Smoked shrimp on an offset - need suggestions for improvement

[Henrik]

Hi folks,

I cooked a brisket yesterday. Once that one was in the faux cambro I dumped a bag of frozen shrimp in my offset. I use oak wood only. It was running at 225° F.

I've done smoked shrimp many many times, always on a kettle or a BGE. Same temp, 3-4 chunks of wood, for 18-20 minutes. The shrimp come out golden with great smoke flavor.

This time they barely had color after 20 minutes, so I smoked them for 35 minutes. They were warm, but didn't have the nice golden red color and they didn't have much smoke flavor.

So, what can I do to improve, when smoking shrimp in my offset? Add a type of wood that produces stronger smoke? Turn up the heat?

Any suggestions are welcome. I thought I had this down to a T, but apparently not

[Steve B]

I've haven't cooked shrimp on my offset yet so I really can't give any sound advice. But you might want to kick up the temps to 275-300* and maybe use some cherry wood.
Funny that no matter how much we think we might know there's always something more to learn. I think that's one reason why we love doing this thing called BBQ.

[Henrik]

So true, there's always more to learn. I really dig that too, even though it is frustrating at times :-)

[HouseHomey]

Do you always use frozen shrimp? It sounds like they just were not cooked enough or with enough heat. I have not done them on an offset in at least 7 years I think. I use my kettles so I'm not really sure. Seems odd though I agree, especially since it's a "go to " for you.

[Henrik]

Yes, I'm gonna try to crank up the heat to see what happens.

[T-bone]

I typically thaw the frozen shrimp in a salt/sugar brine for about an hour. IMHO, the brining helps the shrimp not taste like cooked-from-frozen. Afterwards, I pat dry, skewer and then brush the shrimp with a fresh herb/olive oil mixture before putting on the smoker or grill. I think the oil helps with the smoke adhering.

[Henrik]

Thanks for the advice T-bone!

[Jerod Broussard]

Ya might want to put them as close to the exhaust as you can.

[Henrik]

I will give that a try. I'l also see if cranking up the heat makes a difference.

[Potkettleblack]

I do the salt sugar brine with a bit of baking soda. Works good. Not an offset deal, but helps with browning.

[bten]

I always freeze my shrimp with the peel on. I typically buy them when I can get them fresh off the boat and buy 20-50 lbs. and dehead them. I freeze my shrimp in water (quart bags with the shrimp tails, and then add water and seal). I then defrost by running water on them in a collander until they are defrosted. We peel them if we will be using them on a grill or in a regular recipe. We boil them with the peel on.

I feel they taste fresher this way.

[Brisket Syndicate]

We freeze our fish in bags of water as well.

[bten]

We do that as well

[HouseHomey]

Wow bten you freeze them in a quart of water? Does it damage the shrimp? Very interesting. Do you season the water?
Ive never heard of that. What do you do with the heads and tails? If you buy them from a boat I bet they are delicious. Very interesting.

[bten]

The water prevents freezer burn, and they last longer. I freeze the heads and throw them away on trash day!

[Buck Flicks]

Ooo... you should make stock with them heads, peels and tails before you throw them out.

I also do this with my rib bones - even if I'm just making ramen, I'll throw 2-3 bones in the water for a couple minutes before I cook the noodles.

[PJBowmaster]

Henrik I don't like the frozen part. Thaw them out and set a new baseline...

[Henrik]

Normally I would happily follow your advice. But in this case I am determined to figure out what the difference is between my offset and kettle, all other things unchanged :-)

[PJBowmaster]

Experiment away. Cheers Brother!!

[6th Borough BBQ]

I always cover them in quality olive oil prior, followed by seasoning. Helps the color and tastes great.

[Jon Solberg]

I have the answer. Can I get royalties on the next book? Hehehehe. Just kidding. : )

[Henrik]

Good one ;-)