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Being from the South (TN/NC), one of my passions is barbecuing especially smoking meat. My father-in-law (a Tico) just spent some time with my wife and I and he fell in love with the hobby. I have sent him a design, and being a metalworker/welder, he is prepared to make his first smoker. My questions are: What type of wood is available and where in CR (he lives near La Fortuna)? Are there any hobby barbecuers in CR? We traditionally smoke with Oak, hickory and/or pecan, are there any other types of wood available in CR conducive for smoking? Thanks in advance for the information.
Chris
Me too! But haven’t had a good smoker since my New York days…
Don’t forget COFFEE wood! The coffee wood smoked shrimp at the Alta Hotel is delicious!
I would personally be very interested in learning more about this too so if you or your father-in-law want to share some articles about barbecuing and wood smoking in Costa Rica, I will gladly post them on this site.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comPS. Please also let me know if he would be willing to make a wood smoker for me too?
What size smoker would you be interested in? I’m sending him some more plans for a smoker made from old propane tanks. I like design of this one better.
Big enough for a good sized meal for four people or do you need me to be more specific? I’m honestly not sure what sort of answer I should give you … Punds? Kilos?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comScott, you’d probably do well to figure out just how much of what you think you want to smoke in one session. Then figure out how much square footage of smoker rack it will take to spread out that much meat.
I have an electric smoker (which I heartily recommend) with three racks about 15 inches square each. In that, I can smoke about four large salmon filets, probably ten pounds of chicken, or six of the very best meatloaves you’ll ever (I mean in your lifetime) experience.
I brought my electric (Cookshack) smoker from the U.S. Not only does it have excellent temperature control, but I can smoke a full load of meat with about two ounces of wood. And no charcoal . . .
Hmmm! My mouth is already watering …
Have you tried smoking rabbit? We eat a lot of rabbit because it’s tasty and healthy and was wondering …
What brand of smoker do you have? Would I be able to oredr it online do you think?
Scott
PS. And what about smoked trout?
Duh! Scott – I just say the brand there …
The cheapest Cookshack smoker I could see on their webiste wa US$465? Cough! Splutter!
I was kind of thinking of something a bit more ‘economical’… I don’t want to think how much that will cost me by the time it’s shipped to me in Costa Rica …
Can I just come up and visit you and have some of that smoked salmon? 🙂
Scott, sorry I was not more specific about size. We were looking at plans for an indirect heat smoker that uses 2 old propane tanks (one large for cooking, one small for the fire box), so size would be in diameter(inches). The plans we have call for one tank 20″ in diameter which is big enough to smoke a whole hog (a little big for me), so were looking for one about 14″-16″. I’m waiting for my father-in-law to determine a price. I know that here the material is inexpensive but the labor is what is so expensive. If you want I could send some photos of what the final product should look like.
Scott,
Here’s a web site for ordering smokers. All different types and prices. I have a friend that has a Luhr Jensen electric smoker (quite inexpensive) and it works fine.http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/index/index-display.jsp?id=cat20120&navAction=jump&navCount=1&parentId=cat20075&parentType=category&cmCat=MainCatcat20075' defer onload='The little “barrel” type charcoal smokers do amazingly well and they are really inexpensive. That’s what I have now, and It’s perfect for a medium-sized shoulder or a couple of racks of ribs, but if your looking to throw a big fiesta they are small. I know Scott mentioned using coffee wood (which I assume can be found in abundance), but has anyone else tried using any other types of wood. I find that wood from fruit trees works well here (i.e. cherry, apple, peach), how about guava or lemon?
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