Pucks not fully burned?

[garlicman]

Hi folks, I am trying to cold smoke some garlic. I looked in and discovered the pucks were burned only part through, is this normal? The smoker is quite new, only been used once before for a hot smoke, the pucks were well burned through on that occasion though. The 240 volt feed is a ten foot extension and the element is clean.   Thanks

[Saber 4]

Did you preheat the SG first?

[tskeeter]

Garlic, I also see some variation in how pucks burn.  Wonder if there is enough variability in the puck manufacturing process to contribute to what we've observed?

Another thought.  Did several weeks pass between the smoke where you had good puck burn and the one where the pucks didn't burn as expected?  How and where are you storing your pucks?  Given Ireland's humidity level and that you are coming into the rainy part of the year, is it possible that the pucks have absorbed some moisture, causing them not to burn as completely?  The way Bradley packages pucks, in small cellophane packages, leads me to suspect that moisture affects the pucks.  Although I live in a pretty low humidity climate, because I store my pucks outside, in the smoker house, I store my pucks in the cellophane package, in zip lock bags, in air tight plastic boxes, to reduce the risk that pucks that have been stored for a year or more will absorb moisture during times of the year when the humidity increases.

When folks started to talk about difficulty getting 120 count hickory pucks, I picked up an extra box.  Since I was probably not going to use that box for quite a while, I wrapped the box in several layers of plastic wrap to provide some additional moisture barrier. 

[garlicman]

I did not PROPERLY heat up the smoke generator. I think I was bewitched by the heady scent of anticipation...if not a little smoke fever. :)
The garlic has none the less taken a slight colouration and a "Green smoke" or fresh burned hay smell. I used maple and smoked for 4 hours.
After about an hour out of the smoker I crushed a few cloves which did not seem to have a smokey flavour at all...will the smoke flavour develop through the clove given time? The papers or skins on the garlic smell wonderful though. Thanks for the response.

[Saber 4]

I have to agree with tskeeter, I have had pucks not burn as good the older the box gets if the humidity is high, need to do a better job of storing my pucks.

I haven't smoked garlic but it seems like it would be like smoking cheese or chex mix in that it gets better with age

[garlicman]

I had 2lbs cheese in at the same time as the garlic, I brought it out after about two hours on recommendation from these boards.
It was dried off with a clean cloth and wrapped in cling film, it now resides in the fridge inside an airtight container. But for how long?
Such an impatient man I am, a lesson learned today. :) Thanks.

[Indy Smoker]

Let the cheese rest at least 2 weeks or longer before unwrapping.

Patience grasshopper


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[RAF128]

A couple thoughts here.   1st, you need to give the SG time to heat up.   Next, different woods burn different.   Some burn better and more completely than others.   And my last opinion is that this is intentionally on the part of Bradley.   Not to sell more puck but if they burn too much you start to get bad smoke or ash. 

[Saber 4]

A couple thoughts here.   1st, you need to give the SG time to heat up.   Next, different woods burn different.   Some burn better and more completely than others.   And my last opinion is that this is intentionally on the part of Bradley.   Not to sell more puck but if they burn too much you start to get bad smoke or ash.

Agree with all of this, and I have been told to allow at least 4-5 weeks on my cheese and it has worked great.

[Habanero Smoker]

This appears to be your first cold smoke. Besides the above suggestions, many members (myself included) have notice when cold smoking, without any heat from the elements the bisquettes do not burn as completely as they would if the heating element was on.

My bisquettes burn until they are completely black all the way through, and still hold their shape. But as mentioned by RAF128, some bisquettes burn slower then others, so occasionally I will get some bisquettes that do not completely burn.

[Saber 4]

This appears to be your first cold smoke. Besides the above suggestions, many members (myself included) have notice when cold smoking, without any heat from the elements the bisquettes do not burn as completely as they would if the heating element was on.

My bisquettes burn until they are completely black all the way through, and still hold their shape. But as mentioned by RAF128, some bisquettes burn slower then others, so occasionally I will get some bisquettes that do not completely burn.

Also noticed this same thing today smoking my brats