Anyone do cold smoking?

nanosleep · Jan 6, 2005

I imagine most readers read the topic and went "huh?". What I mean by cold smoking is just as it sounds. I mean smoking where the temperatures never go higher than around 100F. Most readers are probably saying "What a stupid idea". For cooking, yes, this is a stupid idea. For adding smoke flavoring to other things such as cheese this is a very good idea.

My question is: Does anyone do something like this? What is your setup? How do you regulate the temperatures? Do you vent fresh air into the smoking chamber? Do you use a long pipe between your firebox and your smoking chamber? Wood or metal chamber?

Many thanks,
-Andy

jminion · Jan 6, 2005

Here is a setup and discussion that you may find interesting.
Dean is a knowledgable and a good read. He is good at sausage and meat preservation plus setting up the smoker.

http://www.theingredientstore.com/foodpreservation/forum1/preservation.pl?read=1045

mook · Jan 6, 2005

I would love to be able to cold smoke cheese, nuts, fish etc. A little hard to do in an apartment in the city though. Been thinking about trying to somehow extend the smoke from the 'dera to a smoke chamber.

Welcome to the group. Spent some time on your site, interesting stuff. I hope you stick around and share some more of your experiences. Now head over to Cattle Call and tell us about yourself.

mook

tommykendall · Jan 7, 2005

Yes - I've done gravlox several times that calls for a starting temp of 125 - tapering to 100. Not easy. Done it using the Great Outdoors Gas Cooker, also on the 'dera using only wood. It's easier on the gas smoker. Key with wood or charcoal/wood (my experience) - get a small fire going, hopefully just enough to raise your pit tmps to no more than 150-175. Have some VERY SMALL splits like 1/4"-1/2" square x 3" ready for flavor. Let your existing fire burn down to embers and a pit temp to about 115 or 120. Add a split or two at a time, not too much as to keep the temp under 125. The gravlox goes for 80 minutes before I pull it.

Neil · Jan 7, 2005

tommykendall said:
Yes - I've done gravlox several times that calls for a starting temp of 125 - tapering to 100.... The gravlox goes for 80 minutes before I pull it.

What the hell is Gravlox?

kcquer · Jan 7, 2005

Andy, I haven't tried it yet but would really like to smoke (cure) some sausages and some home smoked cheese would be awesome!! I've been considering the electric hotplate and sawdust method in the bottom of my smokebox. We've had several discussions about cold smoking, try the search feature and see what you can find. I know a few others have done it.

BigBelly · Jan 7, 2005

What the hell is Gravlox?

A variation of Smoked Salmon--and very good may I add.

I started a thread like this a few months ago because I was wanting to venture into the smoking cheese territory. There was some good information that could be gleaned from that thread but that link that Jim posted is great and chock full of great advice.

When using my Bandera for cold smoking I just setup a Coffee can that is perforated for good air flow. The coffee can inside my firebox serves as a mini basket to hold my wood and charcoal. I also use Aluminum foil to wrap one of my racks in the dera which serves as a make shift baffle to decrease the size of my cooking chamber.

I try my hardest to keep temps well below 100 degrees. Of course keeping the temp as low as I can is easier said then done.

Good luck.

parrothead · Jan 7, 2005

I have done cheese. Did it in the 'dera when I had one. Had to be done in the winter with the door cracked open a little bit. The stuff turned out fantastic. I have been toying with the idea of building a cold smoker with the firebox seperated from the chamber. I have also seen people do the hotplate with chips in the refridgerator mod.

parrothead · Jan 7, 2005

Those cookers that burn biscuits, I believe, can go below 100.

mrkkti · Jan 7, 2005

kcquer said:
Andy, I haven't tried it yet but would really like to smoke (cure) some sausages and some home smoked cheese would be awesome!! I've been considering the electric hotplate and sawdust method in the bottom of my smokebox. We've had several discussions about cold smoking, try the search feature and see what you can find. I know a few others have done it.

I basically "cold smoked" my venison/pork sausage this year. Over Christmas I did a couple of turkeys.

I converted an old Coke machine into a smoker and use a couple of hot plates with saw dust and wood chunks. Never took the temps over 140*. Left the stuff in for 4-6 hours. Finished the turkeys in the oven. The sausage we cook up on the stove.

The results were excellant. The turkey had a nice subtle smoke to it (mesquite) not overpowering, but not too little.

The sausage is very good, great smoke flavor (used western cedar, mesquite and oak) Best we've done so far.

Now don't come down on me about the cedar...western cedar is not toxic like the stuff out east. In fact, my father-in-law suggested it, they used it all the time when he was growing up.

Neil · Jan 8, 2005

I have a Luhr-Jensen Big Chief electric smoker that I converted into a charcoal/stick burner. To cold smoke, I just place the meat rack on top of the lid and cover with the cardboard box it came in.

Neil · Jan 8, 2005

Neil said:
I have a Luhr-Jensen Big Chief electric smoker that I converted into a charcoal/stick burner. To cold smoke, I just place the meat rack on top of the lid and cover with the cardboard box it came in.

You could probably do a similar mod with the 'dera. Place a stack rack over the chimney and cover with a box or five gallon bucket with some holes drilled through.

BigBelly · Jan 8, 2005

What would that be called? The brother Neil box top Dera' mod? =)

midnight · Jan 10, 2005

I have a Cookshack electric smoker that I use for cold smoking. I do some cheese but mostly just use the cold smoke for my home-made Buckboard Bacon. I will be doing 15lbs of it this coming weekend.

parrothead · Jan 10, 2005

Midnight! I had some of your buckboard bacon from Bill. Great farking stuff! Good to see ya back around..

Neil · Jan 11, 2005

midnight said:
I have a Cookshack electric smoker that I use for cold smoking. I do some cheese but mostly just use the cold smoke for my home-made Buckboard Bacon. I will be doing 15lbs of it this coming weekend.

At what temps do you try to mainten when smoking buckboard bacon? That is something I've been meaning to try.

midnight · Jan 11, 2005

The smoke is just for flavoring he bacon, you will still need to cook it like regular bacon.
The directions say: Place meat in smoker.Heat smoker up to 150 degrees and keep it there for 45 min. without smoke. ( hard to do with a wood/coal fired unit). Increase temp to 200 degrees and start smoke. Smoke until internal temp of meat reaches 140 deg. Turn off heat. Leave in smoker for 1 hour to cool down.

I like to give mine a little more smoke, so I start the smoke sooner and leave them in the smoker longer.

Mark · Jan 11, 2005

BigBelly said:
What would that be called? The brother Neil box top Dera' mod? =)

That would be the damn good improvising on-the-cheapmod (DGI-OTC). Someone mentioned this a few months ago using a simple cardboard box on top of the dera smoke chamber. Was that you Neil?

BigBelly · Jan 11, 2005

Yes it was, Mark. Neil is an innovator.

tommykendall · Jan 11, 2005

Yes it was, Mark. Neil is an innovator

Born in IL?

Anyone do cold smoking?

Found some matches.

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