cold smoked belly smells like ashtray

[Bearcarver]

Day 2 of cold smoking was a success thanks to the feedback here. I rested it overnight in my cold storage room (55F, 40%) and unlike the 1st day it doesn't smell like an ashtray anymore. will do day 3 today.

I had planned to hot smoke it after the 1st cold smoke but changed my mind. Will do 24 hour cold smoke then try to rest it for 3+ days to dry age it a bit before slicing, bagging, and freezing.

Sounds good, but you might want to put it in the freezer for 3 or 4 hours just before slicing. It will slice easier with a slicer.

Bear

 

[dernektambura]

some background info... i did a cold smoke for the very first time yesterday on a pork belly i'm turning into bacon. it had cured for 14 days, rested overnight, then cold smoked for about 6.5 hours for the first time yesterday using CookinPellets Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets that i had ground up into coarse dust.

here's a pic of my set up. i'm using the bottom and top of my old vertical smoker to create a smoking chamber where i keep the smoking tube, then a 6" vent pipe to connect to the bottom half of my 40" propane smoker. the smoker temperature was never more than 8F higher than ambient temperature. highest smoker temp was 63F, i think.

View attachment 390927

at the end of the 6.5 hours cold smoke, i took the bellies out and all i could smell was ashtray. i put it in the fridge overnight, and this morning the odor is still there but not as strong. my plan is to let it rest 2-3 days in the fridge, then hot smoke it to 140F internal.

so, what caused the ashtray smell?

the only vent on the smoker is on the upper back and was wide open, and during the cold smoke i could clearly see smoke coming out the back so i feel like there was enough air flow. is it lack of proper air flow? or my choice of pellets?

I've studied a bit your smoke setup and seems to be kinda off...I'll try to explain my understanding why bacon smelled as ashtray...
you used to big "smoke generator" and over-sized pipe that connects to your smoker....your smoke generator pumped to much smoke for your smoker size to have proper smoke flow trough smoker and out, resulting in belly "choked" by smoke...when cold smoking, smoke should "nibble" on meat surface and with good airflow exit smoker fast....essentially, cold smoking is waste of smoke mixed with good air flow...that's why cold smoking it takes long time...

 

[solman]

I've studied a bit your smoke setup and seems to be kinda off...I'll try to explain my understanding why bacon smelled as ashtray...
you used to big "smoke generator" and over-sized pipe that connects to your smoker....your smoke generator pumped to much smoke for your smoker size to have proper smoke flow trough smoker and out, resulting in belly "choked" by smoke...when cold smoking, smoke should "nibble" on meat surface and with good airflow exit smoker fast....essentially, cold smoking is waste of smoke mixed with good air flow...that's why cold smoking it takes long time...

thanks for the feedback. i think my set up is workable, but i agree it wasn't set up properly. an 8F temp differential between smoker temp and ambient temp wasn't enough to get the air flowing properly. right now, i have the smoking tube inside the primary smoker and there's a 30F temp differential helping the air move.

i would use my set up again if the ambient temp was closer to 80F and i wanted to do some cold smoking. to make it work properly, i would put a fan on the upper back vent to force the air flow.

 

[dernektambura]

thanks for the feedback. i think my set up is workable, but i agree it wasn't set up properly. an 8F temp differential between smoker temp and ambient temp wasn't enough to get the air flowing properly. right now, i have the smoking tube inside the primary smoker and there's a 30F temp differential helping the air move.

i would use my set up again if the ambient temp was closer to 80F and i wanted to do some cold smoking. to make it work properly, i would put a fan on the upper back vent to force the air flow.

Your setup is definitely workable just try to generate less smoke in your smoke generator and increase fresh air flow trough your 40" smoker...with good air flow, meat will also additionally dry as it's smoking....Good, proper air flow is reason why I built 7 foot high smoker instead of buying store smoker....

 

[solman]

Sounds good, but you might want to put it in the freezer for 3 or 4 hours just before slicing. It will slice easier with a slicer.

Bear

i had planned for an hour or so to firm it up, but it sounds like that won't be long enough. i'll shoot for 3-4 hours. thanks!

 

[indaswamp]

I've studied a bit your smoke setup and seems to be kinda off...I'll try to explain my understanding why bacon smelled as ashtray...
you used to big "smoke generator" and over-sized pipe that connects to your smoker....your smoke generator pumped to much smoke for your smoker size to have proper smoke flow trough smoker and out, resulting in belly "choked" by smoke...when cold smoking, smoke should "nibble" on meat surface and with good airflow exit smoker fast....essentially, cold smoking is waste of smoke mixed with good air flow...that's why cold smoking it takes long time...

Good input dernek...

When you hot smoke, there is a large pressure difference between the top and bottom vents because the hot flew gases leaving the smoker create that pressure difference. This feeds the draft. With cold smoking, the pressure difference is kept to a minimum because there is very little difference between the temperature of the stack and the intake vent. There is very little expansion of the air from it warming up. When cold smoking, the bottom vent needs to be almost as large as the top vent to compensate to this lack of gas expansion inside the smokehouse. The retention time of smoke when cold smoking is longer than when hot smoking because of this....the gases are not rising as fast in the smoker or through the stack...
Feed as much air-with no restrictions-as you can if using a natural draft and not forcing air with a fan.

 

[solman]

my smoker temp hit 86F, so i moved the tube into the external smoker box and now the temp is 62F or 10 over ambient, and still dropping. i opened the back vent all the way, and cracked open the smoker's main door. i figure this will work in place of a fan.

 

[indaswamp]

my smoker temp hit 86F, so i moved the tube into the external smoker box and now the temp is 62F or 10 over ambient, and still dropping. i opened the back vent all the way, and cracked open the smoker's main door. i figure this will work in place of a fan.

Is it possible for you to cold smoke at night? It's better to cold smoke at night for 2 reasons...#1, it is cooler, so easier to keep the temps. low; and #2, the humidity is usually higher @night...and high humidity is good for cold smoking....75~85%...to keep the meat from case hardening, or the outer layer of meat becoming so dry as to not allow smoke to penetrate deep in the meat.

 

[indaswamp]

I'm in the hot south so other than a handful of day in winter, I have to cold smoke @ night.....

 

[solman]

Is it possible for you to cold smoke at night?

i thought about it, but i really don't like the idea of having a "fire" unattended in the middle of the night. i have a postage stamp size backyard, so my wood deck is the only place i can have my smoker going. plus i work from home, so i can keep an eye on it all day.

 

[indaswamp]

Gotcha...

For me, when not running propane, there is no way fire could escape once I close up the doors. I sleep like a baby....well, sometimes I wake up and just HAVE to go check the bacon! I shine a flashlight through the exhaust vent just to get a look at the color....and of course smell the smoke....
Then I wander back into the house and crawl back in bed.....never even worry about checking the fire a long as I see TBS coming out the vents.

 

[Bearcarver]

i thought about it, but i really don't like the idea of having a "fire" unattended in the middle of the night. i have a postage stamp size backyard, so my wood deck is the only place i can have my smoker going. plus i work from home, so i can keep an eye on it all day.

Very Wise Decision!
A couple pounds of Bacon aren't worth losing a house or lives over.

Bear

 

[Tex1911]

Here in the south, we dont get any kind of windy conditions in the summer unless its raining. I had these computer fans that I purchased for another reason but ended up using them sometimes when I cold smoke. They are not strong at all but are really handy. They have a "pigtail" on them so you can hook several up in a chain so to speak.

When I first start, I place one on top of the MES vent to suck the smoke into the smoker, kinda like a primer. It really helps to get it flowing good. I usually dont have to use it after that but on occasion, I will place one by the "mailbox mod" vent to force air into the MES. Hope that makes sense. Here is one of the fans. Notice the pigtail where I can hook another one up to it if wanted.

 

[indaswamp]

I place one on top of the MES vent to suck the smoke into the smoker, kinda like a primer.

Why would you put a fan on top of your smoker to suck smoke into the smoke chamber? I don't see the reason for this, did you mean, "place one on top of the MES vent to suck the smoke out the smoker"?

 

[Bearcarver]

Why would you put a fan on top of your smoker to suck smoke into the smoke chamber? I don't see the reason for this, did you mean, "place one on top of the MES vent to suck the smoke out the smoker"?

I believe Tex means he puts a fan on top of the smoker to suck smoke from his Mailbox into his smoker, in the beginning, like a Primer.
Makes sense to me.

Bear

 

[solman]

I noticed on my last cold smoke that even with a temperature differential of only 2-4F between ambient and smoker temp, I could maintain good airflow as long as the smoker box was primed as Tex described.

 

[indaswamp]

I believe Tex means he puts a fan on top of the smoker to suck smoke from his Mailbox into his smoker, in the beginning, like a Primer.
Makes sense to me.

Bear

Ah...thanks for explaining that Bear...makes sense now......

 

[Tex1911]

Yep, what Bear said. I guess my fingers are a little slower than the brain? LOL.

 

[jcam222]

I found in mine (hot smoke) they smell far less like “ash tray” if I allow the meat to form a pellicle for at least a day. I’ll not be short cutting that step anymore.

 

[indaswamp]

I found in mine (hot smoke) they smell far less like “ash tray” if I allow the meat to form a pellicle for at least a day. I’ll not be short cutting that step anymore.

3~4 days is better IMO....