Checking in, Thanks!

[metrakay]

Hi, I'm Metrakay from southeast Oklahoma. I grew up on smoked everything in Minnesota, but when we moved to Arizona, we pretty much stopped, mostly due to lack of free wood, I think. We liked mesquite for the grill but not the turkey. :grilling_smilie:

I moved to OK a while back, my father moved in with me about three years ago, and we started smoking again. I'm doing more and more of it myself as he is 93. Here, we can get pecan, hickory, oak, apple, etc, if we pick it up off the yard, or ask around.

We started curing and hot smoking bacon a few weeks ago when the restaurant supply had a good deal on pork bellies and we bought a case. It's great stuff, but I'd really like to find a way to cold smoke. It's going to be a trick because of the ambient temperatures year round.

I'd post a picture of the bacon but I took it with my phone and I don't want to upload one that big.

I have a dead commercial upright freezer I'd like to convert to a cold smoker -- getting it fixed would cost more than I paid for it, and a stainless steel box is too good to throw away! Looking into that is what brought me here.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to reading all this information!

 

[gary s]

Good morning and welcome to SMF from East Texas

Gary S

 

[mossymo]

Great to have you join us Metrakay, :welcome1: from North Dakota!

For cold smoking look into the A-MAZE-N smoke generators that operate using wood pellets, the 5X8 maze unit should work well in your fridge/smoker unit.

I did the same with a stainless commercial fridge that was ready to retire as a fridge and have it propane powered with a thermostat and a self igniting pilot light. Now it is a great set it and forget it sausage smoker that has made its fair share of bacon also!

 

[metrakay]

Thanks, MossyMO, the a-maze-n is one thing I've had in mind. This thing has a great gasket -- and I am concerned about airflow. There's the internal fan at the top, but I don't know how to disengage the compressor/evaporator part (which is what died).

Hi, Gary, I'm just over the border, north of Lamar county.

 

[smoke slinger]

Welcome to the forum, this is one great site for help and great recipes. I have enjoyed it over the last two years and I have gotten much help when needed. Don't be afraid to ask.

Craig