Theo -- why you can't cold-smoke in a Smokette

Now that we have the suggestion from Donna that cold smoking in a smokette is not an optimal solution to cold smoking, has anyone had experience with the "Little Chief" Smoker. I believe they are foreign made. It looks like they were exactly made for cold smoking and have been around for about 75 years. I addition, they are reasonably priced at $60.

Here's the question....

...do you just want to do cold smoking only? or do you want to find a unit that can perform multiple functions?

If what you want to do is just "cold smoke" I've seen some remarkable results with a cardboard box, some grates, and a couple of chunks of lumps...Really, it works.

If you're wanting to smoke more stuff AND cold smoke, then don't go with a Smokette, go with the larger unit.

Also, do a search for Little Chief or Cold Smoke and you'll come up with some more discussions.

Check these out:

Cold Smoking in a Smokette?

Cold Smoke Modification for Smokette?

Hope that helps some.

Smokin:

Thanks for the comments and the references to the threads.

There are many of us Smokette owners that are very satisfied with the size of the smokette and have really no need to have a bigger unit (except for cold smoking). So going to a larger unit is not a practical solution.

I brought up the issue of the Little Chief only as a relatively low cost solution to cold smoking vs what appears to be a less than optimal solution of trying to use the smokette.

I have read the referenced threads regarding putting a cardboard box on top of the smokette and cold smoking in the box. I would imagine that you could also build a small box (the same side dimensions as that of the smokette itself)made out of something like cedar plywood with wood on four sides. You could have a door on front with rubber gasket material to seal. You could have a hole on the bottom to correspond to the hole in the smokette and holes in the top or top sides to allow the smoke to escape (with covers hinged on screws to control the amount of smoke or heat exiting from the holes). You could even use the CS racks in the box and also feed in a temperature probe to check on the temperature from time to time. You could even line the bottom with foil for the dripage.

So in essence, you would be using the smokette to produce the smoke, and the box to collect the smoke for the cold smoking process (hopefully at a more optimal temperature than is achievable in the smokette). I could imagine you could even vary the smokette temperature control to partially control the heat level in the upper box depending on the temp. outside. My smokette varies from 77 to 112 degrees at its lowest on temperature but you could also increas it if the temp. outside was lower.

The question I have is: Does this have any detrimental affect on the smokette if you were to use it as a smoker over a long period (such as 24 hours or even days). This would also involve reloading the wood box from time to time.

By these comments, I am not trying to eliminate sales of the CS baffle. I gather from previous forum conversations that the baffle is not an optimal solution in the smokette anyway. My suggestion here (with a question) is only intended to provide a more permanent solution than a cardboard box of some sort.

If you built a box like MIN que describes, you could add a line voltage thermostat appropriate for your desired cold smoking temp range (one for baseboard electric heat would work), connect it between a line cord and an outlet, and plug the Smokette into the outlet. Set the Smokette to 250F so its thermostat is always on and the process is controlled by your new thermostat. As long as the setting is somewhat above ambient temperature, say 95F if it's 60F outside, it should call for heat enough to raise some smoke.

You'd probably want to make the box out of something like galvanized, stainless, or aluminum so it'd lose heat and stay cool (unlike the Smokette which is built to stay warm.) And you might want a smoke chiller, like a length of stove pipe, between the two pieces.

All just speculation, of course - if anybody wants to try, please let us know how it works. Or maybe we could find a company with expertise in fabricating sheet metal for cooking...

Good Points.

I've actually talked before about putting a "box" on top of the Smokette. While CS might not totally agree with the "box mod" for a CS, sounds like a great concept.

I would think, that the biggest issue is restricting the airflow out of the CS. As long as the box on top has an outlet to let that smoke out, it would probably work.

See, that's why I don't work for CS and do this for free, so I'm free to talk about really weird ways of doing some cool things.

Now if I can just figure out how to build that Stainless Steel Spray tub attachment inside the smoker for my Mops....

This box thing is very interesting! I hope some of you will try it and let us know what happened. (I'd do it myself but if I try to do one more thing I will have to be cloned.)

Donna

Smokin wrote"Now if I can just figure out how to build that Stainless Steel Spray tub attachment inside the smoker for my Mops...." You might want to look at homebrewing sites. There is something used for sparging(sparge arm), washing the grain, that might actually work. It is just a circular piece of tubing with holes in the bottom that water is sprayed out of. Just my two cents. Maybe between the 1500 of us we can come up with a few good products!

Interesting, Retsoon, and got me thinking. Try the Birding Supply Sites, also. For bird baths, you can get a device that either drips or sprays. You hook it up to a hose, but that's not a big deal. Use an aquarium pump.

WAAAAAAAAAY ahead of you. After all, I do homebrew.

The issues are with most marinades/baste having an acid base, you have to be careful about the material. Also, the size of the holes have to be considered (if you baste has any large particles) AND you have to remember the heat and the food safety and....

But, I'm working on it, I'm working....

And Donna, I cloned myself but it didn't help.

Donna-

I hate to disagree with you, but, I have made some very passable cold smoked salmon (Nova style lox) in my Smokette using your Coldsmoke Kit ( a stainless-steel barrier) that replaces the lower grill.

I got this kit after Stuart recommended it as safe if you follow some rules about times that the unit is on, etc. This I think equates to about 20 minutes at temps recommended in the recipes section. I used the recipe that came with the kit.

You place ice above the barrier, and let-er-rip.

I posted about this some time ago with pictures of the lox submitted later. These pictures were lost when Photopoint went down, and I can repost them if anyone is interested.

The product came out excellent, and one of my neighbors said it was as good as any Nova-lox she had ever had!

Bobby Que, hey, that's great news. When we tell people what the smokers will do, we always err on the side of not over-promising and under-delivering. If you are successfully cold-smoking in your Smokette, then I am sure the rest of us can do it too. And I would love to see your photos. If you want me to put on our server so they won't get lost I will be glad to do that.

Donna

Donna- I am trying to track down the pictures for posting.

The post was placed in the Seafood Archives in case anyone is interested.

I am going crazy with semantics here, Bobby! Lox is NOT smoked! It is dill and salt cured! You can call smoked salmon lox, but it's not! There..I feel better. Not mad at me, are you?

Good! Then give me your recipe for whatever-that-stuff-is!!!! Please?

Andi-

This is deja-vue all over again. How could I ever get mad at you. Look back at the Seafood Archives for our thread on this last year. I think we are all talking about the same thing with different reference frames!

The link below is for the website that defines some of the types of smoked salmon. This is in our prior thread about cold-smoked salmon that is in the Seafood Archives.

Link to ALASKAN Website that defines some of the terms used in describing some types of smoked salmon

My understanding of this is as follows:

GRAVLOX: Scandinavian lox that is brined with salt/sugar mixture for 1-2 days. Dill and other flavoring agents may be added. It is not smoked. It has to be consumed fairly soon after preparing it. I think this is what you are talking about when you say LOX, Andi?

NOVA LOX: First step is to make it somewhat like Gravlox (brined). See the recipe in the Seafood Archives. Then it is cold-smoked for varying lengths of time. It is then placed in oil to preserve it. This is also called LOX by people in the Northeastern states (Yankees!), and as in the above link by some people in Alaska, and by lots of other people who have never heard of Gravlox.

Scotish Smoked Salmon: is made somewhat like this, with different flavoring and brining techniques and prolonged cold-smoking in fancy cold-smokers by our friends in Kilts. It is stored differently than Nova Lox.
The above methods (Gravlox, cold-smoked lox and Scottish style result in a silky, semi-transparent product that can be sliced thin off the fish's skin. Cold-smoking adds a smoky taste to the Gravlox, and changes the texture some. For some reason, this is almost always called Scottish smoked salmon or smoked salmon which I guess justifies it's high price. Sure tastes gooood.

Kippered Salmon is smoked after brining (your pellicle is formed?), and then hot-smoked. This results in an opaque texture of flaky fish. Your salmon candy or jerky is a subset of this process.

How does this fit in with your definitions?

"This is deja-vue all over again." Would that then be, deja-vu-vu? HA! Semantics again!

Okay, I will stand down! You did specify NOVA-Lox in your post. I actually learned something here! Gonna make me some of that NOVA Lox!

Yes, my salmon is a kipper. And a keeper! LOL! Squaw Candy is cold-smoked for a l-o-n-g to the semi-dry state. Still a bit pliable, held on with the skin.

Those Scots have nothin' on this Irish Lass...gonna make some Irish Smoked Salmon...kissed with whiskey! Now I'm chompin' at the bit for salmon season...