# Converted Cold Smoker



## 3forfred (Mar 4, 2013)

I have had a Kenmore Electric smoker for several years now.  The element burned out and I never got around to replacing it.  I was able to make a cold smoke generator from some perforated steel that I had in the garage.  Using pellets (hickory so far) I'm able to keep it at about 90º for many hours on end.  I ended up drilling a couple of extra holes for the smoke to escape and this seems to really help the flow quite a bit.

My first smoke in it was cheese.  I had about 6 different kinds and about 10 lbs. total.  With the exception of almost losing a block of Havarti it went without a hitch.  I tried a second batch and this time added a water pan to help absorb the heat.  No problems with the cheese melting so i think i may be on to something.  May try my hand at making a cold baffle with two plates and a space between.  Will post pics if I do.

Here is the smoker before:













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Here it is after 3 hours.  Notice the Havarti (middle left).  I think it was just too close to the heat from the pellets with no buffer.













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All packaged and ready to rest for two weeks.  Opening day = St. Patricks' Day!













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Today is cold smoked sausages.  Next up I am going to get some shallow trays (or make them out of aluminum foil) and smoke some spices.

If this works out then I'll try my hand at some salmon one of these days.


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## daveomak (Mar 4, 2013)

Pellets do create a fair amount of heat....  a mailbox mod will solve the heat problem....   or more air holes top/sides and bottom/sides to increase air flow....    below is a link that shows a few mods for you to consider....    Dave

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...0-new-pictures-for-attaching-elbow-to-mailbox


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## daveomak (Mar 4, 2013)

double post....


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 5, 2013)

DaveOmak said:


> Pellets do create a fair amount of heat.... a mailbox mod will solve the heat problem.... or more air holes top/sides and bottom/sides to increase air flow.... below is a link that shows a few mods for you to consider.... Dave
> 
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...0-new-pictures-for-attaching-elbow-to-mailbox


x2 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I use the mailbox mod when the temps here are above 65*. I should mention that I now use the AMNTS tube smoker, and have not tried it when the temps have been above 50* yet. Just got it this winter. Lots of guys use 2 liter pop bottles filled with water and froze to keep the smoke chamber temps down.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 5, 2013)

One more thing to add, my smoker has two inlet dampers that I leave wide open. Each having (3) 1 1/2" holes, and the outlet at the top has (3) 1 1/2" holes and I leave that one wide open (even during hot smokes). Just to give you an idea of the amount of air flow.


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## s2k9k (Mar 5, 2013)

A Q-Mat might help too. I ran a test where I forced a melt, I ran the temp up to 150* in the smoker and the cheese on the rack drooped but the cheese on the Q-Mat held it's shape:












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## mr t 59874 (Mar 5, 2013)

Cheese will begin to change it's texture at 80 degrees, keep  your soft cheeses below 65.  You can put your pellets in a blender and make your own dust.  The dust burns much cooler and slower than pellets.

Tom


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## handymanstan (Mar 5, 2013)

Mr T 59874 said:


> Cheese will begin to change it's texture at 80 degrees, keep  your soft cheeses below 65.  You can put your pellets in a blender and make your own dust.  The dust burns much cooler and slower than pellets.
> 
> Tom


Tom my wife said you can not use my blender so I just put some pellets in a cup add a little water and the pellets grow and fall apart then spread on a paper plate and nuke for a couple minutes to dry.   Works great.

Stan


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## daveomak (Mar 5, 2013)

Now that's a commercial if I ever saw one.......  What a great reason to buy Todd's mats.....   













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__ s2k9k
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## 3forfred (Mar 5, 2013)

Hey Everyone - thanks for all the feedback.  I like the mailbox idea and could make that work in pretty short order.  There is already a good size hole where the element used to mount so I'm halfway there.  I'll be grilling the sausages this evening so I'll have something to report on that as well. And those Q-Matz might be worth looking into as well if I get into this a whole lot deeper.


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