Cold Smoke this weekend.....

[tombirmingham]

With the weather dipping I am going to cold smoke this weekend for the first time.

I am going to smoke cheddar cheese, garlic, chilli peppers and some salt. Just to get a feel of it I am not going to go for fish just yet.

With the weather being wet and dreary at the moment, what would recommendations be for this ? My PROQ is stored under a plastic housing and then covered with the PRO Q cover which came with it, it sets to be a crisp cold one on Saturday temperature wise, this brings me on to my next question - what happens in darkest UK winter, say January when it's cold out and wet. Does it effect things massively ?

Any tips and thoughts would be great.

Tom 

 

[red robbo 69]

Hi Tom,

I got my Pro Q cold smoke generator last week and had my first few attempts at cold smoking. I've smoked salmon, butter, sausages, eggs, tomatoes and chillies. I don't have any experience, I just lit the sawdust and left it overnight and so far everything has gone well. My understanding is cold is good, just light her up and go for it

 

[wade]

 
With the weather dipping I am going to cold smoke this weekend for the first time.

I am going to smoke cheddar cheese, garlic, chilli peppers and some salt. Just to get a feel of it I am not going to go for fish just yet.

With the weather being wet and dreary at the moment, what would recommendations be for this ? My PROQ is stored under a plastic housing and then covered with the PRO Q cover which came with it, it sets to be a crisp cold one on Saturday temperature wise, this brings me on to my next question - what happens in darkest UK winter, say January when it's cold out and wet. Does it effect things massively ?

Any tips and thoughts would be great.

Tom 

Hi Tom

To help make sure that the ProQ does not go out make sure that your sawdust is nice and dry before you put it in. 20 minutes in the oven or 3 minutes in the microwave on full power will help to get rid of a lot of the moisture.

For the cheese you should only need 2 hours in the smoke. You may also want to leave some in for 3 and then see which you prefer when it is ready to eat. Don't forget to let it stand for at least a couple of weeks after it is smoked before you eat it.

The chillies are better split or halved as this will allow the smoke to penetrate inside. Once they are smoked are you looking to use them fresh or dried? The chillies will be best left for several hours (even overnight). The salt and the garlic too.

With the salt you should lay it as a fine layer on a tray to allow it maximum exposure to the smoke. Two or three times during the smoke mix it up and then lay it back out again.

Good luck and don't forget the photos