Cold Smoking

[pikestabber]

I finally broke down and bought an A-Maze-N pellet smoker (the tray version) about 3 weeks ago now and have had time to play with a few recipes. While it seems a bit pricey for what it actually is...a small metal box with a few folds and a few welds...it works awesome! For reference, I have a propane smoker, Camp Chef smoke vault, and I just put the pellet smoker on top of the regular chip tray. With the vents wide open it circulates a steady stream of really nice blue smoke, which I find to be perfect.

I've been hot smoking for close to 20 years so I've learned a thing or two in that department, but I feel like there's a lot to learn about cold smoking and I'm excited to try it out. The main learning curve for me is the waiting to eat part, lol. I had heard you have to let cheese mellow before you eat it or it will taste bitter, and that is true from my experiments, as well. Actually, it seems like everything will change as it mellows. Here's what I've tried with relative times for each:

CHEESE: String Cheese, 2 hours total with apple pellets (Little Chief Smokehouse brand pellets), turned over after 1 hour. Wrapped in plastic wrap, then into a freezer bag and kept in the fridge for one week. Results were perfect for my tastes and I'd change nothing about it. Did 3 block cheeses (mozz, pepper jack, cheddar) for 3 hours, turning halfway, and the same resting process. These were also very good but I might cut the blocks in half next time as the taste was very mild. For both types of cheese they were WAY too bitter to eat after initially taking them off, so the mellowing phase is critical.

GREEN OLIVES: Smoked for 2 hours, apple, then put back into the juice they came in. Very smoky but very good right out of the smoker. Became even better after mellowing for a week in the jar. These are stellar. I used a jerky screen to hold them and most of the olives were touching each other but it didn't seem to matter.

COARSE SEA SALT: I let this go perhaps too long, but I really like it. Got 5 hours of smoke and it smells almost bitter but tastes much milder than it smells. It did take on a light brown color. Used apple here again. For the tray I just double-folded some heavy foil into a box shape and laid the salt in about a half inch thick. A pie tin would work fine.

EGGS: I used cherry pellets and smoked them two hours, flipping after one. With hot smoking you get a nice, even brown color when you're done, but these just weren't taking color very well. After two hours I figured they would be way too smoky, and they basically were very bitter smelling and somewhat bitter tasting. After dressing them out as a deviled egg and refrigerating them overnight they tasted a good deal milder but still had that somewhat bitter smell. I let them rest one more day in the fridge and they were about perfect. The main advantage is that even after two hours they were as supple a regular hard boiled egg and were not rubbery or dry in the slightest. All the advantages of the smoke flavor without the hardened texture. They do not change color very much, however. I'm tasked with making these for every holiday now, and my objective relatives said the taste was just as good as hot smoked and the texture was much better, so I'd call that a win. Since I know it'll be hard to get the color I want, I think I'll cut the smoke down to 1 hour next time as an experiment.

A final tip in terms of the process is one I read on a comment board regarding this pellet smoker, and that is to microwave your pellets first. During my first attempt I just used pellets straight out of the bag and I had to re-light the box 3-4 times. After researching I found out that if you microwave your pellets first, you reduce a bunch of moisture and then you don't have to re-light the box. So far I am 2 for 2 in keeping it lit after following this tip. I use a coffee mug, fill it half full, and zap it for a minute, then dump the pellets into the tray (you will see lots of residual moisture and some dust and a few pellets stuck to the cup which tells me plenty of moisture is actually reduced). This really did make a difference and the tray was lit and ready in about 2 minutes with a propane pencil torch.

So, that's my start. What are you cold smoking and what is your process (both the smoking and the mellowing)? I think black olives and pickle chips are next for me. Not sure after that...

[eyeguy 54]

good info and thx for sharing! peeling a dozen in about 10 minutes to smoke up for the weekend. but mine will have texture

[Deitz Dittrich]

Olives.. thats one I will have to try.