Cold Smoking Possible?

[Matt L]

Hello all,

Just joined up with this group and I'm thoroughly impressed with this website's education and discussions. I'm about to pull the trigger on a PBC, and I got curious about its capabilities beyond the obvious. Has anyone tried to play with cold smoking on this guy? Seems like you could pipe in smoke through the bottom hole or build a very small fire in the actual unit. So, anyone tried cold smoking for salmon/cheese/etc? If so, any tips?

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Dr ROK]

You could always use an Amazing Tube.

[Matt L]

I was thinking a cheap mini weber off to the side with mods to run a tube between the two (and attaching it to the PBC without drilling or anything to alter the actual unit) might be my best bet. I was just curious if anyone had tried it and found success.

[MBMorgan]

Check out what Dr ROK recommended: https://www.amazenproducts.com/Produ...ductCode=AMNTS

[David Parrish]

Matt L welcome to The Pit! We're glad you're here. When it comes to cold smoking, we only talk about cooked foods like cheese or nuts. Please check out Meathead's cautionary article: https://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tec...d_smoking.html

[JeffJ]

I've cold-smoked cheese in my Bradley electric but never liked the results - always too smokey. I may have to try it again and keep the smoking duration very short.

As for doing it in a PBC...maybe light 3 or 4 coals on a cold day, toss a small wood chunk on them and remove the rebars so the coals are breathing and creating enough heat so that the wood doesn't belch out black smoke? If you are going to try and run smoke through bong-water into the PBC you could do that with just about anything. Put whatever it is you are smoking into a large tupperware container, pipe in some smoke and clamp the lid. If whatever you are smoking is cold and wet some smoke should stick to it.

[Jerod Broussard]

I hear it is best to allow the cheese to sit at room temp for 2-3 weeks to allow the smoke to permeate the cheese. I know of people saying it kinda mellows out after a while.

[JeffJ]

Interesting. I'll have to research it a bit.

[Matt L]

Oh I see how the a-maze-n-tube works, I was honestly picturing tubing that attached two devices from the title. I just youtubed it, thats neat. Thats a clever solution!

And I am aware of the safety precautions that are required for cold smoking, I only have a few things that I know how to do safely and would like to be able to duplicate again.

It seems like the PBC can handle most things you throw at it, I'm excited to get one and try it out.

[David Parrish]

I just want to re-iterate Pit conversations on cold smoking should be limited to food that is already safe to eat BEFORE it gets the cold smoke treatment. Nuts and cheese and the like. OK, continue!

[Jon Solberg]

only cold smoke I'm doing is a menthol in the garage on a night like this. : )

[Dr ROK]

I've cold-smoked cheese in my Bradley electric but never liked the results - always too smokey.

You definitely want to give it some time to "age/mellow" I've got a couple chunks of sharp white cheddar that I smoked on my electric about 6 months ago that have been vacuum sealed and aging in my crisper drawer. Looking forward to a nice bottle of cab and that cheese on some crackers.

[Jerod Broussard]

I like Meathead's story of smoking cheese in the side cold smoker (I think on the Mak) while he was smoking fish. Nastiest cheese on planet earth.

[Huskee]

You definitely want to give it some time to "age/mellow" I've got a couple chunks of sharp white cheddar that I smoked on my electric about 6 months ago that have been vacuum sealed and aging in my crisper drawer. Looking forward to a nice bottle of cab and that cheese on some crackers.

Yum !

[tongatim]

I recently used the PBC to cold smoke 2 briskets for 4 hours using 50/50 mix of hickory and black walnut pellets from BBQr's Delight in my 12" Amaz'n smoker tube. I then transferred them to my RecTec for the cook. I like how the briskets come out on the RecTec better than the PBC, but they are not smoky enough for me. I was concerned that I would get a harsh smoke from this method, but not so. The flavor was excellent. I've tried the cold smoke in the RecTec, but it is more difficult to manipulate things. The PBC accommodates this well with no cleanup.

In the meantime, I'm working on improving my technique for briskets in the PBC, which I am becoming convinced requires damping down the rebar holes to maintain a temp in the 225 degree range.

[Huskee]

When you say "cold smoke 2 briskets", what smoking temp are you referring to exactly? Pit Boss, Meathead and the rest of us mods will nip in the bud any talk of truly cold smoking meats, since it's simply too risky to condone. 225 can I guess be considered relatively "cold" for the PBC which likes to run much hotter. My fav brisket temp seems to be 225-240.

[fzxdoc]

I've done a brisket at 225 and several briskets at 260-280 in the PBC. We prefer the ones done at the higher temps. The one done at 225 was certainly no better and took soooo much longer to cook! The PBC will run at 225 but it doesn't enjoy it.

Kathryn

[Strat50]

For those that have not covered this cold smoking issue, Amazing Ribs could have HUGE liability issues if someone got "advice" on cold smoking, curing, and got sick, etc. Having said that, if you want to enter the world of charcuterie, the best place to start(IMHO) is the US Dept. of Agriculture Extension Service. You can find info on cold smoking, canning, and much more. I started there. I cold smoke frequently, but it is part of an overall curing process. I learned this process at the USDA website, then sought out charcuterie info on the web and in books. This way, you know what works and what doesn't. Now, I make all kinds of cool stuff! But, you have to do it right, and under pretty precise procedures. Using BBQ methods alone for charcuterie can leave you open to some very serious issues. If you want to cold-smoke/cure, do it right and get the right info and gear. When you have that, the process will be pretty easy. Without that knowledge, you may sicken/kill yourself and/or others. That would suck. I've seen it happen more than once. This is serious stuff.

Now, with all the gloom, doom, and fear aside; charcuterie is fun! I make smoked salami, pepperoni, and many others. Plus capicola, speck, etc. And, we'll not even get into cheese making(for now)...lol

We are all a part of the "artisan" cooking trend. While this is a great thing, some things take more expertise than others. Do your due diligence and go for it!

[tongatim]

Precautions and liability concerns above are all appreciated. I am not casual about safety issues. In the cook I described in my April 8 post, the briskets spent 4 hours in the PBC with just the A-maze-n tube smoker. Did not take temp, but it was likely in the "danger zone." However, it was then followed by a long cook on the Rec Tec at 225-250. The centers of the roasts spent 7 hours at above 160, and 3 hours above 180, way beyond what is required to kill and denature all harmful bacteria and toxins. Perhaps I'm missing something, but the only concerning organism I'm aware of that survives these times and temps is the clostridium spore, but it survives all BBQ cook methods, thus the precautions about warming trays and handling leftovers. Good reference to this is the CDC site: http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseas...rfringens.html

[Strat50]

The problem is 2 fold, the organisms and the toxins many organisms leave behind. Killing the organisms is pretty easy, the toxins are not made safe by cooking once they are created.Get some good info on charcuterie, and you will see, and can create to your hearts content.