Beef Ribs Using The Cold Smoker

[Pequod]

First low n' slow using the cold smoker today.

Threw in some pecan chips and the corner of a Rutland starter square. Ignited it through the hole on the side:

Filled it the rest of the way and connected it up.  Found I had to use my kitchen torch to ignite the chips through the side holes again. I think this worked better than the starter square. The KK was soaked and steady at 250 degrees with 1/4 turn on top vent and only the largest hole on the right dial open prior to attaching the smoker.

The victim. Lane's Brisket rub sampler on the right. Meat Church Holy Cow on the left:

There be smoke!

Started producing quite a bit of smoke, so turned the flow rate way down. Will check it again in 30 minutes. Part of the experiment is to see how much the additional air flow from the pump increases the temperature over that of the vents alone. 

Stay tuned.

[Pequod]

30 minutes later and things are looking good. The smoker has a bit of smoke seepage around the lid, but no big deal. Shows it's working.

The KK is producing thin blue smoke (squint hard...it's there):

As expected, the temp rose a bit (to 264 at the grate) due to the added airflow from the pump, so reducing the vent to the middle hole. Not really that picky about my temps, but this is part of the experiment to see how much I can rely on the airflow coming from the pump vs. the vents.

Thin blue smoke coming out of the cap. Hard to see in the pic, but it is there visually:

[Pequod]

After 1 hour, the thin blue smoke is a bit more visible in this pic:

And the smoke is definitely flowing:

The temp is still hovering around 262 (target is 250), so closing down to the smallest hole. The air pump is on the lowest setting as well.

All in all, very happy with the results so far.

More to come.

[tomahawk66]

This is an excellent additional use of the cold smoker! I was finding it hard to justify purchasing one as with the ambient temperature here in Singapore cold smoking fish and cheese is a challenge however this adds a whole other dimension!!

Thanks for sharing HalfSmoke!!!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[bosco]

This looks great!  Now I need a cold smoker after seeing the thin blue.  I can't wait to hear your results.

On a side note.... any luck selling the cabinet smoker yet??

[Pequod]

Only listed the cabinet on Craigslist yesterday (been out of town). No sale yet, but had one nibble. I can be patient.

After 1 hr 30, the thin blue is still rolling. The tube is still half full of chips, so guessing it could go 2-3 hours on a full tube at a low flow rate. I've closed down all lower vents now (top still 1/4 turn), so it is only drawing air from the cold smoker and holding steady at 252. May try @ckreef's experiment in a bit and pull the pump off entirely. See if the vacuum from the top vent is enough to sustain temp and smoke.

No new pics because they look the same as the last, but did have time to make myself a cappuccino while waiting.

Edited September 24, 2016 by HalfSmoke

[Pequod]

27 minutes ago, tomahawk66 said:

This is an excellent additional use of the cold smoker! I was finding it hard to justify purchasing one as with the ambient temperature here in Singapore cold smoking fish and cheese is a challenge however this adds a whole other dimension!!

Thanks for sharing HalfSmoke!!!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 

Yeah, I think it's a bit misnamed. Although it can be used for cold-smoking, it's really just an external smoke generator. What I'm liking about it so far is that it makes the smoke very, very controllable since I have ready access to the smoke chamber, can dial the flow up or down, etc. 

[Pequod]

Alright, we're two hours in and I'm initiating the @ckreef maneuver.

Before that, going to top off my chips.  Can't see it, but that tube is still about half full:

And now we've disconnected the pump:

All lower vents remain closed, so the only air entering the chamber is due to vacuum created by the top vent. Decided to open that to 1/3 turn to compensate for the lack of forced air. We'll let that rip for awhile and see how it goes.

[bosco]

I am curious if the top damper does act as a vac and you don't need the pump.  I use to have marine aquariums and would try like a Venturi on the end.  So cut like a 2" piece of tube and get the Venturi with the spin dial that allows air to enter.  If the vac is created to run the generator without a pump, then monitoring the amount of air flow into that line will further assist with the temp control???

[Pequod]

Okay, so the no pump experiment didn't work so well. The temp dropped only about 5 degrees, which is no big deal, but smoke generation stopped. Just some barely smoldering chips and nothing entering the chamber. So it seems the pump is there for a reason. You need at least that much forced airflow to keep the chips burning and smoke entering the chamber. 

[bosco]

good to know....  

Do you think that venturi would work on the pump?

[Pequod]

8 minutes ago, bosco said:

good to know....  

Do you think that venturi would work on the pump?

How installed? You mean with a splitter, so pump + Venturi into the smoker intake?

[Pequod]

We're about 4 hours in and the smoker is still cranking out thin blue. The ribs are looking pretty good too. 

[Steve M]

now we're talkin

[bosco]

Man I am really digging this thread.  It is selling me on one lol.  

[MacKenzie]

HalfSmoke, you must be having a whale of a time with your cook today, so exciting I bet you can hardly wait for the taste test. Everything is looking beautiful.

[Pequod]

Sitting in my sun room just above the KK, looking into the woods and smelling the ribs. K-Dog keeps looking at me, licking his lips and wondering when he might score a morsel. 

[Pequod]

We're 6 hours in and the smoker has finally burned itself out. Refilled about 1/2 tube midway in, so that's about four hours of smoke on one tube of chips with a low flow setting on the pump. 

The ribs are looking great. Not probing tender yet. We'll give them another hour before probing again. 

 

[ckreef]

Wow really great cook and test of the cold smoker. TY for trying my theory - I can now scrap that idea. 

I like the smoke generator idea better than the smoke pot. Having the 19" I just don't have as much room down in there compared to a 23"

What about using pellets? Might last longer than chips. 

I really need to get one of these. 

[Pequod]

Can't see any reason pellets won't work just as well. I have a bag of pellets somewhere. Will give them a try next time. 

...and I agree about the generator vs the smoke pot. The pot is great, but the generator is accessible throughout the cook and you get controllable smoke intensity. 

Edited September 24, 2016 by HalfSmoke