smoker

[lurker]

Maybe I ought to post this in general chat.

I'm in the process of making rather a lot of oak wood chips and have always fancied a wood smoker (for smoking food). Anyone got any advice on making one?

 

[houtslager]

get a welder


and make as big as you can - once started you'll want to smoke a lot more

 

[garywayne]

Hi lurker.

If memory serves correctly, I was once told that some woods can be poisonous when used for cooking.

So be careful, and do a bit of research.

I once smoked some sausages up the chimney. They where the best sausages I have ever tasted.

Good luck.

ATB Gary.

 

[LyNx]

I once smoked some sausages up the chimney

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Gill]

I made one out of plywood last summer. Don't use metal - it conducts heat too effectively and you need to minimise temperature variations. You'll see from the photos below that I have a digital thermometer to monitor temperature.

The chippings were kept in an old bean tin and ignited with a charcoal tablet I bought on ebay from some New Age suppliers - they're used to light incense. I'm thinking about using a soldering iron to control the heat supply to the chippings when I next try it.

You'll find useful information in Keith Erlandson's inexpensive book Home Smoking And Curing.

Oh, and the smoked chicken breast was lovely!

Gill

 

[Simon]

The setup pictured should work well, we added a couple of wire netting removable shelves.

Remember that the set up pictured will give you a hot smoke, such that the heat cooks the product being smoked and smokes it too.

The setup for a cold smoke would be a similar setup to the one pictured but instead of having the smoke generating canister within the smoking unit you place the smoke generator outside the smoking unit and connect the two with a metal pipe (we have found that metal disperses the most heat), as you want a cool smoke stream into the unit. This process gives you a smoked product that is still raw e.g smoked trout or salmon.

You can also smoke sausages, cheese and our favourite last summer, smoked sundried tomatoes....

hth

 

[Gill]

The setup pictured should work well

It does work well. I wouldn't have posted the pictures if it didn't.

Remember that the set up pictured will give you a hot smoke, such that the heat cooks the product being smoked and smokes it too.

My goodness, I must be doing something wrong. I could have sworn it cold smoked and that I had to actually cook the food properly afterwards. According to the thermometer the temperature remained between 75 and 85 degrees F throughout. Perhaps I was mistaken.

Gill

 

[Simon]

My intent was to endorse your setup, with the experience we had with our setup rather than duplicate.

Not sure what your second point is...but I assume it was as constructive as your first point....not what I would expect from a moderator, the general purpose of forums like this is the free exchange of knowledge

I was trying to draw the very important distinction between cold and hot smoking, if you want smoked fish that replicates smoked salmon you have to ensure the smoke is cool and this is usually achieved by separating the smoke source from the smoker itself.

We managed the burn rate and heat generated by the charcoal and shavings, by altering the amount of air entering the smoking unit.....either by adding additional holes around the bottom of the unit or if you really want to get fancy an adjustable air intake hole.

 

[lemonjeff]

Lurker,
I smoke food using both hot and cold methods, infact in half an hour I'm going to be hot smoking a couple of racks of ribs for dinner, which will take 4-6 hours.
If you want to hot smoke then you need some form of steel cabinet/container as temps can be up to 180c.
People use converted (dustbins, filling cabinets, steel barrels, old ovens, HVAC ducting) or whatever's handy. Heating can be gas, electric, wood scraps, charcoal etc.
Cold smoking you just need a simple cabinet like Gill's and a source of smoke. Generally you cook the food after cold smoking.

Jeff.

 

[kafkaian]

I ain't smok'n noth'n for n'body. WWIII might break out otherwise :?

 

[Smudger]

Must be the Fog of War descending!

 

[lurker]

Gill,

Have sent for the book - thanks for recommendation.
Never thought of "wood box" was worrying about resins etc from softwoods etc.

I'd also thought about a metal dustbin but was put off because of the galvanised finish - or am I trying to find a problem where none exists?