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Hello,

I'm new to Smoking having had a little previous experience 'assisting' my father-in-law. Living in Hampshire, UK, I have inherited two Smokers. One is a home built wooden Cold Smoking (CS) cabinet and the other is a Meco Charcoal Water Smoker for Hot Smoking (HS). The CS was originally fed smoke through a wooden channel, but that used to catch fire.

I have set up the CS cabinet to be fed smoke from the firebox through a flexible metal venting duct to cool the smoke. The HS is next to it and has a bowl for the charcoal fire, a bowl above for the wood chips/shavings/sawdust/water and two racks above for food.

Having installed them next to our BBQ, I fired them up over the Easter weekend to try out my installations and have got pleasing results from both. 

Cold Smoked Cheddar Cheese, Red Leicester Cheese, Cashew Nuts, Salmon (dry brined) and garlics. I started to CS the sausages, but decided to hot smoke them to be safe.

If it is helpful to anyone thinking of building a Cold Smoker, I have put some video of the day on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/wrinklymedic

 

Now the adventure begins !!!
 
Glad to have you on board.

Great video of your Easter Smokes.

One little concern, is the Wickes mess used in your cold smoke generator. Was it galvanised? If it is, that is potentially dangerous, giving off harmful gases. I would A, use something else or B, burn the coating off with a good blow torch.

There is a growing Army of Southern Smokers now, Wade will be along shortly to welcome you. He is into cold smoking in a big way, Salmon etc, so can offer advice. He too is a Southern Smoker!
 
Morning folks!

This is all very new to me. My wife bought me a smoker (and a cold smoker set) out of the blue!

Pretty basic but a step in the right direction. If I end up using it properly, I will upgrade.

Just trying to work out how to do any of it. will post some more in the main forum. :)
 
Hi WrinklyMedic. Welcome to the forum. That is a good video showing off the two smokers - thanks for sharing 
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A few observations that may help...

The cold smoker looks just the job and it is good to see that the snake in the smoke generator is going transverse as this helps to make the burn more reliable.

Do you find that you need to use the ice bags to cool the smoke? I would have thought that a simple fan keeping the air moving underneath would do the job. If cooling the smoke is a problem then you may want to replace the reflective metallic duct with a thinner one to allow more heat loss. Maybe I read the video wrong and the ice bags were to cool the chamber. If the ambient temperature outside is too hot to smoke then the ice would probably be more efficient if you put it inside the smoking chamber while you are smoking. With the smoker in the shade I find that it is only during the hottest summer days that it really gets too hot. When that happens I just smoke overnight when it is cooler.

On the hot smoker you may want to change your thermometers. I am not sure what the thermometer at the bottom of the unit is doing - it is way too close to the coals to be of much use and the "Warm - Ideal - Hot" on the top one does not let you know what the temperature is. You may want to invest about £50 on a dual probe digital thermometer (like a Maverick ET-732 or 733) that you can clip onto the cooking grate.

You will probably not need the additional screen. There is a reasonably gap between the two units and heat rises and will quickly dissipate. Even if you do get a slight warming effect into the cold smoker, how often are you likely to be using them both at the same time?

One thing I would seriously urge you to consider is to replace the hot smoker completely. A quote from another smoking forum... "Meco is a badly designed water smoker, with some mods it maybe useable but that smoker has caused a lot of folks to give up trying to cook Q."

If you want to try to do any serious low and slow smoking then the lack of air control on the Meco smoker makes temperature control very difficult without serious modifications. If you intend keeping it take a look at the ECB threads on here for the kinds of modifications that you can make to help. Alternatively you could invest in a Weber WSM or one of the ProQ smoker ranges to take its place.

Things like sausages and chicken you will probably find will be fine in this but trying to cook brisket, pulled pork or even ribs is likely to be more hit and miss.

The cold smoked fish looks good. As you dry brined (cured) it before you smoked you do not need to keep it chilled in the smoker. The three main ways that curing and smoking preserves the fish are 1-Increase the salt levels, 2-reduce the free water content, 3-the smoke acts as a mild antibacterial. Smoking for 24 hours at a temperature of around 25 C will help remove the water faster and will actually do more to preserve the fish. To do this though you do first need to start removing the water with the cure. Things like shellfish though do need to be kept cool when being smoked.

Cheese will be great in your cold smoker. Don't forget that the cheese will improve over several weeks after it has has been smoked. It takes 2-3 weeks for the harsh smoke flavours to mellow.

It is not a good idea to cold smoke shop bought sausages. You were right to hot smoke them.

I am looking forward to seeing more of what you are smoking. Please keep posting photos.

Wade
 
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Hi Jim. Welcome to the forum. The UK group is fully integrated into the whole forum and is seen by all members and many of our US colleagues are active contributors. We do, however try to tackle some of the challenges that are more specific to the UK. 

What a great present - what type of smoker did she buy you? Can we see photos? 
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. We all have to start somewhere and your smoker may not be as basic as you think. Let us have a little more information and we will see what help and advice we can give you.

Wade
 
Hi Everybody

My name is Carlos, I split my time between London, UK and the Azores, PT

I just bought me a grill thats ( supposedly ) made in the same chinese factory as the Char Griller 5050, dimensions are the same (even takes the same cover) but does have some interesting bits I likes, the smoker box looks to be better fitter to the grill and overall a little sturdier, will be using it in the Azores for the occasional BBQ and Smoke

For now, in London I use a OutdoorChef AMBRI 480 G for the occasional BBQ, it's just a Gas grill, but living in London as you know, space is at a premium and no place to have a nice big BBQ/Smoker !

I joined because all my experience is mostly with Gas grills, and I wish to learn more on how to cook with coal/wood and smoke :)

Here is the new Grill, in all honestly I still have it in the box and will be setting it up soon

 
Hi Carlos.

There are a growing number of Brits on here - I am from Kent so not too far from you. The UK group is fully integrated into the whole forum and is seen by all members and many of our US colleagues are active contributors. We do, however try to tackle some of the challenges that are more specific to the UK. A good looking smoker - it seems to have the best of both worlds. We like photos on here please take some as you are unpacking it and post up your first smoke.

Cheers Wade 
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Hello Carlos and Welcome!  Want to learn more about cooking with coal/wood and smoke.  OK.  Here it is: build fire, throw on meat and when done remove the meat.  SIMPLE!    OK.  Maybe a BIT more to it but it ain't rocket science.  Ask all the questions you need and   we will offer all the help we can.  As Wade has said; we like pictures.  Sometimes it is just some little insignificant" little detail that we can spot from the photo that makes GREAT changes.  Also write everything down; at least at the start.  EVERYTHING you can think of.  Outside temp."  Windy or no breeze at all?  Meat prep ( step by step).  Internal smoker temp..  Temp. drops and or rises.  It will all help with any questions and also for you to recreate a successful smoke.Good luck.  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
Hi Suya, gland you have found us.

Good looking smoker you have.

Plenty of good folk on here with lots of Experiance in all aspects of BBQ, from Low & Slow to Charcuterie.

Ask plenty of questions as someone will have an answer for you.

Kiska has two Pit Barrel Cookers (UDS) so he can give advice on how to hot & cold smoke.
 
Hi Suya - It is good to see you on board. We are almost neighbours 
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 ... My sister lives not too far from you... Being from the South is great as it seems that most of the Brits on here are from the north !!! 
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Great looking Pit Barrel - that should certainly get you off to a good start with both hot and cold smoking.

Having a looked at the advertising and also the reviews it seems to come with most things you need - however it does not appear to come with a thermometer. This is not a major problem however as the basics of hot smoking really revolve around managing the temperature within your smoker you will really need to invest in a good digital thermometer. Something like a Maverick ET-732 or 733 would be ideal for your smoker.

Take some time to get used to finely managing the temperature. Time taken to do this at the start will pay dividends later. Learning to get a good controlled burn of your charcoal / briquettes is key and the better quality briquettes you buy the longer and slower they will burn. Take the time to look up the "minion method" on YouTube as this will really help you get started.

I was a little surprised to see that they are hanging most meats on hooks on the two rods at the top, however I think that you may quickly learn that you need to use the racks - especially for ribs - to avoid them collapsing into the bottom of the smoker. You may also want to add a water/sand bath just above the burning charcoal to buffer the heat spikes from the fire from reaching the meat.

When you next get the smoker going don't forget to take photos and post them up - we love photos here 
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. Also if you find difficulty getting that temperature under control please don't be afraid to shout on here and we can give you some pointers.

Please check out the summer meet too and maybe bring it along. We are just a bunch of "guys" with similar interests who drag their families with them for a fun weekend of BBQ cooking. No competition, no judging - just cooking what we feel comfortable preparing and allowing others to enjoy it too.

Cheers

Wade
 
Hey @Wade, I'm glad to be on the board. There is so much great info on here

I do have a thermometer. Ive go the following from Amazon:


Properly not the greatest but does the job.

I haven't yet monitored the temp within the smoker itself. Maybe i will purchase another thermometer for that purpose. I remember reading a trick on the ecourse, where you secure the monitoring thermometer by pushing it though a potato.

I bought the PBC, because of the hanging feature. You can comfortably hang 8 racks of ribs on the PBC. The technique is to push the hook though two rib bones down! I also smoked a couple of lamb shoulders over the last weekend

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In the picture you will see that i used 3 hooks "chained" together to secure the shoulder. You can also see the probe form my thermometer sticking out the right side of the shoulder.

Regarding the heat spikes. i done some research on this before purchasing PBC, and the general consensus is that this isn't an issue - I'm not quite sure of the science behind it. I haven't had any issue with this on my 3 cooks so far. i will definitely take more pics next time

The summer meet sounds great, i will definitely look into it

Warm regards

SuyaSmoke
 
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Hi everyone. Based in Aylesbury, Bucks. I've been into bbq for a long time. Family holidays, sitting with my dad next to our little cast iron bbq cooking steak or fish are some of my fondest memories. I got my first bbq about 6 years ago as a birthday present, a landmann tennesee. I only started using it properly, smoking low and slow etc, last year when I discovered the british bbq society and country woodsmoke forums on facebook. My knowledge and experience have come on leaps and bounds since then and I have 2 more bbqs. A small stacker and a homemade oil drum grill. I'm looking forward to sharing our mutual passion and getting some great ideas and advice. Cheers.
 
Hi Bungle and welcome to the forum and the UK group. It is great that your enthusiasm has continued to grow and that your BBQ/smokers are multiplying. What have you  been smoking so far? Are you primarily grilling and hot smoking or are you cold smoking too.

Cheers

Wade
 
Welcome to the UK Group Stuart. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience on this site. Use the search bar to research topics, or simply ask the question.
 
Hi Wade, little bit of everything really! Have done low and slow, pulled pork and ribs, hot and fast, butterflied lamb leg, inderct, direct, reverse sear. I've got a proq cold smoke generator and have got my wife hooked on smoked cheese and butter. Also have had 2 succesfull attempts at home made bacon! Second was better as I managed to get a good smoke on it! Kc5tpy, I wont be able to make the meat up this year as I'm going to grillstock and on a bit of a budget as we are expecting twins! I'm very interested in it though and may be able to go next year!
 
Hi Wade, little bit of everything really! Have done low and slow, pulled pork and ribs, hot and fast, butterflied lamb leg, inderct, direct, reverse sear. I've got a proq cold smoke generator and have got my wife hooked on smoked cheese and butter. Also have had 2 succesfull attempts at home made bacon! Second was better as I managed to get a good smoke on it! Kc5tpy, I wont be able to make the meat up this year as I'm going to grillstock and on a bit of a budget as we are expecting twins! I'm very interested in it though and may be able to go next year!
That is great - a good mix. It is good to see that someone else also smokes butter 
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 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/156589/smoked-butter-q-view

James (Smokewood) and I are both heading to Grillstock this year too. Are you there for both days?
 
Yes Wade, myself and my son are there saturday and sunday. Also picking up a member of country woodsmoke, Mel Rhodes, as he can't drivr due to disability. Really looking forward to it!
 
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