Thread: Has anyone built a (cold) smoker?

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Sounds like a great idea.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

I am quite keen to build one so we can make our own smoked goodies. If anyone has pics/plans that would be cool. Doesn't need to be portable.

What's a cold smoker?
I have a mate who is from Soviet republic and he is going to build a "smoker" for all the fish he catches, apparently they were very popular in his homeland, but I don't know whether he is building a "cold smoker", if you give me some details, I'll show him and if it's the same I will send you details of how it's built, Regards Frank.

Originally Posted by Tank

What's a cold smoker?
I have a mate who is from Soviet republic and he is going to build a "smoker" for all the fish he catches, apparently they were very popular in his homeland, but I don't know whether he is building a "cold smoker", if you give me some details, I'll show him and if it's the same I will send you details of how it's built, Regards Frank.

Thanks Frank.

Smokers are usually called "hot" or "cold" based on the temperature of the chamber in which the smoking takes place. Hot smokers cook the meat while it is being smoked, and are usually used for fish and poultry.

From wikipedia:

* "Hot smoking" exposes the foods to smoke and heat in a controlled environment. Although foods that have been hot smoked are often reheated or cooked, they are typically safe to eat without further cooking. Hams and ham hocks are fully cooked once they are properly smoked. Hot smoking occurs within the range of 165°F/74°C to 185°F/85°C. Within this temperature range, foods are fully cooked, moist, and flavorful. If the smoker is allowed to get hotter than 185°F, the foods will shrink excessively, buckle, or even split. Smoking at high temperatures also reduces yield, as both moisture and fat are "cooked" away.

* "Smoke-roasting" refers to any process that has the attributes of both roasting and smoking. This smoking method is sometimes referred to as "barbecuing" or "pit-roasting". It may be done in a smoke-roaster, closed wood-fired oven or barbecue pit, any smoker that can reach above 250 °F (121 °C), or in a conventional oven by placing a pan filled with hardwood chips on the floor of the oven so the chips smolder and produce a smokebath. However, this should only be done in a well-ventilated area to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

* "Cold smoking" can be used as a flavor enhancer for items such as pork chops, beef steaks, chicken breasts, salmon and scallops. The item can be cold-smoked for a short period, just long enough to give a touch of flavor. Such foods are ready to be finished to order by such cooking methods as grilling, sauteing, baking, and roasting, or they may be hot smoked to the appropriate doneness for an even deeper smoked flavor. Smokehouse temperatures for cold smoking should be maintained below 100 °F (38 °C). In this temperature range, foods take on a rich, smokey flavor, develop a deep mahogany color, and tend to retain a relatively moist texture. They are not cooked as a result of the smoking process, however.

wouldnt hot smoking delete one step in the process?
(what goodies???)

I have Bradely smoker which can smoke hot or cold. They are made in Canada and do a great job. Only problem is they are a bit expensive to buy and run as you have to use the Bradely bisquettes. There details can be found at Meat Smokers, BBQ Smokers, Digital Smokers, Electric Smokers, Propane Smokers and Meat Smoking Books, Recipes and Accessories | BradleySmoker.com There is also a forum with all sorts of people who smoke everything and anything. I have only had mine for a couple months so I don't have much experience yet but now that winter is here I think it is time to make some bacon.

I have long thought that hot smoking was a cooking process and hot smoked goods have to be refrigerated for keeping, and cold smoking was a preservation process whereby joints properly cold smoked are preserved and can be stored without refrigeration. When I was a young feller, sides of bacon and hams used to come out to Winton in the guards van of the trains. You used to see a side of bacon just hanging up in the shop in a covering of cheese cloth and the counter jumpers would just cut off the quantity the customer required. My grandparents would buy a side from the works in Brisbane and have it sent out on the train and just hang it up in a screened meat house.

Nowadays bacon and hams have to be refrigerated or frozen to keep. I suppose the process has been changed to make it quicker and/or cheaper. Can anyone with the necessary knowledge expand on this?

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

wouldnt hot smoking delete one step in the process?
(what goodies???)

Not necessarily. Cold smoked meat products are eaten "raw" as often as not. E.g. the prosciutto/panchetta type hams are salt cured, then either cold smoked or not smoked, and usually eaten raw.
As for what goodies... Ham, sausages, chicken, etc... We made a mutton ham in a jerry-rigged smoker the other day (halfway between a cold and hot smoker). Tasted great! But I would like a better controlled process for the next one. The main use will be to make our own pork, beef and mutton hams using corned joints (save us pumping the brine in).

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I have long thought that hot smoking was a cooking process and hot smoked goods have to be refrigerated for keeping,

...

Nowadays bacon and hams have to be refrigerated or frozen to keep. I suppose the process has been changed to make it quicker and/or cheaper. Can anyone with the necessary knowledge expand on this?

This is correct as far as I understand the process. Cold smoked meats are much better preserved than hot smoked. I am not sure if the process of making ham and bacon has changed, more the concerns over any possible food contamination. Go back far enough and there were no fridges, yet people still ate (and stored) raw uncooked/unsmoked meat.

You can but hickory woodchips in a shop but they are a RIP OFF. If you get your own wood use fruit trees, I heap apple trees are pretty good. DO NOT use gum tree wood - all the resin in the wood will make your meat taste horribly bitter. Try scavenging wood from an apple orchard - they prune back branches once a year I believe.