Cold(er) smoking in the Dera

[The_Kapn]

I know a lot of Brother's like to (or want to) cold smoke. Temps in the mid to upper 100's or so. I never had the desire to, but this is what I did today.

I wanted heat in the Dera, but did not want to fuss with wood or charcoal. I grabbed a hot plate from the barn. One element 1000 Watt, one 650 Watt. Stuck it in the firebox with the cord out the intake damper. Intake closed onto cord, exhaust about 1/4 open. Dera in carport under shade with light breezes.
Temp went to and locked in on 136 degrees. About 50 degrees above ambient. Dera has never been known for thermal efficiency :lol:
So- now I had a 135 degree oven. How about some smoke?? :lol:
I placed an old porcelain pan on the 650 burner. Added 1/2 cup Mesquite chips and 5 minutes later--lots and lots of wonderful smoke. Lasted about 30 minutes. Never ignited.
How about pellets? Emptied the Mesquite ash and added 1/2 cup of Peach pellets. Same result. 5 minutes later--lots of Peach smoke which lasted about 30 minutes. Never ignited.
In both cases, I am guessing too much smoke for a "kiss of smoke" like you might want on fish or cheese or something delicate.
The pan I used was well over 10 dia. Just used it because it was handy and expendable. Almost all of the chips and pellets were in contact with the bottom and lit off quickly. I think a smaller diameter like 3 inches or one of those "factory made" chip pans would help. Less stuff going quickly and lasting longer with less dense smoke.

I think more heat would be needed, especially with any product sucking up BTUs. My extension cord was about a half mile long and I was not getting a full 1650 watts, I am sure. I am guessing that 2000 watts with a good power supply would yield 80 or 90 degrees above ambient Of course, putting that black smoker in the Florida sun would have added 20 degrees :lol:

Anyway, this is not a totally satisfactory solution. It is meant to be a starting point for those who feel the need to smoke at temps below 200 in a Dera or similar without burning a handful of briquettes at a time :lol: Electric would be really predictable and simple to do.
Or, you could just spring for a CookShack :lol: :lol:

FWIW

TIM

 

[nmayeux]

Tim,
Great idea! At what temp would you smoke bacon? I know its a difficult thing to do, but I have always wanted to try something like that.

 

[The_Kapn]

Tim,
Great idea! At what temp would you smoke bacon? I know its a difficult thing to do, but I have always wanted to try something like that.

Noah,
I can not help you on any of the cold smoke items.
Sorry.
I bet others can :lol:

TIM

 

[chad]

According to the High Mountain directions for Buckboard bacon (the cure can be used for traditional bacon, too): after rinsing the meat, pat it dry and let stand at room temperature for about an hour (remember, this is cured meat). Place the meat in the cooker and heat smoker to 150 for 45 minutes without smoke (this helps dry the surface of the bacon so you don't get streaks from the smoke). Increase temperature to 200 degrees and start the smoke. Smoke until the meat reaches a temp of 140. Turn off the heat (obviously this is with an electric smoker but you could dampen your fire (or using Tim's method just turn off the burner) and let the bacon rest and cool in the smoker for 1 hour.

The cured meat is probably safet to eat as is, but most folks will slice and fry it up.

 

[Neil]

The Luhr-Jensen Big Chief electric smoker is ideal for cold smoking. I ruined the heating element in mine so I converted it to charcoal/wood by drilling holes in the bottom. I use 3-4 briquettes and a chunk of wood in a Weber charcoal basket and place the Big Chief directly over the fire on the food grate of the Weber Kettle. Maintain 140-160* adding 4 coals and a chunk of wood every hour.