Cold Smoking....trying to keep temps down.

[Smaterchew]

Hi folks, I have a modded MES with a PID controller. For the last 3 nights, I have been cold smoking 10lbs of bacon. My issue has been....even though it is in the 40's at night...just running a AMNPS....my temps go up into the 70's and not much airflow. Also I usually ended up with the tray going out half way through. This is with the chip dump tube completely removed and a 3" metal duct used as a chimney to pull a draft. I have also tried a 3" metal duct inserted in the chip dump tube opening with a 12" smoke tube placed in it (this works great by the way if you are using heat...it draws the smoke into the MES and drafts out the chimney). But with no heat in the MES, there is no airflow and it's not drawing the smoke into the smoker. I have placed a rotating fan close by to blow smoke occasionally into the tube...forcing air into the smoker. Again, the fan blowing on the smoke tube caused more heat...also raising the temperature in the smoker. Has anyone come up with a way to add the cool air outside to keep temps down for cold smoking but still get good smoke from their AMNPS tubes or trays? I have thought of some sort of computer fan mod but I'm guessing pulling smoke through the fan would shorten the life quite a bit...anyone have any great ideas? I have included a pic so you can see my setup..

 

[TNJAKE]

Type in "mailbox mod" into the search box. It will fix your issue.......btw 70 is just fine for a cold smoke

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I use my propane torch to heat up the top corner of the MES and chimney pipe when I start the cold smoke. Never had the tray go out. But my setup was a mailbox mod with the tray in the mailbox, not my smoker.

 

[Murray]

Try pellet dust, virtually no heat produced.

 

[cmayna]

Yes for dust if you don't have a mailbox. But once you try the mailbox........

 

[hoity toit]

I used to put ice in a aluminum pan on bottom rack, then came the mailbox mod that works also.

 

[dr k]

Mr T before he got banned was a cheese aging/smoking wizard, using a cast iron stove in the shade as a heat sink for the pellet maze and had many feet of piping. He said with the mailbox with pellets or sawdust to put a ziplock bag of ice on the mailbox and piping going to the chamber to remove heat before it gets there vs smoking ice jugs in the chamber.

 

[Marknmd]

I cold smoke with my SnS - cheeses and almonds. I only do it in the winter with air temps 50 or less. I light two kingsford briquets. Then when they are lit, add wood chips on top. I use the smoke hole and top vent wide open. Indirect. Add one briquet at a time as needed. Cooker temp does not go over 90 for me although I prefer 70 or 80s.