Cold Smoker

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Aidy

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Cold Smoker
« on: June 15, 2016, 10:52 »
Managed to salvage an old piece of 8x4 ply sheet and some 2x1 bits to knock up a cold smoker, just need to buy three cooling racks from Wilko for £1.50 each and I am sorted, have the smoke generator so looking forward to smoking some garlic, chillies along with other stuff.
Will add photos once it is kitted out.
Punk isn't dead...it's underground where it belongs. If it comes to the surface it's no longer punk...it's Green Day!

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Aled

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2016, 13:51 »
Unless you are a vegetarian (and good for you if you are) rainbow trout go very well in a cold smoker?
Sounds a great piece of kit.
Cheers
Aled

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Gryphon

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2016, 18:14 »
Good luck with your project :)

I would recommend smoking some of your favorite cheddar! You will need to pick a cool day to prevent the cheese from sweating which best done during the cooler months. However, you can then vacuum seal or wax the cheese and keep in the fridge for many months.

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Mrs Bee

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2016, 20:25 »
Garlic needs hot smoking for three days.  Cold smoking doesn't make much of an impression on the garlic apart from making the outside of the garlic smell smoky.

I find it better to use the garlic fresh and smoke salt to go with it.

Tomatoes dehydrated to sunblush stage with garlic, olive oil and salt then smoked are amazing.

As are nuts, cheese, dark chocolate.

You can also cold smoke brined meat or fish and then finish it off in a slow oven.

Smoking your own kippers and haddock is also delicious. Tastes nothing like the mass produced stuff.

My go to smoking bible is  Smoking Food at Home with Smoky Jo. Fabulous book, and if you have problems they are really kind and generous with their advice if you email them.

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Aidy

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2016, 18:05 »
cheers peeps.

My original plan was to cold smoke our homemade sausage but I have now decided meat is a no go area of cold smoking, I believe the risk is too high if not done bang on, although fish should be easier by all accounts.

So the revised plan is ..chillies, cheese, ground spices like paprika (use tons of Paprika de la vera), dry ingredients that will go into the sausage, fancy having a go at butter (in the winter), my thoughts on garlic was to peel a batch so the clove has no skin and smoke that and freeze them for later, has anyone tried that?
There will be other stuff like salt etc in time, this is just the start  ;)

Thanks for the book suggestion Mrs Bee

Edit: Just also read shallots, love shallots so gonna give them a bash too!
« Last Edit: June 16, 2016, 18:22 by Aidy »

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Mrs Bee

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2016, 20:00 »
Smoking meat is not that worrying Aidy.
You just need a thermometer to make sure the temperature doesn't go above 30. If it does you stick in some frozen cold blocks to bring the temperatures down.

If you are nervous about doing it in the summer, do it in the winter when the weather is cold.

If you are planning to do a lot of smoking, do get the book, it will give you the information and confidence to smoke meat too.  ;) I have smoked sausages and lived to tell the tale. 

Haven't made my own yet, but have made cheese and smoked it. Err no didn't smoke my cheese, just some cheddar.

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Trikidiki

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2016, 21:18 »
If you cover the smoker with some hessian (or some other material) and dampen it, as the water evaporates it will keep the smoker cool.

I've smoked loads of meat, cheese, fish, oil etc, both hot and cold smoked with no ill effects. As Mrs Bee said just make sure it stays cool, do it in the evening rather than the heat of the day.

How are you generating cold smoke? I use fine oak chippings so they just smoulder, if they don't smoulder enough I have a small fan to gently increase the glow or dampen them slightly if they look like they're getting 'carried away'.

I have some old firebricks from a storage heater that I put in the smoker on a hot day. If they are cold at the start, their thermal mass keeps the temperature in the smoker down (like Mrs Bee's ice blocks). I found this out by accident as I thought they would help keep a steady temperature when I was hot smoking once but found they drained all the heat away and I couldn't get the smoker up to the desired temperature.

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Aidy

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2016, 10:13 »
Book is on its way Mrs Bee  ;) ta

Smoke is being generated as the kids as a way of thanking me for keeping them alive with food have bought me the ProQ Smoke generator (owd mans day pressie).

Like the ice block idea and perhaps the sausages could go back in the plan, cheers for your advise.

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Swing Swang

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2016, 20:49 »
Hi Aidy - simplest way to cold smoke meat is to turn it into bacon first - and it will be the best smoked bacon you've ever tried - unless you've got a cool place to do it my preference would be to wait until mid autumn at the earliest. If you're seriously getting into this then I'd suggest spending a lot of time on some of the dedicated meat/sausage/smoking forums - PM me if you want a link - pictures below are mine and have been posted elsewhere on the net:

Two sides of bacon in smokehouse:
The ProQ smoker is very good indeed - hope you get on with it Aidy


More:


Partially opened smokehouse (made from home made beehives)
The electronic thing is a thermometer/hygrometer which is a real aid to confidence.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2016, 20:58 by Swing Swang »

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Trikidiki

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2016, 22:36 »
I think my bees may get a little agitated.

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Mrs Bee

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2016, 19:11 »
Book is on its way Mrs Bee  ;) ta

Smoke is being generated as the kids as a way of thanking me for keeping them alive with food have bought me the ProQ Smoke generator (owd mans day pressie).

Like the ice block idea and perhaps the sausages could go back in the plan, cheers for your advise.

You are most welcome Aidy.

I have the small pro q smoker  and am thinking of getting its big brother.

A few tips on using the pro q in case you haven't already done so.  After you have used it  wash it well and use an old tooth brush to make sure the holes don't get blocked, then dry it out in the oven.

Before using it again I put the smoke dust on an oven tray and pop it in the oven for 10 minutes at 180C which ensures that there is no damp in the wood dust. It can get a little damp depending on where you store it.

Doing this should ensure you don't have any trouble with the dust stopping smoking part way through the smoke. I also pop the pro q in the oven too to make absolutely sure there is no dampness  in that either.

Nothing worse than starting a smoke before you go to bed to make use of the cooler weather and waking up to find the ruddy thing has gone out and you have to start all over again.

I use a blowtorch to start the dust smouldering. I have found this the easiest way.

You can also get cocoa husks for smoking. I have just got some to try. It was a little more expensive than the usual wood dust, so it had better be good when I try it out.

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Mrs Bee

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2016, 19:12 »
Hi Aidy - simplest way to cold smoke meat is to turn it into bacon first - and it will be the best smoked bacon you've ever tried - unless you've got a cool place to do it my preference would be to wait until mid autumn at the earliest. If you're seriously getting into this then I'd suggest spending a lot of time on some of the dedicated meat/sausage/smoking forums - PM me if you want a link - pictures below are mine and have been posted elsewhere on the net:

Two sides of bacon in smokehouse:
The ProQ smoker is very good indeed - hope you get on with it Aidy


More:


Partially opened smokehouse (made from home made beehives)
The electronic thing is a thermometer/hygrometer which is a real aid to confidence.


Now that is a serious piece of kit.

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Aled

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #12 on: June 20, 2016, 13:17 »
Wow!

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Aidy

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #13 on: June 20, 2016, 22:39 »
Success!!!!
Fired it up tonight after finishing it off this afternoon, smoked some Maldon Sea Salt, Paprika and some chillies, more of a trial to ensure the ProQ burnt ok and a small amout of smoke came out where it should.
Only did a three hour burn but OH MY how good does that stuff smell and taste. Will post a couple of piccys tomorrow.

Here are the piccys.
smo1.jpg
smo2.jpg
smo3.jpg
« Last Edit: June 21, 2016, 12:03 by Aidy »

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Swing Swang

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Re: Cold Smoker
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2016, 22:32 »
Nice capacity and easily accessible - like it - enjoy - Philip



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