I have a line on a HUGE cold smoker

[love the smoke]

So we remodeled at work and there is an extra refridgerator that works perfect, what are the thoughts on making it into a big cold smoker ?

I would cut a hole in the side and either plum my current smoker into it or purchase a smoke generator

Plug in the fridge and walla cold smoker !!

Thoughts ???

LTS

[tskeeter]

Is it a commercial fridge, with metal inside walls, or a residential unit, with a plastic liner?  Even though you are planning to use it as a cold smoker, I think most folks who are home building smokers remove any plastic from the inside of the smoker to minimize the risk that heating the plastic during smoking will release substances that you don't want to eat.

If you've got a commercial unit, I'm envious.  You've got a great project ahead of you.

By the way, there are some forum members who have built several refrigerator based smokers.  They should be a good resource for you.

[love the smoke]

There should be almost zero heat if the fridge is running

Its a residential fridge

[KyNola]

I think you're confused on the term "cold smoker". :o

[pondee]

I think you're confused on the term "cold smoker". :o

KyNola:  that's really an insufficient answer.  If you believe that he is "confused on the term cold smoker", shouldn't you explain what you believe what is referred to by the term, how he is "confused" and what he should do with his situation?  I think that your comment doesn't help, or add to the conversation.  Shouldn't it?

[KyNola]

I think you're confused on the term "cold smoker". :o

-KyNola:  that's really an insufficient answer.  If you believe that he is "confused on the term cold smoker", shouldn't you explain what you believe what is referred to by the term, how he is "confused" and what he should do with his situation?  I think that your comment doesn't help, or add to the conversation.  Shouldn't it?

He is referring to running the refrigerator as a refrigerator while smoking in it.  A refrigerator generally runs between 34-38 degrees.  The colder air inside the running refrigerator will impede the  "warmer" smoke from rising as cold air is heavier than warm air.  In his initial description there is no mention of any venting of the smoke out of the refrigerator.  There should also be concern about the insulation that is within the interior and exterior walls and if the interior walls are plastic.

[GusRobin]

Also, in my limited knowledge, cold smoking is done with a smoke source at ambient temp. I haven't run into a situation where the smoker is refrigerated. Probably for the reasons noted above.Though as I said, I have limited knowledge in this area.

[love the smoke]

Yes I would have to cut a vent hole in the top somewhere , do you think I would need a fan to help "get the smoke out"

And I am a little confused on all the talk about plastic on the inside of the fridge, Its really no different than the fridge in your house now, it will not see any heat only smoke, it will be running at the same temp as the fridge in your house ?

LTS

[Saber 4]

Yes I would have to cut a vent hole in the top somewhere , do you think I would need a fan to help "get the smoke out"

And I am a little confused on all the talk about plastic on the inside of the fridge, Its really no different than the fridge in your house now, it will not see any heat only smoke, it will be running at the same temp as the fridge in your house ?

LTS

I think what KyNola is trying to tell you is you wont get any smoke on your food if you run the fridge while smoking, most people use old fridges as a box with racks and insulation to make their cold smokers not running the fridge while smoking. You cold smoke at about room temperature to get the smoke into the product being smoked. My Great Grandfather made one with the smoke box ten feet down hill from his converted fridge with the smoke traveling up a ceramic pipe into the bottom of the fridge and vented out the top. As in a wood burning stove smoke wont travel up through a completely cold pipe it needs some ambient temp and air draw. Hope this helps.

[pondee]

Love the Smoke:

The sense I'm getting here, although no one seems to want to say it, is that "cold smoking" isn't really cold like a refrigerator which is running (below 40 degrees).  I remember reading here, somewhere, that smoke needs to be higher (about 80 or so),  to properly flavor the food being smoked.  I could be confusing the  smoking temperature with the "danger zone" of 40 to 140 degrees, but I think that they are similar, at least on the low end.  In any event, you can  not properly smoke at  temperatures below 40, as in a running refrigerator.  Everyone is worried that the refrigerator, which is designed to run below 40* may cause problems to your food once it reaches  usual, higher,  smoking temperatures.  They may have a point. It was stated by another poster: "I think you're confused on the term "cold smoker"".  i was hoping that that poster would elaborate further as to what "cold smoking" was and entailed.  He did not do so.  So you now have my best guess as to why everyone is so worried about your refrigerator cold smoker.  Cold smoking is done above 40, which is above where your frige will run.  Since the frige is designed to run below 40* and since smoking (cold or otherwise)  is done at a higher temp, the plastic and insulation may emit fumes that would not be beneficial to your food.  Erring on the side of caution, I agree.  OK forum, have it at.

[KyNola]

I am going to attempt this one last time.  Cold smoking is typically done at 50-90 degrees Fahrenheit.  The colder air in a normally running refrigerator at 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit may impede the warmer smoke air rising through the smoker as cold air is heavier then warm air, as in a hot air balloon.  That is why they have those big burners at the bottom of the balloon, so that the air is heated hot enough to rise through the heavier cold atmosphere.  Smoke is only mildly heated so the frig air temp may impede the smoke from rising.  You will need a vent so that the smoke can escape the box.  Whether a fan is required will depend on how much draft you have made arrangements for in the frig.  The plastic lining in the interior of the frig may or may not be a concern to you.  For me it would be a concern but you should do whatever you feel comfortable doing.  Same goes for the insulation between the interior walls and the exterior walls.

This is my explanation as best I can give it.  Much more knowledgeable and learned members will come along and give you much better advice.  Let me highly urge you to take their advice.

[hal4uk]

You can make a cold smoker out of dang near anything.
Cardboard box, flower pot, tin foil, whatever...

If the refrigerator works perfect, then, you could use that for a refrigerator.
It's a good place to store cold-smoked cheese.
Or beer.

[NePaSmoKer]

Lets see

You want to use a working fridge. pipe in smoke. Cold air sinks and hot air rises. The coldness in the fridge will keep the smoke from rising in the fridge and make a messy gunk in it.

Here is the diff between cold and hot smoking. Source Wedliny

Cold smoking at 52-71° F (12-22° C), from 1-14 days, applying thin smoke with occasional breaks in between, is one of the oldest preservation methods. We cannot produce cold smoke if the outside temperature is 90° F (32° C), unless we can cool it down, which is what some industrial smokers do. Cold smoking is a drying process whose purpose is to remove moisture thus preserving a product.


Hot Smoking

Hot smoking is the most common method of smoking. Continuous smoking at 105-140° F (41-60° C), 0.5-2 hours, 5-12% weight loss, heavy smoke. This is not recommended for large pieces of meat that are expected to be stored for a long time. Although it is the fastest method, there is not enough time for adequate smoke penetration. This results in higher moisture content, reducing the product's shelf life. This type of smoking can be divided into three separate phases:

Drying out the surface of the meat for 10-40 min at 112-130° F (45-55° C), some very light smoke is acceptable, although not necessary. Besides drying out the surface of the meat, the temperature speeds up nitrite curing. Keep in mind that the draft controls must be fully opened to eliminate any moisture residing inside of the smoker. Applying smoke at temperatures higher than 130-140° F (54-60° C) will prematurely dry out the casings on the surface of the meat and will create a barrier to smoke penetration.

This is the proper smoking stage at 112-140° F (45-60° C) for 30-90 min, using medium to heavy smoke. The color becomes a light yellow to dark brown with a shade of red. In this state, the natural casings become strong and fit snugly on the sausages.

Baking the sausage at 140-176° F (60-80° C) for about 10-20 min. Temperatures as high as 194° F (90° C) are permitted for a short period of time. Proteins are denatured in the outside layers of the product, but the inside remains raw with temperatures reaching only 104° F (40° C). Natural casings fit very snugly, become shiny, and develop a few wrinkles. This is a welcomed scenario; lots of smoked products are subsequently poached. Acting like a barrier, the drier and stronger casings prevent the loss of juices. This type of cooking (poaching) is more economical to baking (less weight loss).


Forum post count. Nuff said

Senior member KyNola 9,604

Pondee  37

Who's advice would you take?

[pondee]

Why make this personal?  I just asked a question, asking a prior poster to clarify his post.  So much for this forum being friendly and about getting clear answers to ones questions, sharing info in a clear friendly way.  I guess you need to be "in the club" for a while to be treated as a friend, or at least as someone seeking the best way of doing things. Hence the score card.  Just because someone says a lot of things, don't make him miore right. Ciao guys.  Thought this was going to be fun. If you do: Good For You.

[Saber 4]

Why make this personal?  I just asked a question, asking a prior poster to clarify his post.  So much for this forum being friendly and about getting clear answers to ones questions, sharing info in a clear friendly way.  I guess you need to be "in the club" for a while to be treated as a friend, or at least as someone seeking the best way of doing things. Hence the score card.  Just because someone says a lot of things, don't make him miore right. Ciao guys.  Thought this was going to be fun. If you do: Good For You.

I'm not sure if you had read my post when you made your second post or not, however it appears to me sitting here on the sidelines that your first post was a bit confrontational, as I think many of the people on this forum would take KyNola's first post and do a search on Cold Smoking to find out where they are confused before asking for more information. Providing the same answer over and over again to oft asked, under searched questions could become a full time job for the moderator's who receive no pay for their work on the forum trying to help people.

As for your second post it appeared to me that you completely ignored my response and those of GusRobin and KyNola's response to your quote to attempt to create a conflict where none existed before.

I have not been a member of this forum for very long but I have found it to be the friendliest forum I have run across from the beginning, I did not have to be in the club or anything other than be a sincere member of the forum to have even my stupidest problems explained and solved for me. If you can understand what I'm trying to get across and want to have a fun and productive experience here, then by all means hang out, however if this ain't your cup of tea, I wish you the best in whatever direction life takes you and your smoking.