Fornetto cold smoke generator

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antzman
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:29 pm

Fornetto cold smoke generator

Post by antzman »

Hi guys,

Looking for a little advice/hints/tips on cold smoke generators. I'm using it in a weber kettle grill.
I got this little number from bunnings for $50 in the hope of being able to cold smoke salmon and cheese, however its proven incredibly difficult to get going and keep going.

This is the kind of cold smoker I'm using

https://imgur.com/a/zyrsKYR

I'm using this size wood dust/flake for smoking,

https://imgur.com/a/wLwW6FV

(sorry couldn't get image to display on this post..)

Its Manuka wood, few months old and not been kept air tight.

So I've tried the old microwave trick, to the point the wood ignites and starts smoking in the microwave, I can tell its drawn alot of moisture out of the wood.
Im using a huge butane torch to light it and have a TONNE of smoke coming off it when first lit, but cannot seem to get it to stay lit.

Has anyone tried using an oven to dry it out, I have not found any decent answers on temp to do this and length of time, any advice? Cant afford to annoy my flatmates anymore with a kitchen stinking of woodsmoke haha.

Only other thought I had was to buy a pack of this 150g fancy pants wood dust from online for $15 bucks but this is going to make a 10hour smoke as expensive as buying it in shop.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Angryman65
Posts: 397
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:47 pm
Location: Batemans Bay

Re: Fornetto cold smoke generator

Post by Angryman65 »

I think that stuff may be a bit too coarse to continue to smoke. I've tried some like it and had the same problems.

One of the biggest issues with Cold smoking is that the ambient air temp for doing fish must be low to avoid spoiling the fish and the colder it gets the more heat the dust needs to have in it to break down and smoulder.

Have a look at this link, the dust you can buy from these guys is perfect and reasonably priced. Comes in heaps of varieties. Personally, I prefer Apple dust for my cheese and salmon but everyone has there preferences.

You don't need a lot and that smoke generator should go for a fair while on one load. My ProQ one goes nearly 12 hours on one load.

https://store.aussiebbqsmoke.com/
Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter.
antzman
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:29 pm

Re: Fornetto cold smoke generator

Post by antzman »

Hi Angryman65

Thanks so much for your reply.

I had myself questioned the size of my wood dust/flakes. I typically use them on my fish smoker to hot smoke.
Thanks for the link, those guys look solid and very reasonably priced.

That CSG I got from bunnings will allegedly last 10 hours if fully packed. Do you thumb pack your dust? I've read quite a bit that people do..

I generally use apple wood for most smokes so will take your recommendation to do the same on the cheese and salmon (if I get it burning haha)

I understand that ambient temp needs to be below 25 degrees Celsius, so I'm a little rushed to try and get a few smokes in before summer kicks in (I'm in Sydney) so should have a few more weeks with how things are going.

Thanks, really appreciate your response.
Angryman65
Posts: 397
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:47 pm
Location: Batemans Bay

Re: Fornetto cold smoke generator

Post by Angryman65 »

I don't thumb pack mine but fill it by spooning the dust in and then leveling off with a ruler or straight edge. I have found with mine that if its too tight it will struggle to keep burning. Mine nearly ended up in the bush next door after a few failed lighting attempts but then it just twigged and away I went.

Best advise I can give you is do a few practice burns with the generator before you spend a fortune on fish, cheese is heaps cheaper than Salmon and a lot more forgiving. I always leave cheese vac sealed for at least 6 weeks prior to tasting otherwise it's like eating a bush fire.

Record exactly what you do each time if you're changing anything and once you get a result you're happy with, change nothing.

Don't get upset if it fails, experimenting is half the fun of the journey.
Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter.
antzman
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:29 pm

Re: Fornetto cold smoke generator

Post by antzman »

Thanks so much for the advice and reply Angryman65.

So I ended up getting much finer sawdust and its FANTASTIC!

As you suggested, I did a couple of test burns to see how it went and its golden.
I ended up cold smoking some cheddar cheese day before last and from what I can tell it looks fantastic. I did eat a little slice straight off the smoker and as you said, tasted absolutely horrid :/ so have vac sealed it and thrown it in the fridge for another day. Might open it and see how it is in a couple of weeks just out of curiosity..
Heres a pic of the final product beside the original block of cheese I used.

https://imgur.com/a/of7Mafu (still cant figure out howto make picture show in my posts)

I think I may have missed the window this winter for cold smoking salmon as even doing the cheese from 3pm until 9pm the temp in the kettle was 26-28degrees cel :( while the ambient temp was probably about 16cel.

Thanks again and will keep everyone updated should I try my luck with some salmon. Temps here in Sydney are meant to dip to 11c overnight shortly so might try my luck, see how we go..
Angryman65
Posts: 397
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:47 pm
Location: Batemans Bay

Re: Fornetto cold smoke generator

Post by Angryman65 »

Nice looking smoked cheese there, avoid the temptation to try it early, it'll get better the longer you leave it.

I've given up on Salmon for the year, daytime temps are too variable. Practice and wait.

In the meantime, try cold smoking almonds and cashews if you like nuts, coarse sea salt smokes well too for the grinder on days you want a bit of smokiness on a steak.

If it tastes good normally, it'll be even better cold smoked. I wonder how a smoked chilli chocolate would go?
Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter.
antzman
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:29 pm

Re: Fornetto cold smoke generator

Post by antzman »

Thanks for the great ideas Angryman65, will definitely be smoking some almonds!

Smoked chilli chocolate is an interesting idea, Id assume one would cold smoke some chillis.. Than melt down some dark chocolate, mix in chillis then allow to set again... Will put that on the list to do.

I couldn't help myself and opened up one of the small blocks of cheese for a bbq I had at the weekend and it went down a treat!
Everyone was saying some of the best smoked cheese they've had :shock:
Personally, I think it was, as you mentioned earlier 'like eating a bushfire'... It was tasty and better than shop bought smoked cheese but I felt it had a harshness to it. I allowed that to mellow for 4 weeks.

I used the ProSmoke mesquite sawdust from bbqsgalore. Not sure Id do a cheese with that again. Ive ordered some apple and cherry from the link you mentioned earlier aussiebbqsmoke will give an update once Ive smoked some more stuff this week. Cherry flavoured smoked salt is high on my list!
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