I'm using an old electric smoker that wasn't very good for regulating heat as the cabinet for cold smoking with the AMNS. Over the years, the inside of the cabinet developed a deep colored coating of smoke byproduct.
The other evening I smoked a filet of cured (in brine) salmon and a couple of pieces of cheese. The ambient temp was around 50*. I placed a tray over the AMNS with ice cubes to make sure the air in the cabinet didn't get too warm. In the pic below, the place where the circular pan is where I put the AMNS, the tray above held the ice. Notice the dark residue on the back wall.
After about six hours, when I went to remove the cheese and fish, I noticed that there was a pool of dark water under the cabinet. When I removed the food, the dark liquid had dripped on the fish and the cheese. I vacuum sealed the cheese for aging and the fish for freezing until we're ready for it.
My question is, are the dark spots toxic? Or bad tasting? Should I trim them before eating? I've only ever used woods appropriate for smoking, i.e. no pine or other heavy creosote producing wood, but now that I think about it, I'm kind of worried about this stuff.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts folks might share
.
The other evening I smoked a filet of cured (in brine) salmon and a couple of pieces of cheese. The ambient temp was around 50*. I placed a tray over the AMNS with ice cubes to make sure the air in the cabinet didn't get too warm. In the pic below, the place where the circular pan is where I put the AMNS, the tray above held the ice. Notice the dark residue on the back wall.
After about six hours, when I went to remove the cheese and fish, I noticed that there was a pool of dark water under the cabinet. When I removed the food, the dark liquid had dripped on the fish and the cheese. I vacuum sealed the cheese for aging and the fish for freezing until we're ready for it.
My question is, are the dark spots toxic? Or bad tasting? Should I trim them before eating? I've only ever used woods appropriate for smoking, i.e. no pine or other heavy creosote producing wood, but now that I think about it, I'm kind of worried about this stuff.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts folks might share
.