I saw this store in Dallas, it carries  the slogan “The Hardware Store that Has Hardware.” There I saw some wood-burning sheet-metal stoves. These old-fashioned stoves were being sold to cabin owners who didn’t want to invest in expensive butane systems. They proved to be perfect for fish smoking. The small one I purchased was 13 inches wide and 18 inches deep. The cost was $4.95.

This was perfect. It was airtight, with a controlled draft at the bottom and a smoke outlet at the top. All I needed was the sleeves. The next purchase was a sheet of expanded metal screen and 12 small angle irons. Six angles were bolted to the inside of the heater about four inches from the bottom. They were evenly spaced and would hold the first shelf. This left a clearance of four inches from the second shelf to the top of the heater.

Since the opening at the top of the heater was only nine inches in diameter, I had to make the shelves in two sections so that they could be slipped inside. A cardboard pattern was cut to fit the inside of the heater. This I used as a guide in cutting the metal grille.

The opening for the smokestack was covered with metal foil, in which a one-inch hole was punched to allow the smoke to escape slowly. To make sure the smoker didn’t get too hot, a meat thermometer was inserted in the foil for complete control.

My fish smoker was completed after less than an hour’s work. There are many ways to make a smoker, and you sort of devise one as you go along. My gourmet friend became enthusiastic after he tasted some of my smoked fish and is in the process of building his own smoker out of an old refrigerator. He knocked out the freezing compartment and plans to drill a series of six one-inch holes in the bottom of the door and a two-inch hole in the top. This should work.

Any type of fish lends itself to smoking – bass, crappies, bream (these are the kind I catch in the lakes around Dallas) and practically every other species of fresh – and salt-water fish. To smoke whole fish, select those from three quarters of a pound to a pound and a half. Clean and scale them, but leave the skin, heads and tails on. It’s best to filet larger fish and cut them into one-pound pieces. Soak them in a brine solution for at least eight hours. Overnight soaking for a longer period won’t hurt them. Soak all types of meat at least ten hours.

On my first trial run, I used a 1 1/2-pound sea trout and some half-inch pork chops. To make a brine solution, dissolve two cups of salt in a gallon of water.

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