This smoked shrimp recipe is an easy appetizer or main dish. You can smoke them in a smoker or with indirect heat on a grill.
With smoked shrimp, you can make a quick dinner or a big meal for a lot of people. And they can be made with thawed frozen or fresh shrimp.
You can dip them in a lot of different things, like guacamole, cocktail sauce, or even honey mustard. But today I just served them with a garlic herb butter that I made with grass-fed ghee. They were perfect with a quick summer tomato and cucumber salad.
Mastering Smoked Shrimp at 300°F
Smoking shrimp is a fantastic way to add flavor and give an exciting twist to this versatile seafood. When using a smoker set to 300°F shrimp can develop a wonderfully smoky taste in a short amount of time. But getting the cooking time just right is essential for tender juicy shrimp with that ideal smokey essence. Undercook the shrimp and they’ll be lacking in flavor and potentially unsafe to eat. Overdo it and you’ll end up with rubbery, dried out shrimp.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll provide tips on preparing shrimp for smoking, recommend woods for flavoring, and share the optimal smoking times and temperatures. With these steps, you’ll learn how long to smoke shrimp at 300°F for perfect results every time.
Picking the Right Shrimp
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Size – Opt for medium or large shrimp in the 31-40 or 26-30 count per pound range. The smaller the count, the bigger the shrimp. Large shrimp hold up better to smoking.
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Shell – For more smoke absorption, smoke shrimp with the shells on but deveined. Peel after smoking.
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Fresh or frozen – Fresh is ideal but frozen works too. Thaw before smoking.
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Wild vs. farmed – Wild-caught has more flavor but costs more. Farm-raised is more affordable.
Prepare the Shrimp
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Rinse shrimp under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
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Devein shrimp by slicing along the back and removing the digestive tract. Leave shells on.
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Season shrimp with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, lemon, or other spices.
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Brining is optional but helps shrimp retain moisture.
Set Up Your Smoker
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Load your smoker with preferred wood like hickory, mesquite, apple, or alder.
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Set temperature to 300°F. This allows the shrimp to cook gently without drying out.
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Use a perforated aluminum pan or grill topper to prevent shrimp from falling through the grate.
Smoke Those Shrimp
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Place shrimp in a single layer on the aluminum pan or grill topper. Don’t overcrowd.
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Smoke the shrimp for 18-22 minutes. Check frequently to avoid overcooking.
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Shrimp should turn opaque and feel firm when pressed. Use an instant-read thermometer to check; 145°F is ideal.
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For extra flavor, baste shrimp with melted butter, olive oil, or barbecue sauce during the last 5 minutes.
Serving Smoked Shrimp
Smoked shrimp stay fresh for 2-3 days stored in the fridge. Some tasty ways to eat them:
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On skewers as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce
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In salads, pasta dishes, frittatas, and tacos
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Wrapped in bacon and grilled for surf and turf kebabs
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On top of pizza, nachos, baked potatoes, and deviled eggs
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In gumbo, jambalaya, seafood boils, and shrimp scampi
Get Creative with Sauces and Rubs
Take your smoked shrimp to the next level with homemade sauces and seasoning blends:
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BBQ Shrimp – Coat in tangy barbecue sauce during last 5 minutes of smoking.
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Lemon Garlic – Mix olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Toss with shrimp before smoking.
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Thai Chili – Combine sriracha, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, and cilantro leaves.
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Jerk – Make a wet rub using jerk seasoning, brown sugar, garlic, oil, orange juice, and crushed red pepper.
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Cajun – Use a dry Cajun spice mix of paprika, cayenne, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder.
Smoking Do’s and Don’ts
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Do let shrimp cool 5 minutes after smoking before eating.
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Don’t pile shrimp on top of each other in the smoker. Leave space for air circulation.
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Do use an instant-read thermometer to monitor doneness. Remove at 145°F.
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Don’t soak wood chips – let them smolder to produce clean smoke.
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Do smoke shrimp for full flavor but avoid oversmoking or they’ll be rubbery.
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Don’t leave smoked shrimp at room temp more than 2 hours. Refrigerate promptly.
Troubleshooting Smoked Shrimp
Problem: Shrimp are undercooked
How long to smoke shrimp
You might think that smoking shrimp is hard to do or takes a lot of time, but it’s actually one of the fastest and easiest foods to smoke once you know how.
The key to smoking shrimp is not to overcook them. I cant emphasize this enough. While thick cuts of meat take a long time to smoke, shrimp cook quickly. Depending on the size of your shrimp and the heat of your smoker, they should be done in about 20 minutes.
You definitely need to keep an eye on them. I start checking them at 10 minutes and keep checking them until they are just cooked through. Jumbo shrimps will take longer than small or medium sized ones.
How to smoke them
Ive smoked shrimp both peeled and unpeeled, and they are good both ways. For “peel and eat” shrimp, put shrimp on the smoker with their shells still on and serve them with garlic butter sauce to dip them in.
Before putting them on the smoker, sprinkle them with black pepper, sea salt, and a little olive oil. This helps keep them from drying out while they smoke. I like to use a garlic-infused olive oil for a little extra flavor.
Or, you can use your favorite dipping sauce, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and melted butter or ghee to go with them.