Cold Smoker Impromptu Project

[tommy]

We're off to Taunton for the weekend to celebrate Mrs Tommy's Dad's 60th. He a jock so we're having a Scottish themed night with a themed dinner, mini Highland games, Scotland quiz and whisky region matching game. So for the meal were having a starter of smoked salmon but to make it a bit more special (or crap if this fails) I'm curing and smoking my own salmon.

I started by curing the fish.

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Which seems to have gone well.

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So I want to smoke it. Not literally, I've smoked enough odd things in my life already. So I needed to make a cold smoker, this is what I've done with basic materials and a couple of hours.

Step one, make the smoking box.

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With a front that just hangs on four screws.

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Then I need a smoke chamber, I had an old small sized oil drum so I cut a hole in the front and drilled one in the top.

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I made some tubing up to carry the smoke.

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I lit a fire to burn off the paint, rubber coating inside and whatever scum remains inside.

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Tomorrow I'll connect the tubes, fill it with sawdust and whisky barrel chips pop a rack in and give it a whirl. I'll add the results tomorrow come what may.

[oskihen]

Looking good Tommy

[MrMaduro]

That will do it! Good job! Let us know how it turns out.

[wolfie]

Great job Tommy , and a nice idea .....hope it goes down well

[Johnny Thunder]

Brilliant Tommy. Do keep us updated on the outcome.

[big bopper]

Ohhh, this looks great! Always fancied home-smoking, bought a book on it but never followed through. Keep us updated, it might inspire me!

[Sean]

Good job mate looks like a good little project

[wayne_w]

Nice job Tommy, makes me salivate just looking at the pics!!

[Tucky]

Looking good mate. I'd advise you to put a thermometer in the smoke chamber as it's easy to get the smoke to hot and cook it.

[MrMaduro]

Looking good mate. I'd advise you to put a thermometer in the smoke chamber as it's easy to get the smoke to hot and cook it.

I'll second that

[ValeTudoGuy]

Great stuff bud, I'm building a smoker too ATM..... Honestly though, keep cold smoking restricted to cheese and things you will cook after.... so no Nova Lox or Kielbasa, I hear Botulism isn't nice.

Home smoked bacon joints is what I'm mostly looking forward too.

Stay safe bud!

[tommy]

The fish is heavily cured and the cure includes Prague Poweder. The smoker is just to add a bit of flavour really rather than to preserve the fish. I'm confident that I've done the curing well enough to not be too worried.
Here's today's progress.

[tommy]

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[tommy]

I need to get that wood plus a bit more snug, most of the smoke is coming out the front. There's very little heat from the fire, it's a few bits of charcoal covered in a pile of whisky barrel chips. I'll put the thermometer in though, it makes sense to do that.

[tommy]

Also I'm thinking about smoking a cigar and then smoking it [emoji4]