cold smoking success

[nogoer]

Couldn't figure out the best place to post my excitement so i placed it here to be safe.

Last weekend i finally acheived true cold smoking with a brisket peice from spareribs i cured. The particular rack i purchased had quite a bit of the hind belly area on it and i couldn't just "smoke" it. This conincided exactly with a cold smoker design idea i had so i jumped into action. The setup is very basic and i'm not touting something special. I'm just proud i actully smoked the bacon at 50F for 5 hours or as long as i wanted to. The recipe was just as simple, salt, cure and honey for 3 days(small bacon <1lb)

The cold smoker was a smoke generator hooked up to the chip loading hole on my masterbuilt electric. A single burner hotplate, cast iron skillet, cake pan and dryer duct created smoke and funnled it into the smoker. The whole thing stayed at ambient temps the entire time and allowed me to use large chunks so i didnt have to babysit it all day.

More pics and info about cold smoking
http://foodartisan.net/making_sausage/cold_smoking.php

Blog post about my trial and error
http://blogs.foodartisan.net/food_artisan/

 

[cowgirl]

Hey nogoer, nice cold smoking set up!
I'm working on a cold smoker too, used to use the trench and barrel method.
Thanks for the links!

 

[walking dude]

here is another cold smoking conversion.........

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/coldsmoker.html


d88de

 

[cowgirl]

I like that set up Dude!

 

[lovetosmoke]

Simple and easy thats the way to go

 

[deejaydebi]

That looks alot like my first, second, third, forth .... smokers - the box not the WSM!

 

[nogoer]

You'll probably notice that the smoke generator in the box looks pretty similar to my setup. It was his comments on a pie plate with holes to prevent flareups that gave me the idea of just using the "pie plate" as the hose inlet. That conversion was also the one that gave me ideas for my previous setup of a wooden box and fan to push the smoke. That idea didnt go so well for me though.

When i first started trying to build a cold smoker that conversion was pretty much the only in depth information on the web about making one. I much prefer his and my style of a skillet generator because it avoids the costly purchase of sawdust or pellets. I used 1 chunk of hickory about 2x3in and it was only half burnt up when i was done 6 hours later.

Cowgirl...the links are actually to my site so i can't take credit for being generous on that. I just had too much info to post in a single forum thread. Good luck on your setup!

 

[walking dude]

i would like to get a better look under your skillet......what type of container is your skillet sitting on......looks plastic.......inquiring minds would like to know


deb........do you cold smoke in your ecb?
and just usning how many briquettes?
our temps here are perfect also for a few cold smoking sessions


d88de

 

[nogoer]

Its a countertop electric burner that has a plastic shroud around it. Attached is a picture of a very simlar product, but in black. I plug this in, set it on medium, place the skillet on top with a wood chunk in it and walk away

Within a few minutes the chunk is smoldering and the cake pan/skillet combo bleeds all the heat off. About 10 inches from the duct on the skillet side it was stone cold and the duct right above the hot plate wasnt too hot to grab with bare hands for a few seconds. Of course it was cloudy and chilly out, but shaded in the summer i bet the whole thing doesnt go over 100 still. I also have some ideas for running the duct through a container of ice or cold water to help chill the smoke down.

 

[walking dude]

nice........but the thumbnail was a bit hard to see......brand?
cost?
really want to smoke some cheese


d88de

 

[monstah]

Very cool idea, Nogoer... I just may have to try this on my MES someday! Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[nogoer]

Sorry, i don't remember the brand off hand. I got it from Walmart and i think it was around 10-15 dollars. I refuse to invest large amounts of money on pet projects. Its an 1100watt single burner electric hotplate. You should be able to find one suitable at a store near you or get an even less expensive one at amazon or something.

The duct i got at home depot for a few bucks and the skillet and cake pan were bought at Tj Maxx for 20 bucks combined.

Hope that helps! The real clincher on this project was having the chip intake on my mastebult smoker to route the smoke into.