ProQ Cold Smoker

Having  just finished a  Kevan Palmer fermentation day at Coldsmoking's Milton Keynes converted stable premises I got chatting to the owner Turan T. Turan who arrived just before the end.  

I wanted to have a crack at making bacon  and purchased some curing salt and then talk turned to smoking and Turan explained that on the food smoking day course he uses a cardboard box for cold smokes. I was taken aback by this because I thought you needed a smoke source, a smoking cabinet and a connecting pipe and decided to attend the day and purchase the kit if I thought I would use it. 

This was the booty that I came home with from my smoking day; a smoker, a smoke generator and three bags of Oak, Apple and Beech wood dust.

So to break the purchase down into the nitty gritty. The cardboard smoker is contained within it's own cardboard box and comes with three shelves, a drip tray and a metal base plate.

The layout of this smoker is simple but the outer box has instructions on, as does the outer part of the smoker box.

The inner sleeve of the smoker has three sets of four angled cuts which push through to form the ledges that the metal shelves sit on. The drip tray has two shelf supports which easily fit into two sets of slots which lift the lowest shelf clear of the tray to allow smoke to circulate.

And this is a shot of all the metal parts in situ. Note the small holes around the edge of the drip tray which help to spread the smoke. £25 might sound a lot for a cardboard product but the two cardboard parts fit perfectly as do the trays and shelves so there's no trying to balance cake racks on wooden skewers inside an old Amazon box and even if the and when the cardboard succumbs you'll still have the metal parts to use.

I've included this shot of Turan from the food smoking day to show that the shelves are slotted in and filled one at a time and then onto the next one until completed. Then the inner is slotted into the outer. Note the tape on the box, this is a very well used box that is several years old and the edges have been taped to preserve it. I have done so too from the get go. 

And so onto the ingenious smoke generator. It only burns a little dust at any one time, very much like a gunpowder trail fuse in a cartoon, but a lot slower.

The smoke generator has a small tapered compartment at the start of the 'snail shell shape' to insert a tea light to get the smoke dust started. To be honest it's a little ineffectual and a bruleé torch is much more prompt...and satisfying!

I have found that the wood dust consumption is roughly 6 centimetres per hour on average, or a centimetre every ten minutes. Once lit the the smoke is not too dissimilar to an incense stick which I guess is why you don't need two chambers connected by a pipe. 

The first day that I went to use it I put it up against the house because of the  threat of rain. I had two small lengths of wood to jack it up off the ground if needs be and being close up meant that the prevailing rain will miss it. 

And that is the beauty of this piece of kit, it's versatility.

 

Here it is propped up on two pieces of wood on a garden table with a logo'd bespoke lid. The lid is made from the box it came in and is to hold a plastic bin bag in place if  precipitation arrives. I started putting the smoker on this table because it saves you bending down to it all the time but that said it is fairly easy to lift up even whilst smoking is in progress.

The smoke generator is elevated up, burns with a cool heat and has a metal plate underneath so I'm not sure it would damage the table but equally, it's not worth jeopardising the wife points total, hence the two pieces of wood underneath.

I've used this unit many times and the inside of the box is now developing a pleasing dark hue. As with my dehydrator page I will use the rest of this blog to detail timings and wood dust types that I've found work for me and also any tweaks that I may do next time.

I can't recommend this unit enough and you can get them from Coldsmoking.co.uk's shop along with everything from courses to sausage skins. I'm no connection, just a happy chappy with the courses and kit.

This is the first cold smoke load I did in the smoker. It comprised of rindless Edam, Gouda, Cheddar, Red Leicester, Parmesan and Garlic. I removed the rind to give the cheese more surface area and chucked the rind in to be smoked (why not?) with the view to trying to melt it and melt an piece of cheese in it.

All the above was smoked for four hours using Apple and Beech in a 2:1 ratio.   

I think the cheese timings are pretty much spot on although the Parmesan did dry a little but it was to be grated into a dish to add a little smokiness anyway so there wasn't a problem.

 

Whilst the garlic was good  it could do with at least an hour or two longer and certainly  the cloves didn't look as coloured as I expected. I made two Tzatzikis with smoked and non-smoked garlic and the latter wasn't strong enough to stand out as much as I'd like.

A smoked water experiment. It could be used to add to a dish to give a subtle hint I guess, plus commercial products are often washed in liquid smoke as opposed to the real thing. This was five minutes of smoke into  an upturned jar which was then quickly filled with water and the lid put on. It had taken a good amount of flavour when tasted. I don't see me using smoked water but it was worth experimenting with. 

 

This was a little bit of experimentation with some leftover roast chicken. I cleaned and seasoned the cut up skin and diced the meat into small bite size pieces, pan fried separately  until crispy and the same with the chicken and then smoked for four hours with Oak and a little Chinese tea mixed in. About spot on time wise.

The one thing that I couldn't wait to try was smoked Salmon. I did 'standard' brined Salmon with a small strip that also had added sugar (the separate part in the above picture). Sad to say that it's not something that I will do on a regular basis as I am the only one in my household who eats it.

I was really pleased with the finished results and the taste of both cures was good. As per the exclusive online information link that the Coldsmoking owner Turan sends attendees this is Oak smoked for 12 hours. 

 

Two 'I wonder?' experiments to mention. The first is some dehydrator venison jerky that I made, I'd experimented with retro smoking before which was successful so I thought I'd reprise this in the smoker with similar success using Beech for 4 hours. 

I smoked some cheese at the same time and then placed a piece of jerky and cheddar in and smoke for an extra hour with a layer of ground up chilli flakes on top of the dust...The smoke is acrid to say the least! It did indeed impart a mild chilli note to both products but I think another hour on top wouldn't hurt.

This Youtube video shows not only how to cure your own bacon but it having a smoke with a nix of Beech and Apple wood for around four hours.

  

On the food smoking day we were shown how to smoke prepared mixed nuts, well I had a few peanuts left from a Chinese dish so I gave it a go.

I placed them in this small sieve and placed it on top of the smoker near the vent in the top and then placed the lid on top to delay, but not stop the smoke's exit for about 15 minutes. This gave a very subtle smoke to the nuts.

Whilst smoking the some cheese I decided to put a jam jar lid of regular Paprika in with it. I was using Apple wood in this instance. I added the smoked spice to some pre made tomato and bacon pasta and it did have a pleasant smokey taste but equally I think it could stay in maybe double that time.

A minimalist waxing experiment. I used a rectangular piece of Gouda to try and cover it in the Edam wax. The large sheet of foil and parchment paper was to both pour the melted wax into and to prevent it damaging the work surface as I wasn't sure how hot wax got.

I stuck a long needle in one end to act as a handle and the pin in the side is holding on a strip of parchment paper to see if I could replicate the easy open strip that some cheeses, like Baby-Bel have on them.

The wax starts melting a split second that the gas went on and it soon became clear that it needed a very low heat. I carefully poured it onto the angled cheese as I turned it but it only ended up with a minimal wax coating doing this. I also pulled out the pin at this stage.

I then just rubbed each side through the cooling wax until it was coated. When the wax had the same feel as a fresh blob of icing that has just developed a dry skin it was OK to handle and I rubbed wax onto any gaps and the end and finally pulled the needle out and covered the hole. 

I ended up with a full, if rather less than smooth finish and I left it a few hours before trying it. The pull tape did actually work albeit in a rather rudimentary way but I noticed that the cheese felt a little greasy on the outside, I think the hot wax probably 'cooked' the outside and having investigated further on the internet the wax is slowly warmed and the cheese dipped but I still got a win for a first crack.

Food Smoking Day

Having spent 18 months manoeuvring to get on this fermentation workshop run by Kevan Palmer  at the Coldsmoking HQ I managed to get myself on this food smoking day run by proprietor Turan T. Turan in a matter of weeks.

Now I always thought that cold smoking needed a smoke source, pipe and smoking cabinet but the after the fermentation workshop had finished Turan told me that due to an ingenious smoke generator it is possible to use one enclosed 'container' such as this one available from their shop...More than just a cardboard box.

This piqued my interest and I knew I could make the next smoking day without checking...And blow me down if I didn't get the last spot in March! I came away from the fermentation workshop with copious notes and looking at the smoking day content I expected more of the same. 

 The M1 was playing nicely on the day so I had the time to grab a coffee and still arrive promptly. I noticed a gazebo around the side which answered my inner question about what we would do in the event of inclement weather.

 

Everyone started to arrive very quickly after me and we started promptly with a quick introduction both of the course, each other and summary of the course.

 

And so the food part. We were shown a previously vacuumed brined chicken (equalisation brining actually)  and indeed a previously prepped shoulder of pork (the preparation of both was necessary to fit the finished results into the day) and both smokers that we would be using of the day. The smaller one in the above right hand picture is a commercially produced cardboard ProQ smoker... 

And this larger one was a homemade one which even had a window so we could all see the action.

This 'slow fuse'  cold smoke generator is the game changer for me as it only burns a little dust at any one time, a bit like a gunpowder fuse trail in a cartoon.

A short while later there was some attendee food preparation to do. This cheese board had Edam, Camembert, Blue Stilton, Goat, Feta (with the brine towelled off) and two Cheddars. 

I was getting a brew at the rear when the gloves came round and missed a pair but it gave me the chance to get some shots. we also had bell peppers, sun dried tomato, olives, chick peas, eggs and regular peppers trayed up too. Oil doesn't hinder smoke and Turan suggested saving any that products come in to put the smoked versions back into if desired.

I was particularly interested in the smoked salmon part of the day as the smoking process seems like alchemy, turning a rather plain fish into something special. Turan runs a full salmon day but still took us through the basics. It  develops a pellicle (protein membrane) once seasoned which helps the smoke adhere. The lady in the background is his wife Alison who did a sterling job supporting the day.

 

It was then time to go outside to load all the goodies into their various receptacles.  The smoke generators can be lit with a tea light placed in a small receptacle but it's more fun to use a gas burner.

The larger generator went in with the cheese, salmon, regular peppers  and eggs and despite it's size it was noticeable just how understated the smoke was, it was similar to an incense stick. 

The smaller ProQ smoker was then set up for loading the olives, bell peppers, more egss and cheese into. It is a simple yet ingenious design and I wouldn't have thought for one moment pre-course that cold smoking was possible in one small container.  

  

The two smoke generators were half loaded with Oak and Cherry to 90% with a 10% topping of  Beech which, with it's fairly neutral smoke, helps to smooth out the stronger base dust.  The smaller one had the Cherry/ Beech mix in. 

The larger one had the flaps taped down to retain the smoke but also the wind was blowing a hoolie  on the day (apparently the windiest it's been on this particular workshop). Once set up a temperature probe was inserted as the internal temperature must not exceed 30 degrees...No chance on a March day and it never even reached the mid-teens. 

 

With the cold smoking under way Turan turned to the hot smoker. This one broke down into sections and the next stage was to light some quality charcoal and lob it in the base, along with a couple or so long lasting Weber briquettes which are superior quality to run of the mill ones. we learnt that they are usually made of compressed coal dust .

 

On went the first section in which there is a bowl like water reservoir which helps to control the internal heat.

The pre-cooked pork had been covered in greaseproof to make sure that the double layered tin foil doesn't stick.

 

This was then loaded onto the first grill and the second layer was then duly added.

Finally the drained pre-cooked chicken was lined up to go in.

 

The domed lid was placed on and some sturdy looking blocks of Oak were then added to smoke away slowly but surely.

Finally a temperature probe was added to check the internal and the internal food temperature...

...A probe that could be viewed via a handset from indoors.

We had a session smelling different wood smokes and analysing their properties. Everything from Whisky Oak to Manuka. A very useful exercise which was made more than a little bit challenging by the windy conditions. See Turan talking British Bake-off winner Nadiya through the various aromas here.

With the less than pleasant weather conditions coming back inside was always nice but this time there was the smell of dinner (not lunch, dinner) which for me was pea and pancetta and buttered baguette, one of two soups to chose from in the morning and expertly made by Alison.

 

After a rather cordial break we were done with dinner and re-started by seeing how to smoke oven roasted and seasoned nuts. They had the briefest of smokes in an impromptu indoor smoker with a vegetable steamer used to keep them in one place.

The nuts were passed around and being attacked as the homemade indoor hot smoker was set going again with two trout. The camera linked to the overhead screen was handy for not only seeing what was going on but for getting shots of stuff too. Interestingly trout isn't brined but other fish like Salmon and Mackeral are.

We left the trout inside hot smoking and then had an outside demonstration of how unpredictable wood shavings (as opposed to wood dust) are for food use and how  arresting flames (using a plant pot in this instance) makes the shavings more useable and helps send smoke and not heat up the pipe. we also briefly covered the use of wood chips which need more of an airflow.

 

We piled back in as the fish were a few minutes from being done. Again the TV screen was useful to see them clearly. Turan removed the meat using two forks and like the nuts the fish got passed around for the eager attendees to try. My late grandfather was a Trout magnet when he went fly fishing and as a result I'm not over keen on it but smoking them is a game changer in terms of subtle flavour enhancement.

Just before heading back out to see how the goodies outside where doing we were talked through some technical smoke data and properties. Everything in moderation I guess.

The nuts and the fish (and indeed soup) that we had earlier were the start of the cornucopia of smoked delights coming our way. To the hot smoker we went. just look at the difference in colour of the chicken.

The smoked chicken just slid off the carcass, hence the lack of any knives and forks in the above picture.

And as we devoured the chicken Turan prepped, well pulled the pork apart and we had it with a homemade barbecue sauce and pimped up shop brought apple sauce.

The cold smokers were next on the list. The cool conditions meant that the internal temperature hardly changed the whole time it was being used. note that they have moved from the table to the floor, this was because of, almost predictably, the wind threatening to remove both from their higher position.

 

The trays the food was on started to be passed out to waiting hands like some magic trick as it just seemed to keep coming.

The smoked food was placed on the table and then attention turned to the smoked salmon which Turan was about to prepare.

The technique employed is called de-slicing which starts at the tail end and the slice is angled backwards as shown with a slight change of angle at the end of the cut to avoid the stronger brown meat.

 A little of all of the foods were placed on an attractive Olive wood tray for an arty picture.

And here is the tray being held by the individual who had steered a successful day despite the horrendous wind doing it's best to disrupt proceedings.

In case you wondered the smoked Salmon was fantastic with a subtle smoky flavour. We all got given a plastic sealable box to take a selection home if we wanted with the brief of 'Please don't leave any' ringing in our ears. It was a delight displaying the contents of my container on a plate and talking my family through it as we tried the food.

 

There was a small segment for folk to make any purchases (a cardboard smoker, the smaller sized smoke generator and some wood chips for me) and we all got given a classy looking folder with everything from smoking instructions to how to build a smoker contained inside. we are also going to be emailed a list of further information too.

The promised further information email duly arrived and this is some, but not all, of the printable information available through the link. Coupled to this Turan has a discount with another company on offer to attendees.

Like the fermentation workshop I'd advise taking notes because there's always going to be little snippets that aren't in the folder, like how to smoke things like butter and water (yes really).