Wood for smoking

[Woodsy]

ProQ Cold Smoke Generator

The original ProQ Cold Smoke Generator is the best way to get cold smoking at home! Try your hand at cheese, salmon and even bacon, you'll never go back!

proqsmokers.co.uk

For cold smokers a simple alternative to rigging up a burner with a long flue is one of the above cold smoke generators. Any wooden box, cardboard box or filing cabinet etc will suffice as a cold smoker with one of these.

The important things with smoking are the curing process, whether wet cure/brine or dry cure, and then the drying stage prior to smoking to allow a pellicle to develop on the surface of the fish, (a tacky, dry-ish surface).

It’s worth noting that most (all?) wild fish will host parasites in the flesh. Hot smoking will render these harmless, (as the fish is cooked). Cold smoking will not. There is a way to kill these parasites by freezing but it requires freezing at a certain temperature which is below what most domestic freezers get to.

Freezing fish, fishery products and treatment for parasites

How to handle fish and fishery products that are intended to be eaten raw or lightly cooked in food businesses and restaurants.

www.food.gov.uk

 

[Freeforester]

ProQ Cold Smoke Generator

The original ProQ Cold Smoke Generator is the best way to get cold smoking at home! Try your hand at cheese, salmon and even bacon, you'll never go back!

proqsmokers.co.uk

For cold smokers a simple alternative to rigging up a burner with a long flue is one of the above cold smoke generators. Any wooden box, cardboard box or filing cabinet etc will suffice as a cold smoker with one of these.

The important things with smoking are the curing process, whether wet cure/brine or dry cure, and then the drying stage prior to smoking to allow a pellicle to develop on the surface of the fish, (a tacky, dry-ish surface).

It’s worth noting that most (all?) wild fish will host parasites in the flesh. Hot smoking will render these harmless, (as the fish is cooked). Cold smoking will not. There is a way to kill these parasites by freezing but it requires freezing at a certain temperature which is below what most domestic freezers get to.

Freezing fish, fishery products and treatment for parasites

How to handle fish and fishery products that are intended to be eaten raw or lightly cooked in food businesses and restaurants.

www.food.gov.uk

Otoh, that would make a perfect opportunity/excuse to tap your GP for some Ivermectin tablets, thus rendering you effectively immune to Covid - win win!

 

[Freeforester]

Seasoned beech sawdust will work very well if available.

My own best for taste/availability is the shavings from within the oak barrels that formerly contained whisky, regional availability may vary!

 

[Essexsussex]

Well it didn't work too well. Very strong and acrid like it was cooked on a camp fire. I abandoned the birch as soon as I started scorching it. Had too much of an antiseptic smell. I think it was too green.
I stuck with tea and rice but controlling the amount of smoke and heat was difficult on the stove top.

I've got the bug though. Definitely want to build a cold smoker.
On the plus side, the cure was really nice. I used salt and sugar with lemon zest, ginger, pepper, mace and a touch of juniper. Still got three big slabs left.
Happy festive cooking.

We usually say to leave smoked products 24 hours for flavour to dissipate. Don’t give up!

 

[Griggo06]

Google Search

Looking at these, I'd like to build a small walk-in smoke house. Structurally very simple.

Basically using a very small lean to style shed. That's been left and filled with ****.
My plan for dust is to use oak chippings from my planer thicknesser.

 

[Essexsussex]

If anyone is planning to spend cash I can recommend buying the smoke generating unit from Bradley and attaching it to a fridge. Unlike me, I bought the full setup 15 years ago, rather than making something. I have to say it has been excellent, even though I have adapted it for cold smoking. It’s done a lot of work.

 

[Essexsussex]

bradley smoke generator
This might be a link! Anyway about £165 which with an old fridge with a vent cut in would be an excellent bit of kit

 

[User00035]

Basically using a very small lean to style shed. That's been left and filled with ****.
My plan for dust is to use oak chippings from my planer thicknesser.

I'd build a brand new structure using larch with a stone firebox and flue and an internal firebox as well so it could do hot or cold smoking. Wouldn't need to be full shed size. Probably half that would be more than ample.
I notice the Canadians particularly seem to use a lot of plywood for smoke houses. Not too sure about that in the UK. I expect theirs is birch ply made with non-toxic glue. Not sure I'd trust the tropical hardwood stuff from China or Indonesia we get over here.

 

[reiver]

I'd build a brand new structure using larch with a stone firebox and flue and an internal firebox as well so it could do hot or cold smoking. Wouldn't need to be full shed size. Probably half that would be more than ample.
I notice the Canadians particularly seem to use a lot of plywood for smoke houses. Not too sure about that in the UK. I expect theirs is birch ply made with non-toxic glue. Not sure I'd trust the tropical hardwood stuff from China or Indonesia we get over here.

I know of a lad who used to fish on the tweed and bought his own smoker . The fool nearly poisoned his self .he used larch to smoke the salmon with . it turned out he used some old larch lap fencing whit god knows what painted on it ???
It did give of plenty of smoke though

 

[User00035]

I'd use larch (maybe) to build the structure but not to make the smoke. I'd stick to what I've been told on here. Wouldn't mind trying some peat though..

 

[willowbank]

I had every intention of making a smoker from an old four drawer steel filing cabinet (still sitting in corner lol) would seem ideal because of the variable drawer opening possibilities for rail hangers and draft at the bottom.
Any thoughts?

Willowbank

 

[Essexsussex]

I had every intention of making a smoker from an old four drawer steel filing cabinet (still sitting in corner lol) would seem ideal because of the variable drawer opening possibilities for rail hangers and drought at the bottom.
Any thoughts?

Willowbank

100pc a good idea. Might need the smoke source remote to make sure it is cool when it gets to the food. Try and see as is.

 

[Sampo]

In case of cold smoke, is there any wood that you need to avoid? Also do you let the wood burn as normal or spray water to get it to smoke once the fire is established. Sorry if its a silly question but never did any cold smoke and is thinking of giving it a try.

 

[willowbank]

In case of cold smoke, is there any wood that you need to avoid? Also do you let the wood burn as normal or spray water to get it to smoke once the fire is established. Sorry if its a silly question but never did any cold smoke and is thinking of giving it a try.

No such thing as a silly question, only way to learn is to ask.... must be an old proverb somewhere?

WB

 

[Essexsussex]

In case of cold smoke, is there any wood that you need to avoid? Also do you let the wood burn as normal or spray water to get it to smoke once the fire is established. Sorry if its a silly question but never did any cold smoke and is thinking of giving it a try.

You just have to keep it smouldering somehow rather than burning - this will require soaking, damping, shifting air supply down etc. Any trick you can! Try with the hardwoods people have mentioned, oak, apple, hickory, are all common ones. Don’t try and do it with variety you can’t find anyone writing about, spend the not very much money required to buy some chipping, logs or sawdust of the right thing.

 

[Freeforester]

In case of cold smoke, is there any wood that you need to avoid? Also do you let the wood burn as normal or spray water to get it to smoke once the fire is established. Sorry if its a silly question but never did any cold smoke and is thinking of giving it a try.

Yes!






Anything pine or resinous, Spanish oak, and a few others. Stick to beech, plus/or native species, avoid yew, alder, and anything evergreen. Fruit trees eg apple, pear, damson can give a bit of added flavouring, but hard to repeat consistently.

Keith Erlandson's little book covers most of the basics, much can be experimented with too of course. Salt, for example, comes in many different qualities.

IME it's a mistake to try to smoke with wetted fuel, it tends to impart an acrid/bitter taste, not for me. I have been selling my own stuff for fifteen years. As you may imagine, things get a bit less casual when the FSA and EHO are involved.


Left: remnant pack of roe Carpaccio, Right: Garlic cured; the oak-smoked was all sold out, along with all the others which weren't squirrelled away for home consumption!

 

[Griggo06]

Yes!






Anything pine or resinous, Spanish oak, and a few others. Stick to beech, plus/or native species, avoid yew, alder, and anything evergreen. Fruit trees eg apple, pear, damson can give a bit of added flavouring, but hard to repeat consistently.

Keith Erlandson's little book covers most of the basics, much can be experimented with too of course. Salt, for example, comes in many different qualities.

IME it's a mistake to try to smoke with wetted fuel, it tends to impart an acrid/bitter taste, not for me. I have been selling my own stuff for fifteen years. As you may imagine, things get a bit less casual when the FSA and EHO are involved.

View attachment 186127
Left: remnant pack of roe Carpaccio, Right: Garlic cured; the oak-smoked was all sold out, along with all the others which weren't squirrelled away for home consumption!

how do you Alice it so thinly is it worth investing in one of the machines?

 

[willowbank]

how do you Alice it so thinly is it worth investing in one of the machines?

He gets the Mad Hatter to slice it for him

I’ll get my coat.....

WB

 

[Freeforester]

how do you Alice it so thinly is it worth investing in one of the machines?

That - would be an ecumenical matter!
(Off with his head, lol!)

 

[Erik Hamburger]

Have a look at the Pro Q cold smoker. Cost is around £30-£35 and when used outside you can improvise with a carton box, wooden box or old fridge. I have excellent result with it on a range of different foods. (cold-smoking) .
Birch would be my choice out of your options, but don't use any pine/larch because of the resins causing off-flavours.
Oak, hickory or any other HARD wood is better.
Don't use shavings from working with a chain-saw as they are contaminated with chainsaw oil.