Got to use my new tube the first time this weekend. I have never cold smoked anything before and wasn't even aware of the tubes until I got one that Todd donated for the So Cal gathering that Gary hosted before his passing. He had some smoked mozzarella and peanuts that where well "Amazing" so I was excited and made a stop at restaurant depot to make sure that I would have a full smoker.
I picked up 30lbs of wild Keta Salmon fillets, 10 lbs of mozzarella, 10lbs of imported salami, and decided to add some fresh venison sausage that I buddy gave me after a recent hunting trip and a small jar of honey roasted peanuts.
I brined 8 pieces of salmon in a salt and sugar tray for about 6 hours and soaked them in cold water for about 2 hours and allowed them to dry out over night.
Cut the 10lb cheese block in half and did the same with the salami.
I torched the pellets in the tube and let them burn for about 10 minutes and was really surprised to see how much smoke it let off. Placed the tube on the bottom of my WSM and disconnected the stoker fan, but I did leave the temp prob in to monitor temps and opened the 2 bottom vents all the way. I also removed the water pan. Laid the salmon on the lower rack and put the rest on the top rack. I didn't light any coals or use any heat source. The smoker was in the shade the hole time and the temps slowly creeped up to about 75 and held for the 2.5 hour smoke. I turned the salami and flipped the cheese about half way through and noticed everything was oily and had a nice smoky color. The salmon was a little tougher than I wanted so the next batch of salmon I'll probably put on the upper racks and I may even add in my pro Q section to get the salmon up even higher. I also noticed the cheese didn't get as much smoke as I wanted so I will probably cut them down a bit more as each half was about 4x6" in size and was probably too thick.
All in all the first smoke was a huge success and the flavor was great on everything, but the salmon was the best.
My better half is already thinking about other cheeses she wants to smoke and is planning a "cold smoke Sunday" at a friends winery where guest will bring their favorite cheese and meat to smoke and once done we will enjoy with some good wine!
I picked up 30lbs of wild Keta Salmon fillets, 10 lbs of mozzarella, 10lbs of imported salami, and decided to add some fresh venison sausage that I buddy gave me after a recent hunting trip and a small jar of honey roasted peanuts.
I brined 8 pieces of salmon in a salt and sugar tray for about 6 hours and soaked them in cold water for about 2 hours and allowed them to dry out over night.
Cut the 10lb cheese block in half and did the same with the salami.
I torched the pellets in the tube and let them burn for about 10 minutes and was really surprised to see how much smoke it let off. Placed the tube on the bottom of my WSM and disconnected the stoker fan, but I did leave the temp prob in to monitor temps and opened the 2 bottom vents all the way. I also removed the water pan. Laid the salmon on the lower rack and put the rest on the top rack. I didn't light any coals or use any heat source. The smoker was in the shade the hole time and the temps slowly creeped up to about 75 and held for the 2.5 hour smoke. I turned the salami and flipped the cheese about half way through and noticed everything was oily and had a nice smoky color. The salmon was a little tougher than I wanted so the next batch of salmon I'll probably put on the upper racks and I may even add in my pro Q section to get the salmon up even higher. I also noticed the cheese didn't get as much smoke as I wanted so I will probably cut them down a bit more as each half was about 4x6" in size and was probably too thick.
All in all the first smoke was a huge success and the flavor was great on everything, but the salmon was the best.
My better half is already thinking about other cheeses she wants to smoke and is planning a "cold smoke Sunday" at a friends winery where guest will bring their favorite cheese and meat to smoke and once done we will enjoy with some good wine!
