "smoked" meat like we were looking for. Now that we've switched to a "real" smoker, we're much much happier with the results.
Too hot for cold smoking. We hoped to use the Chief to cold-smoke salmon for lox. This doesn't work. The mid-100s degree temp partially cooks the fish, and what comes out is definitely not lox.
Expensive, relative to good functional gas smokers, which sell for pretty much the same price.
BOTTOM LINE: Does a good job at what it does. "Real" smokers do more. Now that we've experienced a "real" smoker, we'd never go back to a Chief.
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I bought my husband a mini smoker for CHristmas so we could eat more locally. He fishes and we smoked the trout that he caught. The taste is like candy believe it or not! It is so sweet and delicious. The reason I gave it only 4 stars is because it really smokes and no matter how far away from the house it is, smoke and smell get everywhere.
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