BBQ'n at 160 degF


 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Another success we've had is COLD smoking salmon (in the WSM) using a soldering iron inserted in a tin can filled with wood (alder) chips. I think we cold smoked for 30 minutes before finishing it sous-vide. YUM!!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Now there's a thought! You two are a resourceful pair, no?
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It seems that I wrote the red pastrami recip on a different board. The link to it is dead but I wrote the administrator to see if he knows what's what.
 
I do want to give credit where it's due. We got the idea from a YouTube video: How to Build a Cold Smoker

We modified the idea by drilling a hole in the bottom of the can and sticking the soldering iron upwards through it. If you place it in the bottom of the WSM, and put the charcoal ring below the grate (supporting the grate), there is enough clearance for the soldering iron. We put the soldering iron in a jam jar supported in foil. The electrical cord goes out one of the bottom vents, but it needs to be spliced in order to get it out the vent.

The video shows Jack Daniels pellets being used. On our first try, we used some kind of flavored wood pellet and the resulting taste was NASTY: Burning House Flavored Cheddar. We find that real wood chips work much better!

We DO like to play with our food!

Aileen
 
Hey, Marvin Minsky is a family friend round these parts, so we're right there with you!

That soldering iron hack is brilliant: I've been wondering about the easiest way to convert a WSM to a true cold smoker, and that's just exactly right, plus it's a good use for those almost balsa-like wood chips you see for sale in hardware stores that otherwise aren't much good for anything. I'm gonna have to try this out this summer.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It seems that I wrote the red pastrami recip on a different board. The link to it is dead but I wrote the administrator to see if he knows what's what. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Kevin, Any thoughts about posting that recipe here?
 
Great discussion!

Here are a couple of random thoughts on some of the topics that have been touched on.

Rytek Kutas who wrote THE definitive book on sausage making says that 160 is the optimum temperature for smoking sausage. Since sausage is usually no more than an inch to an inch a 1/2 think this temp works well.

For thicker cuts of meat, it take a LONG time to get to the target of 160 internal temp.

For lower temperatures, you should use a nitrate curing agent to kill the pathogens. Kutas' book has a really good section on cures and how to use them and how they work.

I designed and built an electric fired smoker for my sausage smoking. I had a thermostat on it so I could set any temperature I wanted. The wattage of your heating element needs to be balanced with the volume of your smoker to be able to maintain the temperatures you are looking for. If you want to do cold smoking or otherwise use a lower temperature, a lower wattage element is sufficient. If you want to go up to 275 ot 300 degrees, you need a higher wattage element.

One issue you run into with a homemade electric smoker, is getting the element hot enough to cause the wood chips to smoke.

An electric charcoal starter makes a good, inexpensive element. sausagemaker.com has a good temperature controlller for about $150.

With the smoker I made, I could smoke four 14 pound turkeys at the same time.

Now, with all that said, there is no substitute for charcoal fired smoking for flavor. My electroc fired smoker was good, but the flavor could not match the flavor of charcoal!

There are some great ideas in this discussion! Thanks!!

Mike
 
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