Hi chaps, I built a cold smoking cabinet yesterday and went out to a local church to see if they'd let me cut and take some wood from an ancient old beech tree that had recently come down, which they did. As far as having the wood barely smoldering for a cold smoker, green wood seems ideal but does anyone know if it gives any off-flavours?
Green wood for cold smoking?
- Thread starter JMikeyH
- Start date
You'll probably find it won't burn or remain lit unless significant heat is applied. Wood shavings/sawdust are more commonly used.
Green wood won't work. It'll impart resinous flavours, and as it's still fairly wet you'll find any smoke it does give off won't take. And if a chainsaw has been used they'll almost certainly be contaminated with chain oil.
For cold smoking these days, I use a stainless steel pellet burner similar to this one -
Pellets can be had pretty cheaply, in a variety of wood types (apple, beech, hickory, etc)
I spent long enough trying various methods, and this has proven to be both the easiest and most convenient method for me
For cold smoking these days, I use a stainless steel pellet burner similar to this one -
RoseFlower Pellet Smoker Tube,12" Stainless Steel BBQ Smoker for Cold/Hot Smoking - Portable Barbecue Smoke Generator Works with Wood Chips Gas Charcoal Grill - Home/Garden/Outdoor Barbecue : Amazon.co.uk: Garden
Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy RoseFlower Pellet Smoker Tube,12" Stainless Steel BBQ Smoker for Cold/Hot Smoking - Portable Barbecue Smoke Generator Works with Wood Chips Gas Charcoal Grill - Home/Garden/Outdoor Barbecue at Amazon UK.
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Pellets can be had pretty cheaply, in a variety of wood types (apple, beech, hickory, etc)
I spent long enough trying various methods, and this has proven to be both the easiest and most convenient method for me
Great, good info thanks mateGreen wood won't work. It'll impart resinous flavours, and as it's still fairly wet you'll find any smoke it does give off won't take. And if a chainsaw has been used they'll almost certainly be contaminated with chain oil.
For cold smoking these days, I use a stainless steel pellet burner similar to this one -
RoseFlower Pellet Smoker Tube,12" Stainless Steel BBQ Smoker for Cold/Hot Smoking - Portable Barbecue Smoke Generator Works with Wood Chips Gas Charcoal Grill - Home/Garden/Outdoor Barbecue : Amazon.co.uk: Garden
Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy RoseFlower Pellet Smoker Tube,12" Stainless Steel BBQ Smoker for Cold/Hot Smoking - Portable Barbecue Smoke Generator Works with Wood Chips Gas Charcoal Grill - Home/Garden/Outdoor Barbecue at Amazon UK.amzn.eu
Pellets can be had pretty cheaply, in a variety of wood types (apple, beech, hickory, etc)
I spent long enough trying various methods, and this has proven to be both the easiest and most convenient method for me
I forgot to add that as there's yew shavings mixed in don't use it under any circumstances! Yew contains highly toxic alkaloids called taxines.
Aye not to worry, I took whole beech logs only!
Another way you might want to try is to build a remote firebox with the chimney vented to your smoker. That way you can just set a fire and let it burn. The smoke will cool on its journey to the chamber, and you'll not have to worry so much about keeping shavings smouldering. Having said all that, the pellet smoker is my go-to these days
Current set up is a decent size (1.2m x 0.6 x 0.6) cabinet for the cold smoking made from wood which has an inlet underneath which has an aluminium duct connected to it. This duct is ~2m long and is fed smoke from the chimney of an old barrel-style barbeque I have, which itself also has an offset smoke box.
Current plan is to get some suitable wood burning in the offset box, have it travel through the barbeque, the duct and into the smoke cabinet and hopefully by the time it gets there it should be fairly cool. There'll be a thermometer in the smoke cabinet to keep an eye on that
I've been lucky enough to have the space and buildings to try various methods, all really interesting to do, and great fun! Some worked better than others, but the experimenting was just as much fun as anything else. I then bought a Bradley, and ran it so hard I killed it after about 800 hours of use. That's when I started messing with the pellet smoker.so
I now have a digital Masterbuilt (Second one I've had. The first one I bought was a complete dog and ended up being replaced under warranty) I use the working one for hotsmoking (sausage, pulled pork, brisket, tasso, etc) and I've converted the other to use as a cold smoker.
I'm gonna piggyback off your experience if you don't mind and save myself the hassle of trial and error
will look into the master built smoker.
NoIDeer
Well-Known Member
For cold smoking I use a ProQ cold smoke generator, the square spiral thing, and a metal cabinet, you could use a cardboard box. These smokers burn for 10 hours or so of really cool smoke and give a lovely flavour to the product.
For wood I use commercial oak dust, bodged up wood doesn't smoke right or goes out.
For wood I use commercial oak dust, bodged up wood doesn't smoke right or goes out.
Absolutely! More than happy to helpI'm gonna piggyback off your experience if you don't mind and save myself the hassle of trial and error
The Bradley is fine up to a point, but it means you're tied to buying their own briquettes, and they're expensive!
I also don't think its quality is anywhere near what a product at that price point should be
The ProQ is a great wee bit of kit for low volume cold smoking. If you're going down the road of pulled pork, and the likes the electric ones are pretty hard to beat
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
The arse has fallen out of my Bradley after similar use but I’ve just about kept the smoke burner going with parts from here and there for probably 20 years now. Really only gets 20 hours a year use at Christmas and maybe the same in the summer of the pollock season has been good.
Still think it’s a good bit of kit.
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
You definitely have to either look for bisquette deals or make them. CBA making them!Absolutely! More than happy to help
The Bradley is fine up to a point, but it means you're tied to buying their own briquettes, and they're expensive!
I also don't think its quality is anywhere near what a product at that price point should be
NoIDeer
Well-Known Member
I thought the thread was about cold smoking you can fill quite a big container with cold smoke with even the smaller ProQ?
I use a barrel sized kamado for a hot smoker...
It was the briquettes feed motor that went on mine. Bradley wanted £80-odd for a replacement, but I sourced the exact same motor online for about three quid
Mine really was worked hard though. It was on for at least ten hours most weekends
Makes sense to include both options, I thought? The Kamados are great, attitude always found mastering the temperatures to be far to labour intensive for me. With the electric ones you can switch them on and just let them run. The Masterbuilt has a tray that needs replenished with chips every twenty minutes or so, but that's far too much faffing about for me. I use the pellet smoker inside, and adjust the vents to give the appropriate draught. Then it's just a case of monitoring the internal temperatures from time to time. I have a Smart Probe that Bluetooth's to my phone. Makes life far easier
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
That’s a lot of bisquettes!It was the briquettes feed motor that went on mine. Bradley wanted £80-odd for a replacement, but I sourced the exact same motor online for about three quid
Mine really was worked hard though. It was on for at least ten hours most weekends
Mine shorts out if I tighten the case screws up. No idea why or what is shorting, but if it’s all a bit loose it seems to work. Only been like that for ten years.
The thing that went twice was the button to refresh the bisquette cycle; gets stuck in. I’ve unstuck the third one and dare not touch it now!
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