Here is what I am building

[mackconsult]

Getting all the parts pretty much for free as time goes on from craigslist.  Just need the mini fridge now

by admin on Jan.07, 2012, under Family, Mackconsult, Mechanical Engineering


cold smoker

I have always wanted to design and build a good cold smoking solution. My requirements are the following:

Some what compact so that I can put it in the shed and not take up to much space that I use for WVO activities. Large enough (medium size mini fridge) so that I can do a good amount of smoking. Able to control internal temperature and smoke all the through the day or at night.

This cold smoker leverages recycled products. The mini fridge, computer case, and microwave will all be salvaged from the free auction listings in craigslist. The creform, and shelf boards I have laying around the yard. I will need to invest in the computer fans and the ducting.

The microwave will have the smoking tray in it (A-MAZE-N 6 x8) and be at the bottom of the total assembly. Smoke will run through the ducting up to the computer case were it will snake back and forth. The fans will blow cool air over this ducting and out the other end of the computer case. Then the ducting will carry the smoke up to the mini fridge where the actual smoking will occur.

Each of the cooling fans in the PC case will have its own switch and be wired into the power supply of the computer case. This power supply will be mounted outside the computer case. If extra cooling is needed particularly during summer I will integrate a reservoir, pump, and mister nozzles in the computer case to add more cooling capability.

This effort aligns well with a competition for free admission to the Solidworks world down in San Diego in February. Going to design it all up in solidworks and then submit it as a project for the competition.

This documented design will also be shared with forums on the internet and published as a consulting project on my personal consulting page.
Closes topPost

 

[sunman76]

look complex how does the microwave get air to make smoke?

 

[mackconsult]

One side of the microwave will have the aluminum ducting coming out up high of the microwave.

Down low on the other side of the microwave I am planning on a simple 3/4" pvc valve to adjust inbound flow.

Its not in the model yet.

 

[mackconsult]

Ooh I just found this for $40 .... and it would be cool to implmeent in my cold smoker ....

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/app/2792602169.html

 

[sunman76]

oh man at work and craigslist is blocked

 

[mackconsult]

 

[mackconsult]

Well since I have started this thread I simplified quite a bit.  Just using a Hair medium sized fridge that is mounted to the top of a mini microwave.  The mini microwave is rotated 90 degrees in relation to the fridge which helped in getting a 1.5" PVC pipe that goes up through the top of the microwave and the bottom of the fridge.  Microwave has a ball valve for make up air, and the fridge has a ball valve as an exhaust.  Using an A-mazen smoke tray with dust in the microwave as the smoke generator.  Had to plug up holes in the microwave and the fridge with duct tape.  Lastly there is a nice Cole Palmer temperature gauge in the door of the fridge.

Yesterday I ran a hole tray of smoke in the unit.  Max temperature was 60F.  Yesterday i also created my cure and prepared the small piece of salmon that was my test sample.  So this morning I put the salmon in and running a full tray of the special blend.  We'll see how it turns out ...... Do you think the temperature is okay?

PA280002.jpg

• mackconsult
• Oct 28, 2012

 

[mackconsult]

Well I opened up late last night ... over 12 hours of smoke and my little piece of fish still seemed raw .... in the garbage it went .... must have been the cure ....

 

[daveomak]

Well I opened up late last night ... over 12 hours of smoke and my little piece of fish still seemed raw .... in the garbage it went .... must have been the cure ....

Mack, morning.... Was the max temp 60 deg F ??   The fish will be raw at that temp....  When cold smoking, air flow is a necessity... plenty of air is necessary to dry the meat... At the onset, forming a pellicle on the fish is necessary also....  The fish was still OK if I read your posts correctly....  It could have been smoked to a higher temp and finished to 140 ish IT and smoked at 160-deg....   Dave

 

[mackconsult]

Yeah I will try again maybe this weekend.  When I built up the fridge I put a lamp in it to dry some stuff out and it shot up to almost 180F, so I am thinking of just installing a small incadescent bulb in the bottom to help heat things up a little bit.  I used the following recipe and the fish sat out in the fridge uncovered over night.  Its possible that it didn't develop a [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]pellicle[/color]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/fo...ked-salmon-with-recipe-instructions-and-qview

 

[mackconsult]

IMG00058-20121107-1231.jpg

• mackconsult
• Nov 7, 2012

Well its coming along  Basically have four shelves that I can put meat/cheese on.  Ripped out the guts of the mini fridge and installing a pc power supply, PID temperature controller, some switches, fuse box, and a relay.  Inside the fridge will be an RTD for the PID temperature controller, and a 3" computer fan on each shelf.  There is a small fan mounted on the PVC pipe that comes from the microwave were the amaz-n smoker resides.  Down at the bottom of the fridge there is a little 12 volt heater.  So when smoking I can set the temperature that I would like and the PID controller will turn the heater on when necessary.  I just ran the heater in there for 1/2 hour and it got up to 180F 

.

I also bought a little stand alone dehumidifier, and some blue ice packs.  So after curing the fish I can grow the [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]pellicle in this unit by putting the refreshed de-humidifer in the bottom, blue ice packs on the shelves, and starting the fans to recirculate the air.[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Hopefully be running a test run next week.[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]More info on my blog.[/color]