Liv4Huntin'
07-29-2000, 09:39 PM
FYI, for those that have a charcoal smoker and would like to do some low-temp. or cold-smoking, or for someone who would like to make a VERY inexpensive (i.e. CHEAP) cold or low temp smoker, here's how:
Good ol'K'mart has a Toastmaster Basic Burner Buffet Range, 750 watts, adjustable temperature single burner electric hot plate that sells for $12.99. This can be topped with an old pan to hold the soaked bark or chips or sawdust, and put beneath an upright unit (even a heavy cardboard box with the bottom cut out or a wooden one would work) for heat smoking/cooking, or beside a box/unit for cold smoking foods. You'd just have to make a 'run' for the smoke to travel from the point of origin to the enclosure holding the food (works great for cheese) to cold smoke. You'd have to rig something for shelves (cake cooling racks, old stainless oven racks, etc., or buy new grill grates at your local department store for around $15 each), or run wooden dowels through various levels of the box to then hang sausages or whatever from. You could also suspend a cake or cookie cooling rack with small chains from one or two dowels punched through two opposite sides of the box.
This works great for camping where there is electricity -- smoke your foods while you're camping, then just burn the cardboard box when you're ready to leave (I line it with aluminum foil before using as a smoker). THIS MUST BE WATCHED CONSTANTLY WHILE IN USE BECAUSE OF ITS FLAMABILITY. . . The larger the box, the further away from the heat source the sides are. It's good to keep a squirt bottle nearby for flare-ups, and keep the hot plate in an oxygen-starved atmosphere.
This is a good way to try out smoked foods to see if you want to get a 'real' smoker (just in time to put on your wish-list to Santa).
Enjoy ........ M
Good ol'K'mart has a Toastmaster Basic Burner Buffet Range, 750 watts, adjustable temperature single burner electric hot plate that sells for $12.99. This can be topped with an old pan to hold the soaked bark or chips or sawdust, and put beneath an upright unit (even a heavy cardboard box with the bottom cut out or a wooden one would work) for heat smoking/cooking, or beside a box/unit for cold smoking foods. You'd just have to make a 'run' for the smoke to travel from the point of origin to the enclosure holding the food (works great for cheese) to cold smoke. You'd have to rig something for shelves (cake cooling racks, old stainless oven racks, etc., or buy new grill grates at your local department store for around $15 each), or run wooden dowels through various levels of the box to then hang sausages or whatever from. You could also suspend a cake or cookie cooling rack with small chains from one or two dowels punched through two opposite sides of the box.
This works great for camping where there is electricity -- smoke your foods while you're camping, then just burn the cardboard box when you're ready to leave (I line it with aluminum foil before using as a smoker). THIS MUST BE WATCHED CONSTANTLY WHILE IN USE BECAUSE OF ITS FLAMABILITY. . . The larger the box, the further away from the heat source the sides are. It's good to keep a squirt bottle nearby for flare-ups, and keep the hot plate in an oxygen-starved atmosphere.
This is a good way to try out smoked foods to see if you want to get a 'real' smoker (just in time to put on your wish-list to Santa).
Enjoy ........ M