Barbecue (alt.food.barbecue) Discuss barbecue and grilling--southern style "low and slow" smoking of ribs, shoulders and briskets, as well as direct heat grilling of everything from burgers to salmon to vegetables.

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Bob Bob is offline
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Default cold smoking question

Have never tried any cold smoking, but have read that the temp
should be about 100 degrees.

I use a smoker with an offset firebox and have good luck with
cooking, ribs, roasts, etc at about 250 degrees.

Questions:
Is this smoker usable for cold smoking?

How does one keep the temp down to about 100?

During Texas summers, often the temp exceeds 100 with no fire.
So, can cold smoking be done only in the winter or cooler months?

I'd like to try fish and jerky. I recently got a couple jerky
recipes from some good folks here that I want to try.

Guess I need to go to the library to see if I can find a book on
cold smoking, but anyone have suggestions? Thanks!

Bob-tx


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Default cold smoking question


"Bob" > wrote in message
...
> Have never tried any cold smoking, but have read that the temp should be
> about 100 degrees.
>
> I use a smoker with an offset firebox and have good luck with cooking,
> ribs, roasts, etc at about 250 degrees.
>
> Questions:
> Is this smoker usable for cold smoking?
>
> How does one keep the temp down to about 100?
>
> During Texas summers, often the temp exceeds 100 with no fire.
> So, can cold smoking be done only in the winter or cooler months?


With modification
No fire (honest)
Yes

You smoker was designed for hot smoking, or making barbecue. This is
different from cold smoking used to cure meats.

Cold smoking is often done with a fire in one location, the meats to be
smoked some distance away, maybe even 20 or 30 feet in some cases, with a
flue running between them.

Commercial cold smokers use a hotplate or heating element with wood chips or
sawdust on top of it. If you want to use your smoker, buy a cheap hotplate,
a pie pan, and sawdust and put that in the fire chamber, then put the meat
in the smoker. You can even use a cardboard box for that type of setup.
I've used the hotplate in cold weather with good luck. There are some photos
on my web page.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/


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Default cold smoking question

Bob wrote:
> Have never tried any cold smoking, but have read that the temp
> should be about 100 degrees.
>
> I use a smoker with an offset firebox and have good luck with
> cooking, ribs, roasts, etc at about 250 degrees.
>
> Questions:
> Is this smoker usable for cold smoking?
>
> How does one keep the temp down to about 100?
>
> During Texas summers, often the temp exceeds 100 with no fire.
> So, can cold smoking be done only in the winter or cooler months?
>
> I'd like to try fish and jerky. I recently got a couple jerky
> recipes from some good folks here that I want to try.
>
> Guess I need to go to the library to see if I can find a book on
> cold smoking, but anyone have suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Bob-tx



What are you trying to smoke?
Cold smoking is a method of perserving meats that have been cured.
The meat is rubbed, or soaked, or injected with sodium nitrate, which
protects the meat from botulisum while it is in the "danger zone" between 45
and 145 degrees F.

After that, the meat is stabilized by the lowered moisture content.
The smoke was initially used only to keep flies off of the meat.

I would only bother to cold smoke hams, bacon or the like, which get most of
their character from the smoky flavor. (It is a PITA)

Mostly everything else, I would skip the cure, and hot smoke until dome,
then eat.

I cold smoked some frankfurters the other day, but it was mainly to show
someone how to do it.
The franks that I just cooked (steamed) came out just as good; probably a
bit moister.


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Default cold smoking question


"Bob" > wrote in message
...
> Have never tried any cold smoking, but have read that the temp should be
> about 100 degrees.
>
> I use a smoker with an offset firebox and have good luck with cooking,
> ribs, roasts, etc at about 250 degrees.
>
> Questions:
> Is this smoker usable for cold smoking?
>
> How does one keep the temp down to about 100?
>
> During Texas summers, often the temp exceeds 100 with no fire.
> So, can cold smoking be done only in the winter or cooler months?
>
> I'd like to try fish and jerky. I recently got a couple jerky recipes
> from some good folks here that I want to try.
>
> Guess I need to go to the library to see if I can find a book on cold
> smoking, but anyone have suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Bob-tx
>

I have failed several times trying to cold smoke salmon. I think to get any
commercial
consumer type smoker down to a low enough temp. is almost impossible, I own
and have tried to do this with the Luhr Jensen Little Chief electric
smoker. Preceeding that I made gravlax, a favorite raw salmon dish that we
frequently have with wild salmon. I put that into the smoker and I ended up
with firm textured fish, but with a nice smokey taste. That's not, however,
what I think you're trying to accomplish. I was in a high brow deli in the
S.F. Bay Area recently, and someone said she makes cold smoked salmon by
making gravlax, as above, and rubbing liquid smoke on it. I'm going to try
it. I can just see the purists throwing up.
Good Luck,

Kent


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Default cold smoking question

"Bob" > wrote:
> Have never tried any cold smoking, but have read that the temp
> should be about 100 degrees.
>
> I use a smoker with an offset firebox and have good luck with
> cooking, ribs, roasts, etc at about 250 degrees.
>
> Questions:
> Is this smoker usable for cold smoking?
>
> How does one keep the temp down to about 100?


I picked up one of those electric hot plates at a thrift store. Put it in
the firebox with some hardwood chunks in a pie plate. Adjust heat to where
the chips just smoke. Put what's to be cold smoked in the smoke chamber.
Shut the lids. Shut the firebox damper to 10% open or so. Leave the flu
between 50% and full open. Works for cheeses and sausages, too. YMMV

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~


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Default cold smoking question



Kent wrote:

>>
>> Guess I need to go to the library to see if I can find a book on cold
>> smoking, but anyone have suggestions? Thanks!
>>
>> Bob-tx
>>

> I have failed several times trying to cold smoke salmon. I think to get any
> commercial
> consumer type smoker down to a low enough temp. is almost impossible, I own
> and have tried to do this with the Luhr Jensen Little Chief electric
> smoker. Preceeding that I made gravlax, a favorite raw salmon dish that we
> frequently have with wild salmon. I put that into the smoker and I ended up
> with firm textured fish, but with a nice smokey taste. That's not, however,
> what I think you're trying to accomplish. I was in a high brow deli in the
> S.F. Bay Area recently, and someone said she makes cold smoked salmon by
> making gravlax, as above, and rubbing liquid smoke on it. I'm going to try
> it. I can just see the purists throwing up.


Bradley sells a smoke generator with adapter, so you can convert about
any grill into a cold smoker. http://tinyurl.com/2leygk

IMHO, it's a great solution for someone who can do some metal work to
cut an opening in the hood of a grill. The smoke generator slips over a
couple screw heads and can be removed instantly for traditional cooking
with gas or charcoal. If I was doing it to my present gas grill, I
would fabricate a piece of sheet metal to just cover the opening in the
hood when not using the smoke generator.

--
---Nonnymus---
You don’t stand any taller by
trying to make others appear shorter.
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Default cold smoking question


"Nonnymus" > wrote in message
>
> Bradley sells a smoke generator with adapter, so you can convert about any
> grill into a cold smoker. http://tinyurl.com/2leygk
>
> IMHO, it's a great solution for someone who can do some metal work to cut
> an opening in the hood of a grill. The smoke generator slips over a
> couple screw heads and can be removed instantly for traditional cooking
> with gas or charcoal. If I was doing it to my present gas grill, I would
> fabricate a piece of sheet metal to just cover the opening in the hood
> when not using the smoke generator.


Why modify the grill when all you need is a big cardboard box? The beauty
of cold smoking is that you can use anything at all since the temperature is
not high enough to burn anything. Old refrigerators are often used for that
purpose.


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