Converting Fridge to Cold/Hot SmokingCabinet

[Boybach]

If this has been asked before please forgive me but I am on very shaky ground with this project. Do I have to degas and deactivate a working refrigerator before I use it as a smoker or do I leave the workings as is and just cut the power lead
Thanks for your help

[iceman]

If this has been asked before please forgive me but I am on very shaky ground with this project. Do I have to degas and deactivate a working refrigerator before I use it as a smoker or do I leave the workings as is and just cut the power lead
Thanks for your help

If your going to do anything more than cold smoking you're better off having the refrigerant removed from the unit. The evap. coil doesn,t take kindly to that kind of heat and you stand a chance of contaminating your food if it leaks during smoking. Not a good thing. ;) I don't know what your interior is but at any rate keep your heat sorce away from the sides and bottom so nothing over heats. Most newer coolers have a poly foam insulation and it won't take much more than 200F as far as heat goes before it starts to break down or "Gas" on you. If the interior is plastic I would suggest scraping the idea of using it to hot smoke. The plastic can leach toxins if it's overheated and it will be absorbed into your food. Hope I answered your question. :)

[Boybach]

Thanks Iceman for your reply. I'll scrap the idea of hot-smoking with this set-up and concentrate as originally intended to cold smoking salmon. I suppose it speaks volumes for this forum and the wealth of information on this site that here I am a complete novice who hasn't even set the kit up as yet and I'm trying to run before I've even started to crawl. Over the next day or two the salmon will begin its brining process and whilst that's going on I'll be getting the rig together and will report back.
Thanks to you all for my welcome and putting up with my inane questions ;D

[Oldman]

Thanks to you all for my welcome and putting up with my inane questions

On this forum there are no A$$inane questions.

Good luck with your unit!

Olds

[Boybach]

Hi Guys and lasses
The cold smoker set-up is complete. The salmon is at this moment curing and will be ready for cold-smoking tomorrow. Wish me luck and I'll post the results in a day or two. Thanks for all your help and may I take this opportunity to wish one and all the Compliments of the Season :)

[NePaSmoKer]

Have you ever been to smokehouseplanDOTcom

I have the plans, if you like send me a message.

nepas

[Boybach]

hi nepas
no I haven't but will try now. In meantime would welcome some plans. Re the Camel we were in Qutar in January and didn't back the Camels in the Avatar. In fact we met them on the way back from our trip having a graze on the side of the road. Not the sort of thing you see in London
Cheers and thanks for your help
bb

[Stickbowcrafter]

I don't know Oldman, I asked a few dumb ones when I first got my Bradley  ???

:) :D ;D

-Brian