Ruedeleglise Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Yes you are right...spent a lot of time in France! I have hot smoked trout straight from the river for years and various cuts of meat from the chasse or shoot. I now want to leant the art of cold smoking. I have a cabinet and smoke producer and have done a couple of experiments....actually 3. First one absolute disaster! Second edible. Third...well we will see once it has rested another 12 hours! Look forward to benefiting from your collective expertise! Please be patient!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Monkey Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Welcome to,the Forum, ask as many questions you can think of. I am sure we can answer them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 welcome aboard. Do post on the forum. Especially the cold smoking one. Want of us are learn8ng on that too and some people here are experienced so the guidance is excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted August 27, 2018 Author Share Posted August 27, 2018 Sounds good. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Hi David and welcome to the forum. There is nothing that tastes better than the flavour of freshly caught fish. What have you been smoking so far - what was the disaster and what has worked well? What are you using as your cold smoke generator? A photo of your cabinet and generator would be good - we like photos on here The techniques used for cold smoking will vary with the food you are smoking. Some foods require curing before they can be smoked for extended times but others do not. One of the biggest challenges when starting to cold smoke is getting the salt balance right for food that is cured, and knowing how long to smoke before things become over smoked. If you would like to start a thread in the cold smoking section outlining the method you used for the food that has not worked out so well we can help you to fine tune your technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumminz Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Really want some tips on cold smoking, would love to try it. Don't know where to start,so please help! Only joined this forum this evening and all the replies i have received have been welcoming, informative and friendly. So glad i have found these people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 What would you like to start with? Cheese or maybe salmon or trout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icefever Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Welcome Ruedeleglise and Cumminz Both at the same time. Ice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 @Ruedeleglise - That is a versatile setup you have for both hot and cold smoking. I hope the trailer does not have to come out too often ?.Is that a home made cold smoke generator? Is it one that has top feed fuel and the ash falls through to the bottom? I used to use one with an air pump too (a "Big Daddy") but I had limited success with it so have not used it for a few years. It was a very old design though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 (edited) The set up is now so that I can just remove the generator then get my trailer out! My hot smoker is totally different, 30 years old and never missed a beat. This smoker I bought on eBay and have adapted it a bit as you can see. The original instructions were pants and I am sorry to say the responses I got from questions were totally inadequate. I have blanked off the bottom with some ply and coupled the smoke generator via copper tubing to keep the temperature down. In fact almost no rise in temp at all. The generator again eBay. Again instructions inadequate and NO replies to questions at all! Yes it has a small air pump. It seems to work a treat with wood chips. My first efforts were with a maze smoke generator.......disaster. I couldn’t see across the garden, Stansted Airport thought a plane had crashed on take off and as the washing got smoked as well, there was nearly a divorce! Salmon totally inedible. Even the dogs screamed and ran away! Hence the small tower generator. Second attempt: a bit better but too salty. Third attempt under smoked so re smoking now. Unfortunately I have used different recipes so can’t compare like for like. This last one advised olive oiling and rum rubs. I think the finished product is going to be too oily.....a odd background taste. I am now going to revert to a simple no frills recipe I have see on google. Just salting to cure, washing off after 24 hrs or so and after a time of equalising, smoking. Sorry this has been such a long post! Edited August 28, 2018 by Ruedeleglise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumminz Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 10 hours ago, Wade said: Once you have sealed up your smoker, take care if you are looking to lower the flue inside the cooking chamber as the air flow through the smoker uses draw from the chimney to ensure a good flow of heat and smoke. Restricting/affecting the air flow can make it harder to get the smoker up to temperature. Lowering the flue too far inside the chamber can also affect the smoke distribution around the chamber by creating a low laminar flow of air, causing smoke in the upper parts of the smoking chamber becoming trapped and not replaced. 10 hours ago, Cumminz said: Really want some tips on cold smoking, would love to try it. Don't know where to start,so please help! Only joined this forum this evening and all the replies i have received have been welcoming, informative and friendly. So glad i have found these people probably some cheese, wont be for a while yet as want to master the hot smoker first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 It is unfortunate that most recipes you see for smoked salmon result in a very salty end product. I smoke salmon and sell it commercially and there are a few simple steps that can be taken to keep the salt levels down. I refined my method several years ago after taking a salmon smoking masterclass at Foreman & Field in London. Here is a link to a step-by-step guide that I posted last year. There are several things to watch out for... Use the freshest salmon that you can find. I usually buy from Billingsgate, however I have found that Asda is one of the best supermarkets to buy whole fresh salmon. You do not need a lot of salt. For the cure make a simple 50:50 mix of fine cooking salt and caster or granulated sugar. You can also add in some fresh chopped herbs at this point - fennel works well. The type of salt is not important (so long as it isn't table salt). Do not waste your money on flaked or kosher salt as it makes no difference to the end product and you are washing most of it off the fish anyway once it has cured. Rinse and pat dry your salmon fillet and then spread the salt over all surfaces. Pick up the salmon and then gently shake. The salt left sticking to the surface of the fish is sufficient for the cure. Do not let the fish soak in the resulting brine. The salt is there for two reasons - to start the dehydration process and to control any surface bacteria on the fish. Place the salted fish on a wire rack to cure so that any resulting liquid can drain completely away from the fish. From 2 sides of salmon you will get about a coffee cup full of brine produced within 24 hours. Allowing the fish to sit in this brine is one of the main reasons that it can become too salty. The use of the sugar in the cure helps with both dehydration and bacterial control, but the sugar also helps to balance the flavour of the salt that does remain in the fish. After curing, rinse the salmon well under plenty of cold running water to remove as much of the remaining surface cure as possible. Pay special attention to any cracks or folds in the fish surface. When you smoke the salmon this is best done at ~20 C. This temperature helps to remove more moisture from the fish - which is the main factor in its preservation. In days-of-old the anti-bacterial properties of the smoke played a significant part of the curing process - but these days it is predominantly there for flavour. To achieve significant preservation from the smoke would result in an end product that would taste way too smoky for us now - over the years our pallets have become more refined. In my smoker I have a small thermostatically controlled heater at the bottom which raises the smoke chamber temperature when required. Keep a good flow of air/smoke flowing through the smoke chamber and over the fish while it is smoking. This will speed up the moisture loss and prevent the heavier tarry elements in the smoke from depositing on the surfaces of the fish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Cheese is so easy to do and I am sure that it would not impinge on your busy hot smoking schedule to any great degree ?. A few things to remember... Cut large chunks of cheese into smaller pieces (of about 200-300 g) as this will help the smoke flavour better penetrate the cheese. Milder cheeses smoke better than strong cheeses. A mature cheddar or a Gouda is ideal. With stronger cheeses the smoke tends to compete and clash with the flavour of the cheese rather than compliment it. You only need to smoke the cheese for 2-3 hours using a light smoke. Do not be tempted to over smoke After smoking leave the cheese to dry in the fridge for a few hours before wrapping it. The smoker will deposit moisture on the surface of the cheese in addition to the smoke. Once smoked leave it at least a week (preferably 3 weeks) before tasting it. Initially it will not taste good but after about a week the magic happens and the smoke flavour mellows into the cheese. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 Wow! You reply to my cold smoking post is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks so much. I will be off to Asda in the very near future! One further question....what wood do you favour for salmon. Miraculously my last efforts have met with medium approval from my wife although I am not 100% happy. I think the olive oil repeated rub was a step too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 @Ruedeleglise. Turan is a great guy and I had the privilege of spending time with him at QFest last month. If you have not seen his book it is worth reading. He demonstrated his smoked salmon method while he was at QFest and, whilst it was very nice, it was still too salty for my taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 Thanks again. I have also caught up with the wood question....hickory or oak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 6 minutes ago, Ruedeleglise said: I will be off to Asda in the very near future! One further question....what wood do you favour for salmon. On the wet fish counter they are bagged and ready to go. They are sometimes not on display at our Asda store and you have to ask for them - they are often in the chiller out the back. Current price £5.50 per kilo - a whole fish will cost £13-£15. I use hickory for most of the things I smoke. It is a nice sweet smoke with a rounded flavour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 Just ordered the book via Amazon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Monkey Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Ruedeleglise said: Wow! You reply to my cold smoking post is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks so much. I will be off to Asda in the very near future! One further question....what wood do you favour for salmon. Miraculously my last efforts have met with medium approval from my wife although I am not 100% happy. I think the olive oil repeated rub was a step too far. If you want to know anything about Smoking Fish @Wade is your man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumminz Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Wade said: Cheese is so easy to do and I am sure that it would not impinge on your busy hot smoking schedule to any great degree ?. A few things to remember... Cut large chunks of cheese into smaller pieces (of about 200-300 g) as this will help the smoke flavour better penetrate the cheese. Milder cheeses smoke better than strong cheeses. A mature cheddar or a Gouda is ideal. With stronger cheeses the smoke tends to compete and clash with the flavour of the cheese rather than compliment it. You only need to smoke the cheese for 2-3 hours using a light smoke. Do not be tempted to over smoke After smoking leave the cheese to dry in the fridge for a few hours before wrapping it. The smoker will deposit moisture on the surface of the cheese in addition to the smoke. Once smoked leave it at least a week (preferably 3 weeks) before tasting it. Initially it will not taste good but after about a week the magic happens and the smoke flavour mellows into the cheese. Thanks for this, everything i need to get started, any advice on smoking whole garlic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Monkey Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Take a look at the Cold Smoking Section, we did a series last year called Smokevember which has lots of information. Smoked Garlic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumminz Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 thanks for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.