Been reading the posts about cold smoking cheese ... I just love smoked Gouda and other cheeses. Do I need to buy a Cold Smoke Adapter or make one out of a box or can I just use my OBS? I presume that without a box the smoke generator will add heat to the box but have read where people use ice on the bottom rack and/or ice in the puck bowl to help control the temp and keep it between 75 to 82F.
Can't wait to smoke some cheese but I want to do it right the 1st time. Appreciate your help.
I've used a cardboard box and a dryer vent tube as a cold smoke adapter.
Works great.
I'm with FLBR, but he's in Florida.
If your ambient temp is in the 30's to very low 40's, you can use the stock setup. Anything higher than that and you have to get the SG out of the cabinet. Too much heat there.
Hi Smoker Pete;
Welcome to the forum.
You will get better results if you detach the generator and use a Cold Smoke box. You can also leave the generator attached and add ice to the bowl, and use one tray to store some ice. That is the way I did it before a member posted this link:
Cold Smoking with the Bradley Smoker (http://www.johnwatkins.co.uk/personalpages/coldsmoking.htm)
Putting ice inside the cabinet tends to hinder the flow of smoke, and the smoke likes to linger below the cold air. So remove the "V" tray (drip pan) for better circulation, don't over due it with the ice, use smaller amounts and replenish the ice if needed. I prefer to keep the cabinet temperature in the 70's when I cold smoke cheese.
I use the cold smoke adapter. I tried it once without in a OBS. It was cool out side and things went smoothly,,,,,for a while. Then the sun hit it and before I caught it I had several blobs of melted cheese hanging from the racks and on the V tray. It wasn't pretty. That SG element generates more heat than you think. If you're prepared to babysit the smoker and keep a real close watch on the IT of the cabinet you can get away without the adapter.
Appears that I need to make a commitment and either invest in a Bradley Cold Smoke Adapter or make my own using a box and the link Habanero Smoker, FLB, and others have posted if I want to properly smoke cheese and cold smoke other items.
Thanks for the welcome Habanero. Have been a member of the forum for years but have not smoked for over 2 years. Time to get back to smoking again ;D ;D Not sure that I ever posted a question before this. Did 4 half chickens Sunday in my OBS using 2 hr 40 min of Apple and they were to die for. Sorry ... no pics ... will take pics from now on.
My ambient temp right now ArnieM is 76F and will climb to 83F before the day is out. In the winter here in Central California it gets down to the mid 50s to 60s. Therefore, as you mentioned I will need to get the SG out of the cabinet. Does this mean that I need to get an Auber PID to keep the temp in the 70's or will be ambient temp mess me up? Should I be waiting until the ambient temp is down around the 70's or lower?
Thanks for the info RAF128. I will definitely use a cold smoke adapter. Like I said earlier, I want to do it right the 1st time.
Detaching the generator, I usually average less then a 10°F rise in temperature. I also make sure that the cabinet is unplugged. The best time of the day for cold smoking is either the very early morning hours, or evenings after the sun has set. If you are not going to use ice, then it is best to wait until the ambient temperature is below 70°F. For me 70°F is ideal, but if your are lower then that, it will not make any significant change in flavor.
my opinion is to make your own. While the Bradley one is nice, the door is a little small to put the puck bowl in. If I had to do it again I would make my own.
I don't use the cold smoke adapter or a cardboard box. I run with the stock setup. In the batch I just did I filled the puck bowl with ice and water. It kept the cabinet right at 70º until the ice melted. Them box temp got up to 83º by the time I was finished about 2 1/2 hours. Normally I will make a foil boat about the size of a Boston Butt and fill it with ice and place it on the lowest rack. I would suggest doing it this way over the prior. REASON after a couple of the puck get pushed off. The last puck starts leaning against the smoke generator. This puck then begins to wick the cooled water to the edge of the smoke generator. Which in turn lowers the heat and the next pucks do not burn completely.
I am in Texas and do not use the adaptor..but then again only do cheese in winter.