Don't want to throw "water" on your smoker idea, I love the cedar fish thing too.

But, make sure your cedar shingles haven't been chemically treated with anti-fungals?

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I Googled it, and there are warnings about using the wrong kind for grilling/smoking.

I had a buddy who made the mistake of throwing old chunks of Pressure treated lumber on a fire, forgetting about doing so and roasting some hot dogs He got sicker than a dog.

I am about to do salmon in my smoker here in Minnesota in February. I put a new cedar shingle roof on my house a few years ago and have many extra shingles. In about an hour I'm going out to the garage and fetch a shingle. I will then soak it in water for an hour. Then I will fire up the smoker with a good base of charcoal and 2 oak chunks on top. Then lay the salmon on the shingle and leave it in the smoker for 45 minutes or so. Then bring the whole works in and put it on the table on a trivet. The skin tends to stick to the shingle so diners can serve themselves an amount they choose directly. It is really fun to do this for company. Cedar siding cut into chunks works for this also and in really fancy restaurants they call it planked salmon.
Jon Bratt Bird Island

Just did some salmon on my "Egg" tonight.  Might have been the best piece of fish I ever ate in my life!

Skin on, seasoned with Zatarains Blackened Fish spice, then marinated for 24 hours in a 50/50 blend of soy sauce and real maple syrup.  Fired up the Egg, threw on some soaked applewood chips, and let it smoke at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes until the salmon was a nice MED to MR. 

Sweet, spicy, smoky, and simply melts in your mouth!  No heavy fishy taste either. Heaven on a plate...

I have to agree with Snow_Dog ... The EGG is a great smoker/grill combo. I went to Indianapolis last August to visit family and my brother in law said that there was an EGG cooking event at a ACE hardware store called Sullivans Hardware on the northside near Keystone at the Crossing that weekend. There were about 30 EGGs set up and different EGG HEADS  cooked all kinds of food ( brisket, veggies, crabcakes, chicken, pork, etc.) The food was delicious and all chefs were willing to share cooking recipes. EGG manufacturer reps were there answering questions and had new EGGS for sale. Eggs that were used for cooking that weekend were priced ata nice discount. They had live music, beer and we had a great time sampling foods cooked on the EGG. Apparently it is a annual event and attended by several hundred Hoosiers. May want to check it out if you are in the area. I didn't buy one ... but my brother in law did and he is very happy with his EGG. In his opinion "pricey" but worth every penny. (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

I haven't yet, but I'll let you know. 

I agree, pheasants it's a challenge to cook them in such a way that the meat is moist.  I have a few great recipes, but your heart can only take one meal a year!!  (LOTS of cream and butter!)

I gave a friend of mine who lives along the North Shore of Minnesota a bunch of pheasant legs to smoke.  He told me they were fantastic!  I'm meeting him in a few weeks, and I'm bringing more pheasants -- legs and more.  I'm hoping we get a chance to smoke 'em. If so, I'll report the quality and the process, based on first-hand experience.

Stay tuned.

prouboy

Have you smoked the pheasant yet?  I have had and used a number of smokers over the years.  Like many good things, the results can be delicious, but the process takes time.me.
Anyway, curious about the pheasant, as I have plenty and need some new recipes.
I have never smoke pheasant, as they are so lean and dry to start with.  Many of the meats that smoke well are fairly fatty.  Brining salmon overnight with a little brown sugar works very well. 

Just curious, hope the birds turn out well.

The Big Green Egg is awesome!  I saved up and bought mine for my first grill/smoker out of college, over 10 years ago before any of the cheaper knockoffs were available.  Very versatile, as I can keep it at 190 degrees for over 30 hours, or fire it up to temps beyond the thermometer, probably over 1000 because the gasket melted.  Now I've got a Nomex gasket that is rated over that.

Absolute best pulled pork I've ever made or eaten was following this recipe:  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Apple, cherry and alder all are mild woods for smoking, but very good.  Pecan and hickory are a little heaviery, with mesquite being the heartiest smoke I use.

I have a Traeger wood pellet grill smoker and think it is great. Easier to use than a big green egg I think.

Smoked salmon is very good, especially with a brief brine.

A thermometer is helpful for monitoring temps.

Practice on ribs. They are forgiving and it is hard to smoke them too long but easy to go too short. The advice to wrap them up in foils and towels is good. I wrap them in foil, put them in a paper grocery bag, and the hold them in the oven at 160 degrees until ready to eat. If you use sauce, sauce them for 20-30 minutes on the smoker before wrapping.

Something I love, but I never see anyone else do, is smoking chuck eye steaks, ~1.5-2 inches thick, with a chile powder/salt/brown sugar based rub. It does not take long for the fat to render and then it is like a hige ribeye. Serve with some home made bbq sauce and it is great.

BTW, the Traeger is and excellent baked potato grill. Rub the taters with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and put on high for 1 hour. Perfect.

The Traeger's are now made in China. My friend has one and although it works well, he has basically rebuilt it a couple of times under warranty because it keeps breakng down. Were I to buy another, I would get an American made Memphis grill or similar. They get a higher max temp. They can be used as smoker, oven, or grill which is very convenient. You can use a variety of wood from mesquite, to fruit woods, to hickory.

Just made beer can chicken on the grill for some friends.  I finished it by throwing wet apple wood chips on the charcoal.  Amazingly good! 

I'm not sure if it was the beer can cooking, the "organic, free-range, break-your-bank-account chicken, or the apple wood smoke.  No matter, the dinner was a success.  Wait, maybe it was the bottle of wine we drank...

prouboy

Thanks PD, good ideas.  I'm adding your note to my "smoker file!" 

prouboy