DIY Smoker...

[Pastor]

Simple answer I'm afraid. Having been through the education system again for the last n years and followed by unemployment I am as about broke as it is possible to be. The good news is that today I landed a job as project manager for a large factory control system project (software design and install)

[Spaniard]

Congrats on the job... Now we need to wet its head....

[Pastor]

Glass in hand mate, cheers Even Sara phoned me up from Dubai

[foxfish]

Not much of an excuse dude Spaniard hasn't worked for years!! Besides Guernsey must be be about the most affluent place for a guy with a degree to a earn shed full of money, seems like it could be a career trip of a life time?

[Spaniard]

Originally Posted by foxfish

Not much of an excuse dude Spaniard hasn't worked for years!! Besides Guernsey must be be about the most affluent place for a guy with a degree to a earn shed full of money, seems like it could be a career trip of a life time?

Ha, ha, he's right though.....Mind you the only thing I paid for the whole time there was a couple of Rocquettes...............

[Pastor]

Don't think I qualify as an island dweller, OK Anglesey is an island but there is a bridge to get off. Besides I would miss Snowdonia now, beautiful

[Pav]

Porka Pas cold smoker (see his advert a page back ;>) ! , does look good. Has anyone used one or made similar. For £20 does look like a compact tidy option for cold smoking.

with the earlier mention of aluminum I notice it too is made from aluminium but am guessing the product is safe as a cold smoker?

Have passed your list of smoking woods on to a wood turner Pastor. He's pinned it up in his shed and will be bagging up samples to experiment with! I was suprised by the poison woods. Not the ones you would expect! Very useful. Hope to be ready for the first mackeral this year.

[Pav]

on order! , I'll let you know the results (hopefully not food poisoning). I've joined in on the end of the thread on the specialists forum Pator linked to ..

sausagemaking.org :: View topic - Easy to Make Cold Smoke Generator where they have been discussing porkas smoker.

I didn't give much thought to it previously but now realise I am not cooking the meat as with hot smoking so a new set of rules apply if I am to avoid being sick!

am I safe with regards to cold smoking fish without any prep other than gutting and scaling?

[foxfish]

Pav you need to brine your products first in fact you treat them in the same way as for hot smoking.
Smoked food without salt simply does not work in the flavour department.
Cold smoking reduces he moisture content far more than hot smoke (unless you over cook) This gives the food a special texture, the difference is obvious in fresh salmon & cold smoked salmon.
I dont cold smoke food because I want to keep it for ages before eating it, if I do want to keep it for more than a few days then it goes in the freezer!
Cold smoked food is not cooked, I cook all my smoked meats just before we eat them. You can eat cold smoked food straight from the smoke house but in most cases the house temp is briefly raised to 140c.
You need to buy a book.

[Pav]

Amazon.co.uk: food smoking: Books

it seems that I underated how complicated smoking may be! I never thought a book would focus on smoking only. Seems there maybe a little more to know than the few pages in my river cottage book!

A lot of titles available. I'm going to check to see what they have in the library.

[Pav]

I have had my first feedback after cold smoking some eggs and some cheese.....

"Like a mouthful of bonfire"
"Like drinking the contents of an ashtray".

not good!

[Pastor]

what was the procedure? sounds like stagnant smoke and too long. What wood did you use?

[Pav]

reckon from what I have read it is stagment smoke.
I will return to this project later! ... all i can smell and taste is smoke.

thanks pastor ;>)

stardust.

[Pastor]

Sounds just like an Alvin Stardust stage show

[foxfish]

Pav, dont be to disheartened, I have had so many disasters in the early days.
Cold smoking is an art, success will come with practice & expereance but smoked food will always taste & smell of smoke!