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Smoked shrimp - offset vs kettle - findings

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    Smoked shrimp - offset vs kettle - findings

    Hi all, quite some time ago I posted about smoking shrimp in my offset. I've done it many times in the kettle or the Big Green Egg. When I did it in my offset smoker I couldn't get them to have the same nice golden color, and neither did they taste smoked. I used the same temp, and the same time (18-20 minutes). Back then I couldn't figure out what the difference was. But yesterday I was cooking in my offset, watching the smoke stack. As usual, the smoke is invisible. And then I thought: "hey, that must be the difference!"

    So, here goes my theory, let's see if you agree with me or not. I need to think about this one, to see if it holds up.

    A) When using a kettle with some wood chunks the smoke is clearly visible. It is a light white smoke. It has a distinct smell, as the wood chunks are smoldering (not burning freely/cleanly like in an offset). So, technically 'dirty', but still good though.

    B) When using an offset with a good draft, the combustion of wood is so much cleaner, producing zero visible smoke.

    The reason for B) being good is that when smoking briskets/butts/chuckies in an offset for a long time you get that nicely balanced smoke flavor that doesn't take over. It is applied through hours of smoking. Time is of the essence, as the clean burn needs plenty hours for the smoke to affect the meat. This would be equivalent of a pellet grill which also has a very clean burn.

    On an ordinary kettle/kamado with a few coals lit and a smoldering wood chunk the smoke is much more distinct, and the smoke is visible. This adds flavor (and color) in a very short time. Hence the smoked shrimp turning out way better in a kettle than an offset.

    Does this make sense? Or can you find a flaw in my hypothesis? I'm eager to learn and improve, and this came to me last night, and I thought: what better crew to double check with than the Pitmaster Club members?


    #2
    I've never tried shrimp in an offset but can see your dilemma. I typically grill shrimp so the benefits of the dripping oil and light char is what gives it the taste. Shrimp cooks so fast that there isn't a lot of time to absorb smoke, at least that's the way I would reason through it. If a smokey taste in shrimp is necessary, I would think your idea of pumping more smoke into the cooking chamber would be logical, to me anyway, along with a whole lot less heat (so cold smoke).

    Comment


      #3
      Henrik I find your logic to be sound. The greater draft and cleaner burn of your offset, combined with the very short cook time of shrimp, lead to little to no smoke flavor when you use the offset, as opposed to something that cooks longer.

      Like Troutman I would be more inclined to grill shrimp, although the last few times I cooked shrimp, I used my Drip 'N Griddle to just griddle them in a stick of melted butter with garlic salt, scampi style.

      Comment


      • fzxdoc
        fzxdoc commented
        Editing a comment
        I bet that was delicious.

        Kathryn

      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        fzxdoc yes - the scampi in the DNG, while some salmon or other fish direct grills, is a great way to go. Cannot get much simpler and easy either. I'll typically do the shrimp, then slide the DNG to the other side of the kettle, and grill the fish directly over the SNS.

      #4
      Meathead has said in this article the same thing about some white smoke that you mention, Henrik . He says that for shorter cooks, some white smoke is good because it contributes to the flavor.

      Kathryn

      Comment


      • Henrik
        Henrik commented
        Editing a comment
        Brilliant, I knew I was onto something, thanks for the link to the Meathead article.

      #5
      All excellent points I agree with above. A well designed offset will pump huge volumes of hot air through it with sutle smoke, producing excellent bbq. @Henrick who ever though a damm shrimp could teach a Swede a thing or 2 about pit design .

      Comment


      • Henrik
        Henrik commented
        Editing a comment
        See, it only took a custom pit and a few years for the coin to drop :-)
        But yes, a well designed pit (with good draft) is THE way to go. I keep preaching here in Sweden, people need to taste offset smoked food, it's the real deal.

      #6
      Did you dry brine the shrimp?

      Comment


      • Razor
        Razor commented
        Editing a comment
        Now why you gotta go do that? 😂

      • HawkerXP
        HawkerXP commented
        Editing a comment
        Because I'm a baaaaaad booooooy. Razor

      • Henrik
        Henrik commented
        Editing a comment
        Nope, but I wet 'brine' my throat with a cold one before cooking. It always improves the end results :-)

      #7
      Your hypothesis sounds good to me Henrik.

      But how many shrimp can you fit in Rude Boy? People want to know, and we need high res photos to confirm.

      Comment


      • Henrik
        Henrik commented
        Editing a comment
        Lol! Bring a truckload!

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