Hi guys and gals:
What is the highest temp you should let the box get to for a cold smoke? (In general) and.. I'd like to try to cold smoke some salmon. Never done it before and could use some help...Where I live cold smoking will be a luxury I can only do, in say, the next 3 months...so I want to cram as much in as possible while it's chilly out!!!
Any tips and info would be a great help!!!
Most of what I have read indicates cold smoke is under 100 deg. Now if your doing cheese or something that melts, that might not work out too well. If you separate the smoke gen from the box, you will basically eliminate all heat sources so your ambient outside air temperature is all you have. I like to keep the box temp below 80 and prefer closer to 60 if possible. I suppose for the winter challenged, going below 32 deg wouldn't do much good as ICE don't take smoke. Right ICE(man)?
Ok...so Giz...if I hit 100 with a salmon...is that cool...or no? I have been able to keep the temp right at 100 so far but have only done nuts and the short ribs (those I had planned to cook another way, anyway). Still gotta do the oxtails but really don't want any cooking. Been too warm...
I've only cold smoked steaks and cheese. I fill the water bowl with ice, and fill a gallon zip lock bag full of ice and put it on an empty rack. I've smoked like this with the outdoor temps in the low 50's and had no problem keeping the cab temps below 90, usually quite a bit lower. Of course, the colder it is outside, the better. I cold smoked 15 lbs. of cheese this weekend with outdoor temps in the high 20's, and the cab temp never got above 72.
LQ-give the ice bag (or bags) a try-I think it may help keep your temps well under 100. (yes, I've read enough posts to know what part of the USA you live in ;))
Haven't done cold smoked salmon yet so I'll let the real fishy folks answer that with more experience. I have used ice as well to keep the temps down.
Thanks OnTrack...I'll try the icebags...I have put ice in the bowl when doing my limited cold smoked stuff...but never anything more. So if I'm, at say, 40 at night...should I do a couple of racks of ice bags? I'm asking for Mom too, who is in Florida, with similar night temps right now...(lows in the 20's? Good God!!!) :)
salmon is an art... i recommend reading up on it... go by a known frequent posters instructions...
deviate... it will be dog food...
dont deviate... it will be awesome...
owrstrich
For cold smoking (fish or otherwise) I always aim to keep the temperature less than 80F although I am sure that is very difficult in some parts of the world. It isn't a problem around my way! ::) :D
Most references seem to say 60 - 80F although a quite a few go up to 90F, the odd one 100F.
I agree with manxman. I found smoking below 60 you don't get as much smoke penetration and adhesion, and though a few sources my state 100°F, most that I have seen use 90°F as the high limit.
I have cold smoked, salmon, cheese and vegetables at the same time, and if you use the cold smoke set up and keep the box at a temperature below 90°F, there will be no transfer of flavors. Always place the fish below any other product that is in the smoker and you should be alright.
I shoot at 70 F for reds and silvers and a tad less for kings because of the high oil content. Never over 80 F or like O says you can get into the dog food range real fast depending how old the fish is. Fresh fish is good for cold smoking but I've found previously frozen salmon actually works better for kippered (hot smoked). Because of the cells breaking up due to freezing they take the brine differently and actually firm the fish up better.
I remember a while back we had a similar discussion on cold smoking temps.
The trouble is, as already mentioned that various sites around the web recommend various temps from 60°F-100°F ???
I'm with iceman and Manx, i would never go over 80°F
When i do cold smoked salmon i aim for around 70°F-75°F works for me ;)
LilSmoker (http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s62/Gitster59/Tip-Hat.gif)
Thanks everyone! I'll shoot for 80 as a high.
LQ-Do what the experts said-I've only hot smoked salmon. I do think ice in the bowl and a bag or two on a shelf will help you greatly-just keep an eye on the temps. By the way, I would love to have your "problem", cause it's been in the low teens here the last 2 nights :(
Low teens!!!
That's a real nice winter day! ;)
Mike
Sorry Mike, but nice to me is somewhere with my feet in the sand, a drink in each hand, and staring at my or anybody elses wife in a bikini, and a waitress in a bikini bringing me 2 more drinks! ;D This weather sucks even at home, not to mention making my job a heck of a lot more of a pain in the a$$!
Starting to get the minus 0 stuff here again. Just got back from Prudhoe at minus 30. Man I'm glad I got the smoker shed far enough along to put a heater in it! :o ;D
I think Ontrack is sort of well......ontrack!!! ;D
Iceman, I don't even want to think about your temps...we get a few 0 or below days here each winter, and I either want to kill myself, quit my job, or go on vacation, but I just couldn't handle what you have to look forward every winter... :P
Ahhh Ontrack.... It's a dry cold. :D :D ;D
Actually I really do enjoy winter. Not the -40 stuff with 40 km winds but the majority really isn't that bad. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy summer too but my favorite time of the year is spring and fall.
Can't argue about the bikini statement though! ;)
Mike
Don't forget the drinks in each hand, Mike, although they may freeze to your palms if you're not wearing gloves! If I could choose my weather, it would be 75 during the week when I'm workin' on the railroad, and 95-105 on the weekends when I'm home chillin' by the pool... :)
Your right... I did overlook the drinks! :o That's bad!
No problem "chillin' by the pool" around here right now! ;)
eh... Ice!
We do get pretty hot in the summer but it's not my kind of weather though. I'm not a heat kinda guy. That's probably why I like spring and fall so much... well that and the fishin' is really good too.
Mike
Mike, I lived on a lake down here for about 8 years...it became a river after October...I was the Virginia walleye fisherman of the month for turning in the biggest one caught (turned in) that month. It was in January of...uh...5,6 or 7 years ago. Sold the lake house, all my fishing gear to my (ex) neighbor, built a house with a pool and the old lady won't even let me stock it!
Giving all that up and she won't let you even stock the pool??? ;)
He11, guys around here ice fish in their pools in the winter! ::)
Mike
PS
How big was your Walleye?
Mike, I just KNEW you were going to ask how big it was...it made citation by only a few inches or a few ounces, can't remember which...a large fish for down here but no comparison to what you guys catch up there. I have no idea where the wife put the certificate, but from poor memory I'm gonna say 8+pounds and around 34 inches. I caught 2 or 3 bigger than that one after that, but didn't go through the hassle of having them weighed and measured officially, because they were too busy being under the filet knife. Really big fish for down here, though...
Those are nice size for sure Ontrack. Lots of people spend their whole lives on the hunt for one over that magic 10 lbs. I'm very fortunate in the fact we have pretty decent walleye fishing locally. Most years we get a number over 10 lbs with my personal best at 13.1 lbs. There is a group of us that go to Northern Manitoba for a week in the spring every year. We mostly fish Northern Pike and Lake Trout but do spend a little time Walleye fishing as well. The Walleye on average from up there are smaller than here where I live. It's a whole lot of fun with the boys! ;)
Mike
I'm sure it is a lot of fun, Mike. And to think I traded my fishing gear and a dock full of bikinis to a pool full of...bikinis!!! :P :-* :o. Or Less!
You could always go fishin' when the "bikinis" are out of season!
:D :D :D ;D
Mike
:o :o :o :-X
QuoteWhat is the highest temp you should let the box get to for a cold smoke? (In general) and.. I'd like to try to cold smoke some salmon.
In general, term 'cold smoking' refer to temperatures bellow 90F. And there are some variations to this rule. To get smoked salmon with exceptional characteristics (taste, texture and aroma) temperature at all times should be under 68F, and you must smoke at least for 5 days (7 days is recommended). If you plan to smoke less than 5-7 days, then do not cold smoke, but rather use temperatures in the range of 90F-100F.
All..righty then...I have bags of ice in...bowl is full of ice and I was standing there looking at these lava rock coasters I got in Hawaii and thought...freeze them...they hold heat right? They would most certainly hold cold too? I really hope so!!! Am I jonesin' for cold smoking or waht? I'll let you know if it works...ya know.... just in case anyone has lava rock coasters they have nothing to do with!!! I'm getting kookie!!! :)
Kookie, maybe, but it just may work! Let us know, you may have started something big here... ;D
Yeah Ontrack...a run on lava rock coasters!! Temp is staying at about 80...we'll see...got another hour or so to go!!! (Anyway...the coasters will smell good!!!) :)
Sounds good so far-good luck!
Coasters smell great!!! Temp max'd out at about 88...still warm here so I consider it a short term success!!! "Allways look on the bright side of life"!!! And Eric was right (for you Monty Python fans!!!) :)
Just caught up with this thread. When cold smoking I keep the temp under 80. Don't ask me where I got that number from but it works just fine. :)