Help!

steve harvey

Newbie

Original poster

Jan 22, 2013

5

10

McMinnville, Tennessee

• Jan 22, 2013

• #1

I built a cold smoker recently hoping to eventually make some bacon. It consists of two plywood boxes with a 4" dryer hose between them. I'm using a soldering iron and a small cast iron skillet to ignite both hickory and applewood chips. It seems I'm getting plenty of smoke but after 2 to 3 hours everything smells and tastes like an ashtray. All I've tried so far is some cheddar cheese and some almonds. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, Steve

 

kathrynn

Legendary Pitmaster

OTBS Member

Jun 13, 2012

9,442

121

Madison, AL

• Jan 22, 2013

• #2

:welcome1: to SMF! Glad you joined us!

I don't know very much about cold smoking...but the guys in that part of the forums will be able to help. Here is link to get you there. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/2163/cold-smoking

Would you please update your profile with your location? You might find a neighbor or two!

Kat

 

smoking b

Smoking Guru

OTBS Member

Sep 20, 2012

5,095

486

Middle of Nowhere, South Central PA

• Jan 22, 2013

• #3

Hey Steve. Need a little more info. Are you generating smoke in one box & have whatever you're smoking in the other or are you set up differently somehow? Do you have an intake & exhaust vent to keep the smoke moving? Also what type of smoke are you getting - is it the thick, white stuff or is it thinner & lighter? Heavy white smoke will make your food taste bad for sure.

 

steve harvey

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 22, 2013

5

10

McMinnville, Tennessee

• Jan 22, 2013

• #4

Yes I'm generating smoke in one box and have the cheese and nuts in the other. I actually have very little ventilation in the receiving box. It is thick white smoke that's billowing out when I open the box. Sounds like I need to cut some holes in the box with the food. How do I know how much ventilation?

 

steve harvey

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 22, 2013

5

10

McMinnville, Tennessee

• Jan 22, 2013

• #5

Thanks, Kat. I will do that. I'm just learning how this works. Steve

 

smoking b

Smoking Guru

OTBS Member

Sep 20, 2012

5,095

486

Middle of Nowhere, South Central PA

• Jan 22, 2013

• #6

Steve Harvey said:

Yes I'm generating smoke in one box and have the cheese and nuts in the other. I actually have very little ventilation in the receiving box. It is thick white smoke that's billowing out when I open the box. Sounds like I need to cut some holes in the box with the food. How do I know how much ventilation?

Click to expand...

Yup - that's what you don't want.

How big is your food box?

 

steve harvey

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 22, 2013

5

10

McMinnville, Tennessee

• Jan 22, 2013

• #7

The food box is about 17" X 17" and the fire box is about 13" X 13".

 

smoking b

Smoking Guru

OTBS Member

Sep 20, 2012

5,095

486

Middle of Nowhere, South Central PA

• Jan 22, 2013

• #8

Steve Harvey said:

The food box is about 17" X 17" and the fire box is about 13" X 13".

Click to expand...

Ok you should easily be able to get by with a 2 - 2 1/2 inch exhaust vent. A cheap easy solution would be to drill your hole & screw a piece of metal on top of it to allow you to pivot it open to smoke & shut to keep things out when you're not using it. You could do the same for an intake for your other box & be able to regulate how much air you get to keep your wood going good without going out or burning up too fast. There are vents you could buy if you decide you want to but the method I said about is practically free.

You may also want to consider the AMNPS for your smoke generator http://www.amazenproducts.com/  A lot of us on here use them & they work great!

 

steve harvey

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 22, 2013

5

10

McMinnville, Tennessee

• Jan 22, 2013

• #9

Thanks alot, Smoking B! I'll try it in a day or two and let you know how it worked.

 

smoking b

Smoking Guru

OTBS Member

Sep 20, 2012

5,095

486

Middle of Nowhere, South Central PA

• Jan 23, 2013

• #10

Steve Harvey said:

Thanks alot, Smoking B! I'll try it in a day or two and let you know how it worked.

Click to expand...

You're quite welcome Steve - you'll have it working great before you know it 

  Also don't forget to let your cheese rest for a couple weeks or more after smoking it. It lets it mellow out & tastes much better than if you eat it right away.

 

s2k9k

AMNPS Test Group

Sep 8, 2011

11,324

182

SEUSA

• Jan 23, 2013

• #11

Hi Steve! 

to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 45,000 members and over 900,000 posts so you should be able to find almost anything you want to know. Remember the search bar at the top can be your best friend for finding answers fast and the “Articles” section is chock full of good useful information and “how-to’s”!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more!

If you have any questions about the forums or need any help navigating around don’t hesitate to ask or send me a PM, I am more than happy to help out!