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DIY Smoker...
- Thread starterdeep thinker
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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I missed this thread. After years of tinkering with bodge ups last year I built myself a cold smoker, which is less of a bodge and works a treat!
I bought a stainless BBQ with clip on lid (£12) a length of aluminium ducting (£5) and a galvanized bin (£15) I cut a hole in the BBQ and dustbin connect the 2 with the ducting and fit the grid from the BBQ in the bin, simple.
I cut down an overgrown cherry tree in the garden a couple of years ago and simply use an electric plane connected to my workshop hoover to make the shavings.
Maybe its luck but it works and absolute treat just fill the BBQ with shavings and light it. It needs very little mucking about with. Fish, meat, chicken, cheese etc all smoked to perfection. A favourite is belly pork well brined then smoked ....bacon for sunday breakfast
The only tricky bit I have found is the brining and getting the saltiness just right.
I bought a stainless BBQ with clip on lid (£12) a length of aluminium ducting (£5) and a galvanized bin (£15) I cut a hole in the BBQ and dustbin connect the 2 with the ducting and fit the grid from the BBQ in the bin, simple.
I cut down an overgrown cherry tree in the garden a couple of years ago and simply use an electric plane connected to my workshop hoover to make the shavings.
Maybe its luck but it works and absolute treat just fill the BBQ with shavings and light it. It needs very little mucking about with. Fish, meat, chicken, cheese etc all smoked to perfection. A favourite is belly pork well brined then smoked ....bacon for sunday breakfast
The only tricky bit I have found is the brining and getting the saltiness just right.
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Looks great Andy but might be termed as in between smoking as I recon it will still be fairly hot inside the bin?
How often do you have to change the shavings? Do you soak the shavings first? How long do you smoke your food for & how many fuel changes does it take?
How often do you have to change the shavings? Do you soak the shavings first? How long do you smoke your food for & how many fuel changes does it take?
Surprisingly it stays cold. I think more by luck rather than design it seems to work perfectly.
Because there is a clip on lid of the BBQ and limited air holes in the base there is limited air flow and no opportunity for the shavings to burn too quickly and, therefore, hot. The shavings last a couple of hours at a go.
I don't soak, but the best smoke I did was a mixture of seasoned cherry and green beech, this made the smoke more moist and it seemed to 'stick' to the food more.
I normally smoke for a couple of fuel changes say 4-5 hours.
Chicken breasts smoked then cooked on a griddle, sliced and served in pasta with dried porcini and fresh herbs are fantastic. I smoked some salmon for a dinner party and was asked where I got it from because it was so good!! Even a block of the cheapo 'plastic cheddar' tastes incredible.
I have to say I'm a real convert to smoking.
The whole lot fits inside the dustbin for storage which is a bonus.
Because there is a clip on lid of the BBQ and limited air holes in the base there is limited air flow and no opportunity for the shavings to burn too quickly and, therefore, hot. The shavings last a couple of hours at a go.
I don't soak, but the best smoke I did was a mixture of seasoned cherry and green beech, this made the smoke more moist and it seemed to 'stick' to the food more.
I normally smoke for a couple of fuel changes say 4-5 hours.
Chicken breasts smoked then cooked on a griddle, sliced and served in pasta with dried porcini and fresh herbs are fantastic. I smoked some salmon for a dinner party and was asked where I got it from because it was so good!! Even a block of the cheapo 'plastic cheddar' tastes incredible.
I have to say I'm a real convert to smoking.
The whole lot fits inside the dustbin for storage which is a bonus.
Have you tried using a chimney on the bin? It will held keep a flow of fresh smoke through the bin and help keep it a little cooler too. Have a go with a piece of cardboard with a cardboard tube as a chimney instead of the lid.
The bigger the chamber is the easier it is to keep cool but I often used to think about sealing a small car radiator in the bottom of a bin like that with a water flow through it to act like a cooling diffuser for the smoke to pass through. A bit far fetched but an idea for a small scale set up.
Smoked bacon it to die for mmmmmmmmm
The bigger the chamber is the easier it is to keep cool but I often used to think about sealing a small car radiator in the bottom of a bin like that with a water flow through it to act like a cooling diffuser for the smoke to pass through. A bit far fetched but an idea for a small scale set up.
Smoked bacon it to die for mmmmmmmmm
I had thought about a chimney, but didn't want to start cutting holes in the lid. Make one out of cardboard is a good idea, thanks, I will try that.
I must say the lid is pretty 'leaky' though. I have also thought about a cooling fan from an old pc to blow the smoke through, but then that starts to complicate matters.
I want to find a controllable way to raise the temperature at the end of the smoking period to cook the food. Not too hot though only up to probably 80 - 90 ºC maybe with steam? If I know that the fish is fresh then I am happy to eat raw, but if frozen or I am unsure about it then I would rather eat cooked, also meat and poultry needs cooking.
I must say the lid is pretty 'leaky' though. I have also thought about a cooling fan from an old pc to blow the smoke through, but then that starts to complicate matters.
I want to find a controllable way to raise the temperature at the end of the smoking period to cook the food. Not too hot though only up to probably 80 - 90 ºC maybe with steam? If I know that the fish is fresh then I am happy to eat raw, but if frozen or I am unsure about it then I would rather eat cooked, also meat and poultry needs cooking.
So following advice from Foxy and others (including Hugh Fernley-Wittingstall) I decided to make my own Smoker.
My boy and me had a good time converting his sister's wendy house into a cold smoker. Then I butchered my old Gas barbeque to take a piece of aluminium ducting (£4) and hey presto - one cold smoker.
I also included a picture of the first victim: some Mackeral fillets just quietly salting away...
I'll let you know what they tasted like later...
My boy and me had a good time converting his sister's wendy house into a cold smoker. Then I butchered my old Gas barbeque to take a piece of aluminium ducting (£4) and hey presto - one cold smoker.
I also included a picture of the first victim: some Mackeral fillets just quietly salting away...
I'll let you know what they tasted like later...
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Mate - if I can get enough of that special tobacco additive of Foxy's I'll invite you round and we can join Wendy and the doll's in our own fully immersed human bongrofl
Rod and Line I guess eh? Me and the kids had 40 Mackeral last weekend out of Lyme and Seaton - some of which are being smoked right now, some have been eaten and the rest will be eaten over the next couple of weeks.
Surprising number of fish in-shore - water defo warmer than years past earlier. We had Pollack and Mackeral on dexters in about 10m of water!!
Give me some warning and I will see if I can get down - got a few things planned in July but would be up for a session if I can fix it.
So the Smoker is the success - we love it!!!
I overdid it on the salting of the fish. So this is what I reckon would be best to do next time.
1. I used regular table salt and covered both sides of the Mackeral fillets for 45 mins
2. then washed them off in fresh water.
3. Patted them dry and let them continue drying hanging in the smoker for about 2 hours (before I put the smoke in - so just a covered place in fresh air)
4. Got the smoker on (yes!!!) and kept the smoker going for about 3 hours. It needed my attention - I only used the burner to get the chips started then turned it off until it stopped smoking.
It is so simple but - What I would do different....
- Salt the Mackeral fillets for only 20-30minutes.
- Lots of flies came in when the Mackeral were drying - so I would try to keep them off with some kind of netting.
Honestly they were great and almost idiot proof in the making (must berofl)
I overdid it on the salting of the fish. So this is what I reckon would be best to do next time.
1. I used regular table salt and covered both sides of the Mackeral fillets for 45 mins
2. then washed them off in fresh water.
3. Patted them dry and let them continue drying hanging in the smoker for about 2 hours (before I put the smoke in - so just a covered place in fresh air)
4. Got the smoker on (yes!!!) and kept the smoker going for about 3 hours. It needed my attention - I only used the burner to get the chips started then turned it off until it stopped smoking.
It is so simple but - What I would do different....
- Salt the Mackeral fillets for only 20-30minutes.
- Lots of flies came in when the Mackeral were drying - so I would try to keep them off with some kind of netting.
Honestly they were great and almost idiot proof in the making (must berofl)