Which smoker to buy

[this41uk]

Ok I need help I've been given some money for crimble to wards a smoker. I've been looking at a Bradley plus cold smoker attachment so I can hot and cold smoke.

I am more inclinded to cold smoking and am interested in the new Cold Smoke Generators on Macs BBQ site.
But then I need a smoker.

So any ideas I need Help

Tim

[wheels]

If you want to mainly cold smoke I'd go with the cold smoke generator, you can use it in any sort of box. You could get the Bradley for hot smoking as well!

Phil

[saucisson]

Do you already have a BBQ?

Dave

[this41uk]

I have an outdoor grill (gas BBQ)

If you want to mainly cold smoke I'd go with the cold smoke generator, you can use it in any sort of box. You could get the Bradley for hot smoking as well!

I looked a buying a wooden tool shed and converting that to a cold smoker, would the Cold Smoke Generators produce enough smoke to work in something about 5 foot high and about 3 foot square.

Tim

[wheels]

It works fine in my smoker which is 2ft square and 4ft high. It's a case of controlling the 'exhaust' so that the box is smokey but that the smoke leaves at a similar rate to its production. (i.e. you don't want 'stale' smoke).

That's one heck of a big smoker though - are you going into production?

Phil

[this41uk]

It's just the size of an off the shelf wooden tool shed, I hadn't though about the volume

Tim

[saucisson]

Without knowing for sure I'd say that the CSG is probably suitable for up to domestic wheelie bin size... For a 5 by 3 shed you might want to use 2 or 3 CSGs, but this is pure intuition.

Dave

[Ruralidle]

I bought a dustbin from http://www.midlandholloware.co.uk/index.html who added the legs they use for their incinerator and an incinerator lid. I drilled 9 x 5mm holes in the bottom. The factory also cut two little flaps opposite to each other at the top and folded them in to form little shelves. An 18" long by 1" square piece of wood fits neatly in the slots created from the flaps and sits comfortably on the flaps to suspend the product from. I also taped a food bag around the chimney on the lid and control outflow of the smoke by a hole cut in the bag (you can then fold it over to keep the rain out when not in use).

I know it's a bit Heath Robinson but the cost of the CSG and my smoking bin was under £55.

First attempt at smoking was some salmon (Waitrose were selling whole salmon at £4.49 per kg and they filleted it as well). I used whisky oak dust from MacBBQ. The result has been hailed a success by my family!

I do, however, have problems getting the CSG to burn at the right rate (it went out 3 times when I was doing the salmon so I drilled 3 more holes, this time on the side, near the bottom) and then used applewood dust to smoke bacon but it burned out in 3 hours - perhaps I left the tealight in too long but I wanted to make sure the dust was properly "alight" following the problems with my first attempt.

Still, trial and error with the CSG is fine by me so long as the products are as enjoyable as my first smoked salmon! I will post a few pictures, which may be more enlightening than my clumsy description, but it is raining "Datsun Cogs" here at the moment.

Richard

[this41uk]

Going back to the Bradley, does anyone know if the smoking time is reduced by smoking in a small cabinet? Because at 20 minutes a Briquette a 3 day smoke would cost a fortune


Tim

[Batman]

I've just treated myself to a Digital Bradley this Christmas and done about 5 hot smokes and 2 cold smokes using the Bradley and the CSG.

The first cold smoke was done using the CSG a box and some ducting to get the smoke into the Bradley the second time I just placed the CSG in the base of the Bradley. Both worked well with the CSG burning in excess of 10 hours each time.

The Bradley does produce quite a lot more smoke (and heat) than the CSG, neither rates are really controllable although I'm sure some of or more creative contributors could come up with something for the Bradley

There's been quite a bit of debate on the forum about the time for cold smoking salmon and the resulting weight loss, commercially measured in days and c 15% respectively. I've used a Porky Pa in a dustbin (3-5hrs c 9%) as well as the CSG in the Bradley (11hrs and c12%) both tasted great and the difference in weight loss might be more to do with the salmon than the treatment.

As you say the cost of briquettes makes the use of a Bradley over several days prohibitive but if you could get some some dust from the supplier mentioned on the CSG thread then cost is no real issue using a CSG.

For hot smoking the perceived wisdom is that it you only need smoke for a max of the first 4 hrs even on a 12-24 hour smoke. The Bradley website has an excellent knowledgeable and friendly forum.

[welsh wizard]

Hi Tim

I have used a Bradley for many years (the same one) and the only advice I can give you is IF you are wanting to hot smoke as well as cold smoke you will need a device that will allow you to do so. The CSG although extreemly good does take a long time to smoke (c12 hours) and of course will only cold smoke.

The Bradley produces far more concentrated smoke and therefore only takes a 1/4 of the time to smoke (c3 hours for a cabinet of salmon). But the Bradley hot smokes as well.

In a lot of tests I have done with the CSG the only down side I can see is the length of time it takes to smoke. 12 hours smoking with the tempratures we have outside at the moment will cause no problem at all. However in the summer months you would need to consider if it was safe to leave salmon out of the fridge and in a smoker unit for this length of time.

Therefore I think I have the best of both worlds. I use the CSG in the colder periods (which is sooooo much cheaper), and the Bradley when I need a quick smoke in the Summer when I line the bottom of the Bradley with ice blocks to keep the cabinet temprature down.

Cheers WW

[welsh wizard]

Hi Ruralidle

Just read you notes re your CSG going out. This happened to me a few times and I fould it was the residue from the previous smoking getting caught up in the tiny holes in the bottom of the CSG. What worked for me was to give it a good tap after it had finished to get the residue away from the holes. Since doing that I have had no more trouble.

cheers WW (also in shropshire)

[Ruralidle]

Hello WW

It was going out on my very first use! I had seen your comments on the subject and for my next smoking I gave the CSG a very good tap to clean it (and rubbed away some of the deposits that were left on the vertical surfaces).

The first smoke I did produjced about 1.25kg of salmon, I tried it last Saturday and sliced it up on Sunday - there is now no more than 250g left! That's the vote of confidence I like.

I've now smoked 2kg of bacon and sliced it by hand yesterday (its too icy to get out to one of the meat suppliers I use to get it sliced). The bacon is good too! I'm pleased with my Christmas present and what it produces! The bacon smoking went well - at the second attempt and the CSG burned for more than 10 hours using applewood.

I work in Oswestry lne or two days per week, do you live anywhere near there?

Regards
Richard

[Batman]

WW, just want to explore your comments re smoking salmon in summer.

I believe a lot of commercially smoked salmon is done in oven type smokers but for traditional smokehouses, I don't know, but don't think they take any additional cooling action for smoking salmon in summer over the 3-5 days that traditional salmon smoking is reported to take. Do you think this is really an issue with a 12 hour smoke?

I think I've read somewhere about keeping the temperature under 29C (or was it 32C?) maybe in Erlandson's book? (Un)Fortunately I can't remember the ambient temperature ever reaching those figures in Northumberland, but it maybe an issue in some parts of southern England.

The other issue is the 'recommended' weight loss of 15%, I've never reached that figure yet have you? The only way I can see that happening for me is by smoking/air drying longer or raising the smoking temperature. Again, have you any thoughts on this?

[wheels]

I recently saw a section of a programme about a very large commercial supplier of smoked salmon on the TV. They only had 10% weight loss. However, they were using Torrey kiln type smokers in a controlled environment etc. and presumably had a lab for testing etc.

Erlandson refers to 8-9% loss from dry salting and an overall loss of 17-18% after smoking. (so a further 8-10% from the smoking). This is also what the Torrey Research Station say:

http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/tan/x5886e/x5886e01.htm

... and Seafood-Norway

http://www.seafood-norway.com/seafood-r ... 15&lang=en

It seems damned difficult to achieve though.

Phil