length of time: cold smoking

[roddyb]

hi, i find that anything i smoke, (salmon, bacon, ham) is far too smokey, much more so than shop bought equivalent, i have been using oak bisquettes, and far less time than suggested but the intense smoke smell is off-putting. any suggestions? the flavour of the food is good but the smokey smell is just too much for the rest of the family. looking at various authors on smoking, the times they suggest are far longer than for the bradley (with the cold smoking attachment).

[beefmann]

Rod,

I would start off by switching from oak to cherry, maple or apple on fish and smoke for two hours.

another item to note... is your top bent wide open? if not it will give a stronger smoke taste and cause the moisture to condense and drip onto the items being  smoked causing a strong  smoke taste and the flavoring being off

[KyNola]

Hi Roddy,
The first thing I see is you're using oak.  Oak can be a pretty "heavy" smoke along with hickory and mesquite.  The first thing I would recommend is for you to try a much milder wood to smoke with.  Very first one that comes to mind is alder.  My next one would be maple.  Next question is how long are you actually smoking the various meats?  One thing you mentioned was that other authors have much longer smoking times than a Bradley.  That's because the Bradley produces a much cleaner, purer(read more concentrated) smoke than other smokers.

Lastly, some things are much better if after coming out of the smoker they are allowed to mellow out prior to consuming.  Try holding off for a day or two before consuming.  With cold smoked cheese from a Bradley, the "wait time" is a minimum of 2 weeks!

If you will tell us how long you've been smoking your product, perhaps we can help you more.

Sorry Beef, you're faster than me.

[3rensho]

I generally do fish with alder or a 1:1 mix of alder and apple for 2.5-3 hours.  Fish has to definitely sit wrapped in fridge for 24 hours before consumption.

[Jim O]

Hi Roddyb

I usually cold smoke my fish,and cheese for that matter,with either hickory or apple. I smoke for 2 hrs,with vent open.

After 2 hrs I continue my fish longer until it flakes,then let cool  and vac seal for at least 2 weeks for the cheese.

Jim O

[roddyb]

thank you all very much for your helpful input. much appreciated