Any cold smoking experts out there?

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote kitno Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 May 2022 at 8:36pm
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Titanium
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Not sure if this is correct or not, but I've been told that anything under 60°c is considered cold smoked.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (2) Likes(2)   Quote Bounty Hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 May 2022 at 9:34pm
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Titanium
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my feelings with a cold smoke technique is that whilst its a bit of fun because you get the 'old way nostalgia'  effect, in reality its best to remember why it was done in the first place - that is, as a way of preserving without refrigeration and to be aware of the drawbacks of the result before you go start potentially wasting valuable meat because the end result might not be to your liking.

proper cold smoking - somewhere down not much more than ambient temp - needs to be accompanied by a very generous dose of patience - it takes a long, long time to salt/brine and then 'cook' to get it to the point where refrigeration isnt required - and then you need to be prepared for a very dry and slaty product that comes as a result of the serious salting and smoking used to draw sufficient moisture out again to negate the need for chilled storage afterwards.

no doubt it is a bit of fun to try these things out, but the sort of 'smoked' food that people typically like to actually eat is really just slow cooked with a bit of heat and smoke for flavour.

in short - if you desire to eat like a Viking might have - go for it - but i suspect that if you want something that tastes good stick to cooking at 70deg with some added smoke...
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2022 at 6:45am
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That's a pretty good summary I think BH. I'm going to add a remote firebox in the hope of gaining a little better control over the temp. I currently try to maintain the temp at 70° C. It only takes a couple of hours for it to cook and the results are pretty good to be fair.

I've messed around with a lot of different smoking methods over the years and I'm always trying to improve on things. The finished products these days are much more lightly coloured and tastier than what I liked to do 25 years ago to be fair.

I've had all sorts of contraptions in the past. An old drier cabinet and an oven were two that did a great job. The smoker above works really well too. 
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