Cold Smoking Accessory


 
GrantT

GrantT

TVWBB Pro
Sorry, was not sure about what forum to place this in...nothing seemed a perfect fit.

Anyways, has anyone tried a gadget like this for cold smoking (mostly interested in cheese, maybe salmon). Was thinking in the new WSK putting this in the lowest rack and lighting it up with pellets, then the deflector, then a pan with some cold water/ice to keep the temps nice and low...

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timothy said:
That looks like it holds alot of product. pretty neat!
I have one of these, the 5 x 8.
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Actually, when I dug into it closer....it is actually quite small...not large enough for pellet use I found out.

How does the A-MAZE-N work? Does it really burn as long as they state? 11 hours?
 
GrantT said:
Actually, when I dug into it closer....it is actually quite small...not large enough for pellet use I found out.

How does the A-MAZE-N work? Does it really burn as long as they state? 11 hours?
Click to expand...
I never tried 11 hours. Mostly a few for cheese, nuts, popcorn, tomatoes ,vegs.
I get the flavored sawdust from smokinlicious, but pellets work just as good.
 
The trick is always trying to keep temps low and that might be challenging in that grill that's so efficient. You definitely don't need to smoke anything that long. I think the ice plan would help. I usually cold smoke cheese in the winter. I used a coffee can with a bunch of holes in it and some put some wood chips once and put a few lit charcoal briquettes in the bottom. That worked ok. I just had to add wood chips from time to time.
 
If your still looking for a way to cold smoke. I use an old Luhr Jensen like this for cold smoking. Things like eggs, cheese, homemade Canadian bacon, nuts, jerky, fish, etc. I have the original one I bought in 1986. They use shredded flavor wood but pellets work fine. It helps to hit pellets with a small propane touch for a bit.

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I made a copy of the Ama-z-in smoker out of perforated SS to use for cheese and it works fine with pellets. Like Dustin, I do mine in the winter when it is cold and two to three hours is usually enough. And like B A I use the propane torch to light it. 25BE8429-2889-4A85-AD25-2126D9C508F0.jpeg
 
I have the adjustable A-Mazen tube and it’s geniusfor cold smoking!a couple of minutes touching off the end, put it in the kettle and go have a nap! Yes, this is a better cool weather project, ambient temps are too high for a good cold smoke until...cooler temperatures return.
In Michigan, that could be Tuesday or maybe not until October!😉🍺
 
I've have an A-Maze-N 5x8. I've only used it a few times, always with sawdust. It has been difficult to get lit and to keep lit. I use a propane torch to light it but then have to blow on it for a long time to be sure it stays lit. Once it's going it will burn down the first row okay but will often not make the turn into the second row. I suppose I should try pellets some time to see if that makes a difference. Or maybe a mix of sawdust and pellets.

In my experience using sawdust, I'd say an 11 hour burn time is very conservative. I had some Canadian bacon on recently for six hours and it had just finished burning the first row when I took it off.
 
JayHeyl said:
I've have an A-Maze-N 5x8. I've only used it a few times, always with sawdust. It has been difficult to get lit and to keep lit. I use a propane torch to light it but then have to blow on it for a long time to be sure it stays lit. Once it's going it will burn down the first row okay but will often not make the turn into the second row. I suppose I should try pellets some time to see if that makes a difference. Or maybe a mix of sawdust and pellets.
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I've only used pellets and have struggled with the 5x8. I have a heck of a time getting the pellets started and keeping the pellets going. The instructions say:
Set your MAZE on a level surface or grate. With a propane torch on low, light the pellets through the starter hole for 45 seconds. A small flame will appear on top of the pellets. Allow this flame to burn for 10 minutes – DO NOT RUSH THIS STEP.
I know my pellets are good, but they struggle to stay self lit for 10 minutes. I find myself laying the fire from a propane torch on it for 2-3 minutes just to get the first ones going, and then they either go out or start the row on fire (no bueno).
Also need to make sure I don't overfill the rows - I have successfully had the smolder jump a row and burn the whole thing out (with way too much smoke) in 2-3 hours.

I used my A-Maze-N in my vertical propane smoker (which I no longer own), and now with the WSMs I have, I'm not really sure where I would put it even if I wanted to use it.
 
The thing with smoking cheese is it sometimes just disappears...

When I had my old WMS (the new one is still in the box) I'd get four briquets going and shaped in a square on the charcoal grate, put a chunk of whatever wood I was using on top of them, put whatever cheese(s) I was smoking on the top grate and check it often
 
Tracy Seelhammer said:
I know my pellets are good, but they struggle to stay self lit for 10 minutes. I find myself laying the fire from a propane torch on it for 2-3 minutes just to get the first ones going, and then they either go out or start the row on fire (no bueno).
Click to expand...
I have exactly the same problem with sawdust. "Allow the flame to burn for 10 minutes"? I'd be happy if it burned for one minute. The few times I've had success I spent at least five minutes blowing on the red embers to get enough of a smolder going.

I'm wondering if part of the initial ignition problem is poor air flow. I originally packed the sawdust in, but the last few times I've just lightly poured it and did my best NOT to pack it down. Next time I think I'll use a thinner layer of sawdust near the lighting hole. That might help with air flow and allow a decent fire to get going. My only other thought is to drop a lit briquette at one end or maybe cut off a few larger pieces from a chunk of wood so a more substantial fire can get going.
 
I know this thread has got some age to it, but as a true newbie to cold smoking, I need some guidance and direction. My 1st goal is to make a batch of Bob’s bacon. I’ve ordered the MTC for curing purposes and am good with what I need to do for that process. My big move was to invest into a Smokai to mount onto the rotisserie bracket on one of my Silver A or B gassers. I’m hoping to do true cold smoking where the Smokai is doing the work and the grill is just a vessel for the smoke and not actually turned on. Everything I read tells me to aim for an internal temp of 135-145. Does this hold true for my smoking method using 100 degree smoke or less? If so, how long could I expect this to take? Or am I just a complete knucklehead and have the process completely wrong? Any clarification sure would ease this old boy’s mind.
 
TomRc said:
I know this thread has got some age to it, but as a true newbie to cold smoking, I need some guidance and direction. My 1st goal is to make a batch of Bob’s bacon. I’ve ordered the MTC for curing purposes and am good with what I need to do for that process. My big move was to invest into a Smokai to mount onto the rotisserie bracket on one of my Silver A or B gassers. I’m hoping to do true cold smoking where the Smokai is doing the work and the grill is just a vessel for the smoke and not actually turned on. Everything I read tells me to aim for an internal temp of 135-145. Does this hold true for my smoking method using 100 degree smoke or less? If so, how long could I expect this to take? Or am I just a complete knucklehead and have the process completely wrong? Any clarification sure would ease this old boy’s mind.
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cold smoke is no heat on. as in just the smoke generator is making smoke. a cold smoke generator will not impart any measurable heat to your protein(s). it will literally just make smoke and maybe produce some ambient heat, which the heat should be offset by your outside temp (i cold smoke in winter and at nights only when it's warmer outside).

hot smoke means using heat and generating heat WITH smoke.

if you're getting up to 135 then you're hot smoking.

for example, making lox is cold smoking. you're only applying smoke flavor and never heating the cured salmon. if you're hot smoking salmon, then you're hittin that 135F temp and you're actually cooking the protein.

Cold smoking

Cold smoking is one of the oldest preservation methods
www.meatsandsausages.com www.meatsandsausages.com

ask away here. i have done a lot of cold smoking and some hot smoking.
 
Brett-EDH said:
cold smoke is no heat on. as in just the smoke generator is making smoke. a cold smoke generator will not impart any measurable heat to your protein(s). it will literally just make smoke and maybe produce some ambient heat, which the heat should be offset by your outside temp (i cold smoke in winter and at nights only when it's warmer outside).

hot smoke means using heat and generating heat WITH smoke.

if you're getting up to 135 then you're hot smoking.

for example, making lox is cold smoking. you're only applying smoke flavor and never heating the cured salmon. if you're hot smoking salmon, then you're hittin that 135F temp and you're actually cooking the protein.

Cold smoking

Cold smoking is one of the oldest preservation methods
www.meatsandsausages.com www.meatsandsausages.com

ask away here. i have done a lot of cold smoking and some hot smoking.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the insight and willingness to overlook my lack of knowledge. I guess my biggest question as I get started is “how do I know when to end the smoking process and call things done?”. Is it a time guideline? Coloration? Trial and error? Everyone else appears to be smoking their bacon for a couple of hours or so at 180 on a charcoal kettle primarily because they can’t seem to get a stable and controllable burn at a lower temp. I can get a 10hr smoke from a full hopper on the Smokai but am afraid I’d wind up with a largely inedible product sometime before that from too much smoke. And again, I greatly appreciate your help.
 
The Smokai looks similar to the smoke daddy. my kids gave me a smoke daddy PIG for my birthday, and it will work as a smoke generator for cold smoking.

Mine adds a slight amount of heat that can be offset with ice in the smoker if I was trying to keep temps down low.

I did one cold smoke of cheese and it was good. I didn't use ice and temps went up about 10 degrees from about 70F to 80F. It was a test run smoking sliced pepper jack cheese so I only ran it for about an hour.

I suggest using use wood chips, not pellets. I tried pellets once and it was horrible smoke. I messed with for about an hour and gave up. Even smoke chips took some learning.

I also suggest first practicing without any food just to get a hang of the startup and the progression of the smoke profile. On mine I've had ugly brown smoke, thick white smoke and moderate white smoke.
 
DanHoo said:
The Smokai looks similar to the smoke daddy. my kids gave me a smoke daddy PIG for my birthday, and it will work as a smoke generator for cold smoking.

Mine adds a slight amount of heat that can be offset with ice in the smoker if I was trying to keep temps down low.

I did one cold smoke of cheese and it was good. I didn't use ice and temps went up about 10 degrees from about 70F to 80F. It was a test run smoking sliced pepper jack cheese so I only ran it for about an hour.

I suggest using use wood chips, not pellets. I tried pellets once and it was horrible smoke. I messed with for about an hour and gave up. Even smoke chips took some learning.

I also suggest first practicing without any food just to get a hang of the startup and the progression of the smoke profile. On mine I've had ugly brown smoke, thick white smoke and moderate white smoke.
Click to expand...
i recco pellets. i make lox using 100% maple Traeger pellets. works perfectly and the flavor is on point.

i've also added gouda to my lox rack when smoking the lox. the gouda came out great too.

@TomRc I know there are some bacon makers here on the forum. i recco you post a "hey, need homemade bacon makers help" thread.

they'll esplain their secrets and tricks to making bacon and the cure and smoke process.

on my lox, specifically, a 90 mins cold smoke session is perfect. i did a 4 hour one early on in my learning and quite frankly, it was like eating a cigar.

i had no help from anyone but boy did i watch a sheetload of videos and read many a webpage on how to make lox. and as of now, i've nailed it and i gift my lox to people i like. and they are amazed it's homemade.

you will get to your desired level. especially from this board. and there are no stupid questions. sure, some will make us laugh but we've all been there. the journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step. you've already taken the first step. your future is bright and you will be rewarded with an amazing finished product soon.

you're inthe right place here. just post the question(s) and the answer will flow in. there are many good people here (and a few dolts too, but i digress).
 
Brett-EDH said:
i recco pellets. i make lox using 100% maple Traeger pellets. works perfectly and the flavor is on point.
Click to expand...

were you using a smoke tube? or a smoke generator. I had horrible results with pellets in the smoke generator and tried them twice before I picked up wood chips.

I use pellets in a smoke tube and they are fine.
 
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