My diy cold smoker idea
- Thread starter xcountryx
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...click on this link...
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/meat-smoking/cold-smoking
..bad smoke...........good smoke...
Cold smoking attachment that can be adapted to any smoker... When "cold smoking", the smoker MUST be above the dew point to avoid condensate on the product...
.. ..
.. ..
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/meat-smoking/cold-smoking
..bad smoke...........good smoke...
Cold smoking attachment that can be adapted to any smoker... When "cold smoking", the smoker MUST be above the dew point to avoid condensate on the product...
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I'm going to try to get things into perspective, I kind of feel like people are talking past each other. The link country provided made it clear to me...I believe. Country, or anyone else, please correct me if I am off...
- Country wants do do a "Cold" smoker that is an actual refrigerator to maintain the cool temperature no matter what the outside temp is. He wants a working fridge with a small hole for a smoke generator will pump smoke into.
- at that point the conversation turned to cooling the smoke before entering the smoke box in which case several mods were discussed, Dave's mailbox mod with additional piping like Setesh's set up everyone agrees is good.
- somewhere in this I got confused and I think we started talking about not needing a working fridge, or I didn't realize the functioning fridge was the center of his question. At that point it became about doing the cold smoke setup with the MES.
- I think our interpretation was he wanted to turn a box that was once a fridge into a cold smoker.
So. . . The questions:
1) Can a working fridge become a cold smoker? What are the challenges? (See video)
2) what draft issues do you need to think about (how much cutting) if I try to make a working fridge into a cold smoker?
3) is there a minimum size pipe that I need to use for a mailbox mod to cool the smoke? Is 3" the minimum?
4) if the answer to 1 or 2 is no or not supportable then MES should be used. (Insert picture of MES) question 3 is relevant to determine if cutting needs to be done.
If those are the questions I do not personally have the experience to answer. However, my 2 cents:
- I'm really curious about creating a working fridge into a cold smoker. Tom posted pics of his here: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123840/my-cold-smoking-options-w-q-view but I always assumed the fan was the only part running. I never thought about them being truely on.
- if that works you can set it up so the smoke generator or mailbox can move back and forth between fridge and MES. The additional pipe to clean the smoke works well for hot and cold.
- I understand not wanting to cut into MES. The salty guys will have to answer the 3" pipe question to determine if you will have to cut. For the fridge, if it becomes a cold smoker, cutting will probably be unavoidable.
- if you can take a picture and post what two holes you are talking about on your MES it will help understand your challenge.
I hope this helps! I feel emotionally invested in this whole thing. I hope to see how it turns out!
- Country wants do do a "Cold" smoker that is an actual refrigerator to maintain the cool temperature no matter what the outside temp is. He wants a working fridge with a small hole for a smoke generator will pump smoke into.
- at that point the conversation turned to cooling the smoke before entering the smoke box in which case several mods were discussed, Dave's mailbox mod with additional piping like Setesh's set up everyone agrees is good.
- somewhere in this I got confused and I think we started talking about not needing a working fridge, or I didn't realize the functioning fridge was the center of his question. At that point it became about doing the cold smoke setup with the MES.
- I think our interpretation was he wanted to turn a box that was once a fridge into a cold smoker.
So. . . The questions:
1) Can a working fridge become a cold smoker? What are the challenges? (See video)
2) what draft issues do you need to think about (how much cutting) if I try to make a working fridge into a cold smoker?
3) is there a minimum size pipe that I need to use for a mailbox mod to cool the smoke? Is 3" the minimum?
4) if the answer to 1 or 2 is no or not supportable then MES should be used. (Insert picture of MES) question 3 is relevant to determine if cutting needs to be done.
If those are the questions I do not personally have the experience to answer. However, my 2 cents:
- I'm really curious about creating a working fridge into a cold smoker. Tom posted pics of his here: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123840/my-cold-smoking-options-w-q-view but I always assumed the fan was the only part running. I never thought about them being truely on.
- if that works you can set it up so the smoke generator or mailbox can move back and forth between fridge and MES. The additional pipe to clean the smoke works well for hot and cold.
- I understand not wanting to cut into MES. The salty guys will have to answer the 3" pipe question to determine if you will have to cut. For the fridge, if it becomes a cold smoker, cutting will probably be unavoidable.
- if you can take a picture and post what two holes you are talking about on your MES it will help understand your challenge.
I hope this helps! I feel emotionally invested in this whole thing. I hope to see how it turns out!
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If using a working refrigerator as a cold smoker, IMO it must be temperature controlled to about 70 degrees F... When cold smoking, the smoker must be above the dew point to avoid condensate on the product...
Read the link about cold smoking....
I know, some folks say different.... well....... follow their advice... The link to a U-tube cold smoking video(post 41) look at it and the amount of smoke he pumps into the smoker... That's the modern version of cold smoking.... I'm purely interested in how our Native Americans cold smoke and how our forefathers cold smoked to preserve meats....
Everyone seems to be in a hurry and get stuff done in an hour or so...... That ain't how I do stuff.... I cold smoke for days at a temp from 60-70 deg. F.... that's where I get great results.... I use about 4 oz. of pellets per smoking session / day... same the next day.... and again.... I have tried all methods.... my current method produces, IMO, a far superior product...
Read the link about cold smoking....
I know, some folks say different.... well....... follow their advice... The link to a U-tube cold smoking video(post 41) look at it and the amount of smoke he pumps into the smoker... That's the modern version of cold smoking.... I'm purely interested in how our Native Americans cold smoke and how our forefathers cold smoked to preserve meats....
Everyone seems to be in a hurry and get stuff done in an hour or so...... That ain't how I do stuff.... I cold smoke for days at a temp from 60-70 deg. F.... that's where I get great results.... I use about 4 oz. of pellets per smoking session / day... same the next day.... and again.... I have tried all methods.... my current method produces, IMO, a far superior product...
Thank you bauchjw for clearing that up.
Dave, thank you for the link. How would i figure out what dew point is? Also lets just say we could use a fridge and keep it at 70 degrees. How would you proceed with a build like that? Would you use a smoke daddy type product to produce the smoke, or the mailbox type?
Bauchjw #3 its not the question of how big of pipe should i use. Its is it usable with the existing hole in the bottom, say we use the 3" pipe and just mount it to the bottom. Wouldnt this cut down a mass amount of smoke entering the smoker and also help cool it before it get to the smoker. Instead of a 3" pipe going into a 3" hole pumping all the smoke it can into the smoker.
Im not looking to just rush into a build thays why im here asking questions. Also the only reason why i mentioned not wanting to cut the mes in the first place is cause i produce a good smoked cheese already except they are blobs when they come out. My last smoke for easter was a 6 hour smoke with 4 types of cheese. The outside temp was 30 degrees and my mes got to around 96 using the amznp. Again leading me to think of the fridge idea. If i have to cut the smoker i will but its not broken so i didnt want to try and fix it. Just make somthing else usable for cold and us the mes for hot.
Anyways we can all come to some type of conclusion with the options thrown out there i was just simply pondering the ideas. Agian thank you and sorry for any confusion or frustration
Dave, thank you for the link. How would i figure out what dew point is? Also lets just say we could use a fridge and keep it at 70 degrees. How would you proceed with a build like that? Would you use a smoke daddy type product to produce the smoke, or the mailbox type?
Bauchjw #3 its not the question of how big of pipe should i use. Its is it usable with the existing hole in the bottom, say we use the 3" pipe and just mount it to the bottom. Wouldnt this cut down a mass amount of smoke entering the smoker and also help cool it before it get to the smoker. Instead of a 3" pipe going into a 3" hole pumping all the smoke it can into the smoker.
Im not looking to just rush into a build thays why im here asking questions. Also the only reason why i mentioned not wanting to cut the mes in the first place is cause i produce a good smoked cheese already except they are blobs when they come out. My last smoke for easter was a 6 hour smoke with 4 types of cheese. The outside temp was 30 degrees and my mes got to around 96 using the amznp. Again leading me to think of the fridge idea. If i have to cut the smoker i will but its not broken so i didnt want to try and fix it. Just make somthing else usable for cold and us the mes for hot.
Anyways we can all come to some type of conclusion with the options thrown out there i was just simply pondering the ideas. Agian thank you and sorry for any confusion or frustration
Last edited:
dcarch
Smoking Fanatic
- Mar 19, 2013
- 372
- 21
I have converted a 4.5 cubic foot refrigerator into a cold/hot smoker very successfully. I had posted details here before. Do a search "dcarch" and find my posts.
I don't remember where I posted here. It has been a while.
Yes, it is an indoor cold/hot smoker.
dcarch
I don't remember where I posted here. It has been a while.
Yes, it is an indoor cold/hot smoker.
dcarch
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I did toss around the idea of making it indoor also. I will do a search an see if i can find the thread
Dew point can be determined by a weather forecast..... or using a wet bulb / dry bulb measuring device... there are humidity charts etc. and links to explain all that.... Once you reach the dew point, moisture "falls" out of the air as fog or dew... If the dew point is say 50 deg. F, and the ambient air is 56, no dew... BUT if the meat inside your smoker and the smoker temp is 46 degrees, the meat will get wet and so will the inside of your smoker....
Below is a weather forecast for my area...... You can see how the relative humidity oscillates opposite temperature... That reflects the water holding capacity of the atmosphere depending on temperature...
For controlling the refer temperature, there are devices.......
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...oller&rh=n:16310091,k:freezer+temp+controller
For a smoke generator, I would use the AMNPS and grind the pellets into powder... Check out Mr T and his tutorial on "smoke"... dust smokes coolest.. Your refer will need very good air flow.... stale smoke sucks... If the fridge is at least 7 cu. ft., you can maybe set the AMNPS inside of it... and pump in air so you get about 4 air changes per minute.. one every 15 seconds... (that is just an educated guess)
That's about 200 gallons / minute for a 7 cu. ft. fridge... I would go larger just for insurance.... If the fridge ran cold, use pellets, they give off more heat or control the temp using light bulbs to keep it warm.... the other controller will keep it cool......
Below is a weather forecast for my area...... You can see how the relative humidity oscillates opposite temperature... That reflects the water holding capacity of the atmosphere depending on temperature...
For controlling the refer temperature, there are devices.......
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...oller&rh=n:16310091,k:freezer+temp+controller
For a smoke generator, I would use the AMNPS and grind the pellets into powder... Check out Mr T and his tutorial on "smoke"... dust smokes coolest.. Your refer will need very good air flow.... stale smoke sucks... If the fridge is at least 7 cu. ft., you can maybe set the AMNPS inside of it... and pump in air so you get about 4 air changes per minute.. one every 15 seconds... (that is just an educated guess)
That's about 200 gallons / minute for a 7 cu. ft. fridge... I would go larger just for insurance.... If the fridge ran cold, use pellets, they give off more heat or control the temp using light bulbs to keep it warm.... the other controller will keep it cool......
So any of those controlers will say turn the fridge on and off to control the temp inside the fridge at a said temp?
Also on the dew point i never realy thought about that part of it. It would be just as if it was raining inside the fridge am i on the same page? Thank you
Also on the dew point i never realy thought about that part of it. It would be just as if it was raining inside the fridge am i on the same page? Thank you
I linked a page with controllers.... You will have to decide which controller meets your needs... look at other controllers also...
Yep, dew point is where the air can no longer hold any additional moisture.....
Yep, dew point is where the air can no longer hold any additional moisture.....
When doin the mailbox mod how does the smoke travel through the pipe? Do you need some type of fan to move it?
I have to turn on the smoker for a few minutes to get it's temperature up to above ambient... Hot air rises.... then the maze, inside the MB warms the air in the MB and the pipe... Then the air keeps flowing, UNLESS you put a bunch of cold meat in the smoker..... Then the cold meat cools the smoker and forms a "cold air dam"... the air will quit flowing in and eventually start flow out of the MB, all things going against you.... I've had smoke flowing backwards when I didn't warm up the pork bellies enough..... just turn the heat on again for a few minutes to warm the smoker and the bellies...
See posts 35 and 36 in my bacon thread....
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ry-brined-bacon-aug-2015-8-23-money-update/20
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ry-brined-bacon-aug-2015-8-23-money-update/20
So im about to work on the mailbox mod. Since i have the analog mes with a 1/2 inch hole in the bottom and a 1/2 inch hole in the back top right. Could i cut the bottom center hole for the 3" intake pipe? Every photo ive seen has them into the side. And i was thinking of just cutting the top hole 3" and putting some type of smoke stack to kinda make it look original. Would i need to have a way to regulate the output there? Thanks
I would drill 1" holes near the top of the side walls..... they can be individually covered with refer magnets if needed... On the side, any condensate will not drip on your food, like it might if in the top..... To keep the temp. even inside the smoker, you will probably need to seal the door with high temp silicone... use saran on the side where you do not want silicone to stick..... silicone does not stick to saran... it will peel off after it has dried for 24 ish hours... leaving an air tight seal...
Mailbox mod done and smoking cheese at this moment. Its been in for 3 hours already. The temp inside the smoker has been 75 degrees the whole time.
So heres what i did. Since i have the 30" analog mes it comes with a half inch hole in the bottom for drippings and a half inch hole in the top back corner for smoe to flow out. I cut a 3" hole in the bottom where the drip hole was and ran the mailbox mod into there. I also cut 3 one inch holes into the back along the side as dave mentioned. Im smoking a block of cheddar a block of colby a block of motz and a block of munster. So far so good. Thank you to everyone that helped
So heres what i did. Since i have the 30" analog mes it comes with a half inch hole in the bottom for drippings and a half inch hole in the top back corner for smoe to flow out. I cut a 3" hole in the bottom where the drip hole was and ran the mailbox mod into there. I also cut 3 one inch holes into the back along the side as dave mentioned. Im smoking a block of cheddar a block of colby a block of motz and a block of munster. So far so good. Thank you to everyone that helped
Sounds like it's going well! Any chance to take some pictures to post? I'm curious to see how it looks!
stickyfingers
Smoking Fanatic
corbylove
Fire Starter
I'm happy to read this and hear it was working good. I'm glad every body kept there wits about them and the problem got solved with help from all. I love this place.
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