How rig a cold smoker?

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Psuedomonas

Guest
So I'm sure this topic has been dealt with many times here- but I'm new and can't find anything relevant in 9 pages of history here. I'm absolutely driven to create my own lox. I've hot smoked salmon with excellent results for years- but its the cold smoking that yields the finest results- specially if you wash it down with good single malt whiskey. So, how can I rig a small smoker for a single rack of fish that would not raise the temp higher than 80 degrees.
 
I used a old cooler. I put a pvc smokestack on the lid, then put pegs on the inside to hold a wire rack. I have a Smoke Pistol for the long smokes and Grill Kickers for the short smokes.

I the summer i put ice on the bottom to keep the cooler from getting warm.
 
I have not made one of these but a few Brethren have, and they can speak to them when they see this.
http://www.smoker-cooking.com/build-a-cold-smoker.html

If you notice in my signature, I own a Smoke Daddy and a Smoke Pistol. Both are very good products, and well worth the small investment price to purchase them. You can hook them up to dang near any container you can imagine to do cold smoking.
 
I've heard of some people using UDS with a very small load (talking about a handful) of coals.... will be following this thread!
 
pomah25 said:
I've heard of some people using UDS with a very small load (talking about a handful) of coals.... will be following this thread!
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've done that too, as have a number of others here. I've done it on my offset and on my WSM's. In both cases I only do it when it's cold outside. Just light 2 to 4 briquettes and arrange them next to each other. Set some small pieces of wood on top of those. The smoker temp shoudl not go up much at all. In vertical units (like the WSM or UDS), put a pan of ice under the stuff you are cold smoking and you shouldn't have much trouble keeping temps below 80.
 
Build a plywood box. Set it in sawhorses. Cut a hole in the top and fit a piece of aluminum dryer hose to it (10' long works well). Run the other end to your Brinkmann offset smokestack. Small fire and go to town. It works.
 
Psuedomonas said:
I'm absolutely driven to create my own lox.
Click to expand...

Psuedomonas it's easier then you think.
If you want real lox and I mean lox, not smoked salmon you will be surprised to know it is not smoked.

Here is a quote from the Wikipedia entry:
Sometimes called regular or belly lox, lox is traditionally made by brining in a solution of water or oil, salt, sugars and spices (the brine). Although the term lox is sometimes applied to smoked salmon, they are different products.
Here is the link to the quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox_(salmon)

Here is a quote from Acme Smoked Fish Co. of New York:
"People use lox as a general term — bagel and lox — but what is traditional and genuine lox is not smoked salmon at all," said Mr. Federman's daughter Niki, who also works at the shop. "It is a salmon cured in salt brine. No refrigeration needed. When people come into the store, they ask for lox, and we say, `Are you sure?' "

Here is the link to the quote:
http://www.acmesmokedfish.com/retail/news/NYTimesPrimer.html

Now of course if you are after smoked salmon then you are going to need a good cold smoker. :-D
 
I smoke my Lox at the very end of my process. For only about 40 mins.

Here is how I make my LOX.

[FONT=&quot]• First of all[/FONT][FONT=&quot] you need fresh fish, not thawed-out frozen fish, whose flesh is somewhat broken down by the freeze-thaw cycle. But if you cannot get fresh, you'll have to make do with frozen, as it's better than nothing.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• There are six main steps in making lox:[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. Rinse the fish and dry with a paper towel
2. Dry salting (12 hours)
3. Brining (12 hours)
4. Freshening (1-2 hours) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Critical step!!! [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
5. "Painting" with a rum and brown sugar mix (4-6 hours)
6. Smoking (1 hour or less)[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Prepare a dry mix[/FONT][FONT=&quot] in the proportion of 3 parts coarse KOSHER salt to 4 parts brown sugar. No not use iodized salt!

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]• Sprinkle a laye[/FONT][FONT=&quot]r[/FONT][FONT=&quot] of the salt-sugar mix on the bottom of a glass/plastic/stainless steel/porcelain tray or bin (never aluminum).
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]• Place fillet in container skin side down[/FONT][FONT=&quot],[/FONT][FONT=&quot] cover with the salt-sugar mix, put another layer on, and so forth, until the bin/tray is filled.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]• Let the bin sit for 12 hours.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Lots of syrupy liquid will appear (as the salt and sugar draw water from the fish). As the salt and sugar pretty much stop any decomposition, the bin need not be refrigerated, but try to keep it in a cool, shady place.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
• Prepare a brine solution[/FONT][FONT=&quot] by mixing about 6 lbs. of coarse salt to a gallon of water. A clean 5-gallon plastic bucket is ideal. The brine is a saturated solution.... in other words, it has so much salt in it that any excess simply won't dissolve. It helps to use hot water, but make sure it is cool when the fish is added.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Remove the pieces[/FONT][FONT=&quot] and with cold running water briskly rinse off any salt-sugar mix that remains.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]•Add the pieces to the brine solution[/FONT][FONT=&quot] and let sit for 12 hours. Does not need refrigeration. Brining draws water from the fish as it salts the fist. This is what "cures" the lox, as it is not a cooked product.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]•Empty the brine from the bucket[/FONT][FONT=&quot] and place a garden hose at the bottom of the bucket. Slowly run cold water through the hose, causing the bucket to overflow (obviously, this is an outdoor step). This will begin to desalt, or "freshen" the fish. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Freshening is the most critical step of the process![/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot]If you over-freshen, the fish will become pale and waterlogged and those pieces will be ruined. I do this process for about 1 hour.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
• As you remove the pieces, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]place them skin side down, on a large towel on a table.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
• Prepare a syrup of brown sugar and dark rum......[/FONT][FONT=&quot] say, two pounds of sugar to a fifth of rum..... pretty thick.... you may have to heat it to dissolve the sugar. Use a full-bodied, dark rum such as Myers or Coruba.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
• Brush the syrup onto each piece.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Set a fan at the end of the table where the fish is laid out. As the syrup is absorbed, brush on a new layer. Do this for 5-6 hours until a pellicle (or "skin") of syrup forms on the surface of the fish.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]• Then, put the pieces in a COLD SMOKER, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]and lightly smoke for about 30-60 minutes.... with hickory, alder, cherry, apple.... anything but mesquite. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Do not let the temperature of the product rise above 90°, or those pieces will be ruined!
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]• Remove the pieces from the smoker, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]place in the freezer for about 1 hour to tighten up. Then remove from freezer and slice. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 
5-0 BBQ said:
I smoke my Lox at the very end of my process. For only about 40 mins.
Click to expand...

You aren't making lox you are making cold smoked salmon.

I guess it's hard to understand unless you have had a chance to eat real lox.
Kinda like thinking boiled ribs, sauced and finished on the grill are real BBQ.

Same way a Virginia ham ain't prosciutto
Same way sparkling wine ain't champagne.
Same way a grilled piece of meat ain't BBQ

As soon as you smoke the salmon it ain't lox.

Lox has a unique velvety richness to it that comes from never having been cooked.
The salmon taste is mild and fresh with just a hint of saltiness.
You will not find this texture or taste in any kind of smoked salmon.

Smoked salmon is good and delicious too. I eat it all the time but it's not lox.

Lox is good enough to keep the tradition of making it the real way alive and healthy, just like BBQ.

P.S it looks like you lifted your recipe from this site with out giving them credit. You did a straight copy and paste.

http://www.sausagemania.com/loxmania.html

Unfortunately this recipe is incorrect in that the salmon is smoked at the end of the process.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
bobfeebish said:
Y
I guess it's hard to understand unless you have had a chance to eat real lox.


P.S it looks like you lifted your recipe from this site with out giving them credit. You did a straight copy and paste.

http://www.sausagemania.com/loxmania.html
Click to expand...

We just took the menorah from the front window.

If you look at that site I dont do it exact. It is a very good but I made some changes. I use whole fillets and I dont score the skin. I had to find a written version to post so I went there and made some changes. It has been a few years that I have been doing this way.
 
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5-0 BBQ said:
What we are doing now is comparing Nova Lox to Belly Lox
Click to expand...

Nova lox is not lox
Belly lox only refers to where the flesh was cut from on the fish.
However you can make lox from a Nova Scotia salmon.
Lox is never smoked.
 
I cant keep posting about Lox. All I know is that all of our Jewish family and friends love our LOX.
 
5-0 BBQ said:
I cant keep posting about Lox. All I know is that all of our Jewish family and friends love our LOX.
Click to expand...

That's nice to hear :)
I love real lox and cold smoked salmon too.

So remember peeps if your making lox it's not smoked but brined.
If your making cold smoked salmon I use a ProQ Cold Smoke Generator.
Works great :)
 
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