The new experimental cold smoking thread

[jenny_haddow]

OK Dave, I set this off at 11.00. It was simple to set up and I can see whisps of smoke around the edge of the barbecue after 10 minutes.
Here is a picture of progress so far.




I do fear that my cardboard tube may be a bit flimsy, but we'll just go with it and see what happens. There's a nice smokey smell in the garden.

Cheers

Jen

[Gill]

My test hasn't been too successful, but that's not due to any fault of the incinerator.

It all started smoking according to plan and was working as predicted until the cheese I was smoking broke and fell on the incinerator, knocking it over.

I've ordered some more charcoal starters and I've a couple of cardboard tubes hanging around anyway. Not many of the wood pellets have been consumed and I've got some surplus, so I should be able to repeat the test as soon as the new charcoal starters arrive.

The next piece of cheese will be much more firmly secured before I light up.

Gill

[jenny_haddow]

I've just had a peek and my cardboard tube is still intact, it's a little singed at the top, but due more to my inexpert lighting than a design fault.

I'm going to leave it now to its own devices while I go shopping.

PS Dave, if your brother in law is up Longstanton church spire looking this way, he'll definitely see plumes of smoke. I've move the barbecue to the bottom of the garden as my neighbour has just put her washing out!

[saucisson]

Bad luck Gill, hope the next go is more successful, let's hope Jen's works out OK

Dave

[jenny_haddow]

It's been smoking for an hour and a half, tube still intact if a little seared on one side. Garlic taking on a nice smoked colour and the cheese hasn't melted, so I think this is cold smoking OK.

I'm wondering if perhaps an eathenware tube might do the job and be more robust. I'm a potter and have a kiln, so could knock something up. Just a thought.

Jen

[saucisson]

Hi Jen, it's sounding promising. The cardboard tube won't survive the experience but we get through enough paper here that replacements are readily available. I'd be very interested in an earthenware version though, can I place the first order

Dave

[jenny_haddow]

Hi Dave,

I've just got back at 2.45 and the smoker has finished. The tube collapsed on one side, but I think the wind has caught one side of the barbecue and accelerated the burn on that side, so not all the fuel was burned.

However, see picture:




The cheese is very smokey to taste and not unpleasant. I just nibbled the end. The garlic is partially smoked. the outside cloves are good but it needed longer to get to the centre. Neither piece was cooked, so they have been cold smoked. So have I by the smell of my hair!

Well done on thinking this through, I'll fiddle about with some clay and see what I can come up with, it may be that the body conducts too much heat and the effect will be lost.

I'll send off for some of those incense lighters as they obviously make the whole exercise so much easier.

Will report on progress.

Cheers

Jen

If you compare the two pictures I've posted you can see a change of colour in the food due to the smoking.

[wittdog]

Here are some pics of my BBQ pit that I was able to use as a cold smoker�





I used a Stainless Steel sawdust pan that came with my electric smoker filled it with sawdust and put 3 lit coals in it and placed it in the firebox of my smoker then I placed a heavy cast iron skillet to act as a heat sink on top of the firebox, the cheese was in the smoke chamber to the left�and no heat just cool smoke�.
Jenny when you try your next experiment why not put the heat on one side of the grill and the food stuff on the other....you'll have more space between them and less heat...

[saucisson]

Looks good Jen, that cheese turned a lovely colour. The next logical step is to see if it works with a longer tube to try for a longer burn, say a kitchen roll tube, but airflow in the tubemay be more of an issue. This and other ideas will have to wait until after my hols though, but please feel free to experiment yourself! Wittdog's point about maximising the distance between the smoker and the food is a good one. Did you get any heat build up in the kettle at all?

Dave

[jenny_haddow]

Hardly any, I didn't have a thermometer to hand, but the lid was barely warm when I left the house at 12.30 after it had been smoking for an hour and a half. The cheese and the garlic were cool when I took them out, and I was expecting the cheese to have run a little. Next time I'll put some butter in a dish at the furthest point from the incinerator, as per Wittdog's advice, and see what happens to that. I must put the barbecue in the shade though as this garden gets very hot.

Jen

[saucisson]

A good point Jen. When I first went to do a test run in my BBQ it was in full sun and the temperature inside was 48 deg C before I started, needless to say, I moved it!

Dave

[jenny_haddow]

Perhaps some sort of construction like rocket stages might work. I'm a painter and a potter really so I'm not sure what I'm talking about!?

How about stackable earthenware tubes that burn at a timed rate, ie one tube per hour = 3 hours for a stack of three, or am I now talking complete nonsense?

[saucisson]

I was going to try stacking Allinsons yeast tins to get a longer tube when I hit upon the carboard tube idea so stacked earthernware modules may do the job so long as they don't topple! I think aiming for a 2hr "cartridge" may be best though. If you're going to give it a go I'd try a reproduction of the toilet roll first though to check it burns the same.

Dave

[jenny_haddow]

I could make them so they wont topple. It's the burn time I suppose that needs testing.

Jen

[saucisson]

I can see I'm going to spend my holiday thinking of new versions of the microsmoker

Dave