My first cold smoke generator OMG it works so well!

[Big Cliff]

I love things like smoked salmon and have always wanted to try cold smoking my own but just never had the time or energy to do anything about it. I have been making jerky and hot smoking things for years but for some reason the cold smoking just never happened.

 

Over the last couple of months I have been reading about all sorts of contraptions, some manufactured, some home made, some simple, some realitivly complex but for one reason or another none of them really hit me as being "THE ONE".

 

The other day a friend saw me working in the garage and stopped to see if I could take a look at his chainsaw for him, well, the chainsaw was a write off but we got talking about smoking stuff and I told him what I was thinking of trying to do. He didn't say much but about 1/2 an hour later he showed up with a cold smoke generator he had built as one of his earlier attempts and gave it to me.

 

It needed a bit of work done on it and there were some pieces missing but yesterday I decided it was time so I got to work on it. A little welding, scrounged some bits and pieces, had to buy a few things but when I was finished and hooked it up I was amazed at how well it worked!

 

All together I think the whole thing probably cost me about $35.00 in materials, (I already had a little hot smoke cabnet that a friend had given me desigined to sit on the side burner of a BBQ) the most expensive part being the air pump ($20.00 I had to buy a new one, I couldn't find any used ones).

 

The hardest part was getting the ventury set up to work properly but once I figured out how to do that All of the smoke generated went into the cabnet and I was able to keep the temperature in the smoker at under 50°F. One handful of wood chips was more than enough to keep the smoke generator going for almost an hour.

 

I did a nice piece of cheese yesterday afternoon and I have a nice rainbow fillet in the fridge right now that I cured over night and I will be putting that in the smoker a little later today. Oh I think Big Cliff is going to get known as BIGGER CLIFF very shortly LOL.

 

 

 

 

[ketchenany]

Pictures please! I bet if it didn't work you'd be looking for BIGGER CLIFF!

[bigugli]

When's supper, Cliff????

[crappieperchhunter]

I'll bring the caper's, cream cheese and good jewish bagels Cliff. When you want us to show up? Have fun with your new toy.

 

Our Caygeon neighbour has smoking down to a fine art and is thinking of getting a cold smoker as well. If he does and he master's it like he has his other smoker I will try and get some tips to help you out.

[dwc67]

sounds great

 

and when it's warmer you can always put a pan of ice in to keep the temp down.

[Beans]

Mmmmmmm...Lox and cream cheese...You da man Cliff...What a talent !

 

Bigugli...You would have to fight off Sue for the rainbow fillet...I believe that is her favorite...

Edited December 7, 2014 by Beans

[ecmilley]

Whats the advantage to cold smoking?

[limeyangler]

That is awesome Cliff….lol @ 'Bigger Cliff'.

 

I love smoked salmon bagels, have always wondered if a nice pink lake trout or brooky/splake would compare, but could never find a cold smoking/curing system available to buy off the shelf.

 

PICTURES PLEASE.

[crappieperchhunter]

That is awesome Cliff….lol @ 'Bigger Cliff'.

 

I love smoked salmon bagels, have always wondered if a nice pink lake trout or brooky/splake would compare, but could never find a cold smoking/curing system available to buy off the shelf.

 

PICTURES PLEASE.

Simon my neighbour smokes salmon on a regular smoker and I think it turns out better then the cold smoked stuff you buy. It is that good. The texture is not the same as cold smoking but the flavours are fantastic. He starts brining his salmon at midnight and starts the smoker in the morning....then calls us over at around 9 for breakfast. And he never has to call twice If your serious excellent results can be achieved with a regular smoker.

 

Also if you enjoy the salmon and bagels lots of places sell the smoked salmon frozen. We get ours at Costco and it is packaged 10 portions in a box for $19 I believe. Each portion 75g...will do 3 bagels. Just throw a frozen package in the fridge before you go to bed and your good to go the next morning.

Edited December 7, 2014 by crappieperchhunter

[manitoubass2]

so cold smoking doesnt actually cook the food?

 

I have never actually heard of cold smoking until this thread.

[Old Ironmaker]

Whats the advantage to cold smoking?

X2. Really enjoy smoked anything occasionally. Some can eat it daily but I can't. I love it and will do a pork shoulder on the BBQ with a tray of smoking chips once a year, but can't eat smoked as a diet staple. Ocne bought an entire Croatian smoked pork leg for some reason (smoked Prociutto) and gave most of the thing away after a few months, just too much. More of an appetizer food I think.

[Big Cliff]

Ok, so a couple of things: Cold smoked meats are cured not cooked! If you have ever bought smoked salmon or had smoked salmon, it was probably cold smoked, hot smoking actually cooks the fish/meat which depending on the time and temperature can sometimes result in jerky.

 

Now, I just took my trout out of the smoker and I could be a little biased but OMG! (Sue even liked it too). I only had it in the smoker for about 3 hours but it taists as good as any I have ever bought.

 

I would post pictures but there isn't much to see, the key is in the ventury system but that is internal. Posting pictures of the finished product would probably result in lawsuits for damaged keyboards.(drool will do that to them)

 

If anyone wants to build one of these, I will be happy to help you do it, you just pay for the materials. this little smoke generator I have would turn a 12 X 24 garage into a smoker if you wanted to. I had to open the door and window just to keep the smoke down enough I could breath in there.

[Old Ironmaker]

So you cold smoke it first then smoke it the regular way? Any drying of meat we did with Dad took a few weeks at least. 3 hours drying something is strange. I may and probably missed something. Email me a small piece since pics don't do it justice. Post a pic of the cold smoker please, very interesting.

 

I love your sense of humour big guy. Drool on the keyboard, don't you just hate that.

 

By the way you have mail.

[aplumma]

Cold smoking is a process where you can infuse the smoke flavor without cooking the food. It is used heavily in the dairy and soft meats department. Most of the cold smoking is used in combination with a brine and spice soak to cure the meat. You can also cold smoke and then dry the meat into jerky with a dehydrator it is easier to keep the meat at the 140F in the dehydrator than it is in a smoker.

 

 

Art

[Big Cliff]

So you cold smoke it first then smoke it the regular way? Any drying of meat we did with Dad took a few weeks at least. 3 hours drying something is strange. I may and probably missed something. Email me a small piece since pics don't do it justice. Post a pic of the cold smoker please, very interesting.

 

I love your sense of humour big guy. Drool on the keyboard, don't you just hate that.

 

By the way you have mail.

No, you cure the meat in a brine first, then you let it dry in a cool place for about 8 hours, then you put it in the cold smoker, the time in the cold smoker is dictated by how thick the meat is, how much smoke you have, and how strong you want the smoke flavor to be.

 

I'll take some pictures tomorrow but there isn't much to see and there isn't any of the trout left. I'll be making some more next weekend though if anyone wants to drop by.

[Big Cliff]

Whats the advantage to cold smoking?

The meat has a different texture, it isn't cooked, it is cured! Have you ever had smoked salmon? It was cold smoked.

[davey buoy]

The meat has a different texture, it isn't cooked, it is cured! Have you ever had smoked salmon? It was cold smoked.

Like smoked Herring Cliff?,love that.

[ecmilley]

Well cliff got a bag of walleye we can try out if your in to it

[spincast]

very interesting thread, and from what I have seen of Big Cliff's abilities, somehow, it doesn't surprise me that you McGivered a soution Cliff. Sounds great. You got me googling though- http://www.smoker-cooking.com/coldsmokedsalmon.html

 

At least one of next years sammies may have to introduce me to this...

[Old Ironmaker]

It is a picture of the smoker I would love to see, not the fish. I've had smoked salmon and it came out of a smoker that sat overnight in a brine. No cold smoking after dried. I know that 100% because I helped to do it at a pals cottage.

 

I have used that liquid smoke stuff and I wonder if cold smoking the liquid is how they infuse the smoke flavor in the bottle?

[limeyangler]

 

 

Also if you enjoy the salmon and bagels lots of places sell the smoked salmon frozen. We get ours at Costco and it is packaged 10 portions in a box for $19 I believe. Each portion 75g...will do 3 bagels. Just throw a frozen package in the fridge before you go to bed and your good to go the next morning.

 

My neighbour 'hot' smokes all my fish for me, I just give him one or two , works for both of us. It is delicious but its not the same as cold smoked 'cured' fish. We can get cold smoked salmon here, have some in the freezer right now….lol, but since I can literally drive off my lawn and get lakers within half an hour I want to try cold smoking myself…..especially since my wife is an execllent homemade bagel maker.

[GBW]

Try the brine I made for that walleye you loved. Works well hot or cold smoked!

[Big Cliff]

Just found out I have to work today so pictures will have to wait for a day or two. I am not much of an artist but I'll see if I can draw something up and come up with a materials list. The tricky part might be that there are two pieces that need to be welded.

 

If anyone has any aquarium air pumps that work but you don't need anymore, hang on to them for me please.

 

Ernie, not sure how walleye would work but lets give it a try, it would be better if the skin is on though and if anyone has any samon or trout that needs a home we can work something out for sure!

[Ice Fishing Ham]

Great post BC, I've never cold smoked, the cheese sounds good. Looking forward to the picture/drawings.

[Consigliere]

If you like cold smoking it can be done very simply with an Amaze-N pellet smoker. Its basically a vented tray designed for smoking. I have a hot smoker that is great for that, but to do some things the cold smoke is necessary (cheese, salmon, bacon etc). This tray works flawlessly for cold smoking. Think it is $40. Google it, pretty easy.

 

I keep mine right in the hot smoker and burn it there and see no appreciable heat. Cold smoking is usually less than 75F I think and I can do that no problem as long as its not a super hot summer day. I have done numerous pounds of different cheeses, bacon, trout, and salt cold smoked in my first summer.

 

And you guys have all nailed it, the difference is cold smoking is a cured version where hot smoking is cooked. The flavours can be similar but the texture is definitely not. Hot smoked fish will flake and cold smoked will not, you need to thin slice it. You can also create cured fish without the smoke using just salt which can be very good especially if you don't like the smoke flavor.

 

One thing to keep in mind in terms of food safety is make sure you at least know a little bit what you're doing with cold smoking/cured meats. If you flavor or brine them with certain things you risk botulism exposure because you aren't bringing the IT up high enough to kill the bacteria if it is there. Garlic is a big culprit for this. If you use proper curing salts (nitrate based) you avoid this issue but those salts are difficult to find.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Consigliere