ProBBQ problems

[My Bacon]

Hi All,

Been floating around as guest for a while now absorbing info and making some great bacon & ham (using, I'll say it quietly, 'smoke powder)

Cold smoke generation appeared to be either expensive - Bradley or a bit complicated/fiddly - lumps of charcoal & airpumps. So the appearance of the ProBBQ seemed to sort all of my perceived problems.

So where am I stuck?
Keeping the $*?((&* thing going
1st two burns managed about an inch each so I dried the sawdust, in situ in the machine, 100oC 45min, lit it again and retired to bed. It managed a side and a half.
I was using the whisky oak dust (thought it would go well with the salmon which had been cured and then brushed with some 12 year old Islay malt)
On further examination and comparing it with the plain oak dust that came with the machine it was alot coarser, might this affect the burn, would it better to pack it in more firmly to ensure the ember keeps going

[wheels]

Welcome

What's the air supply like?

Phil

[My Bacon]

Its is in the bottom of my gas BBQ so the air supply was no problem
Might be a bit draughty if the wind gets up (Still last night)
Hadn't thought of that!

[grisell]

With the present volcano eruption on Iceland it may be sufficient to hang the food outdoors overnight.

[wheels]

I'd try it with the standard oak dust and see what happens. At least you'll know whether it's the dust or not then.

Phil

[saucisson]

The dust does need to be as fine as the stuff that it is supplied with or it will go out.

Dave

[saucisson]

BTW Welcome, My Bacon, Where abouts in Oxon are you if you don't mind me asking?

[Ruralidle]

I have also experienced problems with some of the wood dust. I have found the cherry wood to be the worst. The whisky oak is okay, but needed a couple of restarts, courtesy of my trusty blow lamp. I have had no problems at all with the plain oak dust and, having spoken to Ian of ProBBQ, it does seem that it is the dust size which is causing the problems.

Perhaps if you have brushed the salmon with some whisky you do not need the whisky oak as the dust did not seem to add much whisky flavour when I used it to smoke some salmon.

When it works, the CSG is a magic piece of kit. I hope it knows I am writing about it in such glowing terms and will behave itself when I come to smoke my bacon in the next couple of weeks, using Apple wood dust!

[saucisson]

Richierich sent me a sample of his dust to test when I had the review sample of the CSG, it wouldn't burn no matter how I treated it. Until I ground it down to the exact same volume to weight as the supplied dust.

Phil has sent me batches of dust at the same grade and they work fine too.

I have several grades of dust from Hotsmoked that I am trying too...

Dave

[seajams]

saucisson,

How are you grinding down the coarser supply to make the dust?

[saucisson]

one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keyw ... c0dwz77d_b

[My Bacon]

Hi All

As suggested ran the CSG with the oak dust that came wrapped in the box
As a belt and braces I dried it for 30mins in the oven
Generated a much better plume of smoke and performed a total burn
WOW was that salmon good, had to restrain my son or he would have eaten the whole lot

The cherry, apple & whisky oak were purchased from ProBBQ when I bought the CSG, they are all mushh coarser than the plain oak. Anyone having the same probs? Anyone got a solution? Dont fancy having to grind it down

Saucisson I'm in Wantage - the birthplace of King Alfred the Great

[wheels]

It may be worth letting Mac's BBQ know the problem.

Phil

[Ruralidle]

I have also experienced problems with some of the wood dust. I have found the cherry wood to be the worst. The whisky oak is okay, but needed a couple of restarts, courtesy of my trusty blow lamp. I have had no problems at all with the plain oak dust and, having spoken to Ian of ProBBQ, it does seem that it is the dust size which is causing the problems.

Perhaps if you have brushed the salmon with some whisky you do not need the whisky oak as the dust did not seem to add much whisky flavour when I used it to smoke some salmon.

When it works, the CSG is a magic piece of kit. I hope it knows I am writing about it in such glowing terms and will behave itself when I come to smoke my bacon in the next couple of weeks, using Apple wood dust!

I already have done.

Richard

[saucisson]

Hotsmoked suggested mixing the coarser blends such as apple with a finer one like beech. Not had a chance to try it yet.

Dave