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Yes.

No.

I have never cold smoked anything.

[Chris__M]

I cold smoke cheese and butter using a ProQ Cold Smoke Generator. For a long time my "cold smoker" has been a cardboard box with metal grates that they supplied as a kit version of the CSG. But this kind of limited my cold smoking days to (a) when it is cool enough (b) but not wet outside. Also, the years are taking their toll on the box.

I was looking to buy a metal box version, but I've recently bought the Traeger double shelf unit for my Lil Tex, so I think I may give that a try, with the grill off, of course, and the CSG providing the smoke. I just need to ensure that the air-flow is right.

[Bobitis]

I've come to the conclusion that cold smoking has a few variables.

White smoke is considered bad in most cases. Thin blue is always better. But... Volume does have a role in the process, as does air circulation. Hmmm...

Does a large chamber with blue smoke cure things better than a smaller one with forced air and white smoke?
Does white smoke get better if it travels 'x' amount of distance before contact with food? Does blue smoke get better with length of travel?

Who made the rules and why?

[Bentley]

No rules, just personal preference for me.

[LowSlowJoe]

Personally, I consider cold smoking to be bellow 120F, and if I could do it consistently , I'd prefer it to be between 40F and 80F.      I did some bacon this weekend, I was running my PG500 between 120F and 140F for about 8 hours...  I was able to do this because it was about 30F outside.    In summer , running this same feed rate I'd be lucky if I could run at 180F, probably would push up toward 200F ( which is too hot for me if I wanted to do bacon or jerky ).  If I run it lower feed rate, the smoke can get a bit dank, and may not produce food that I would enjoy that much...

 So, anyway... if I could reliably smoke with good smoke between 40F and 170F,  I'd find something to smoke at least once a month...   If I could do 120F to 170F reliably even in summer months with little effort , I'd be a happy camper.  However, the smoke would have to be of high quality... I don't like food that tastes like a ash tray right after you take it off the smoker.

 I've never been able to get really good smoke down into what I consider to be real cold smoking temperatures( realistically around 60F to maybe 80F )...  I tried smoke tubes with just the fan on, didn't work well for me...   The only thing I would smoke at these temperatures would be like bacon, maybe ham if I ever got the urge to make my own ham... and possibly some sort of sausage, but I have yet to make my own sausage of this type.   

  I'm not a big fan of smoke cheese, so I have no interest in that...  I love smoked fish, ( whitefish  and similar )... but I'd have to really go to school on how to do a smoked fish of that sort.   

[Chris__M]

The thing I love is smoked butter. It takes the smoke well, and is a perfect way to get a smoky taste into a sauce or dish.

Scrambled eggs made with smoked butter is divine.

[wilpark]

It is one reason why I am looking forward to smoking the upcoming belly in this Series 5 Vertical PB smoker!  Forced air smoking with Hardwood pellets!  Thin Blue!

I mean, when you then cook the bacon in the oven, should it smell like there is a small fire burning in your kitchen?  That is how thick the smoke is on this bacon!

I hate that white smoke too but I dont want to turn the pellet smoker on due to excess heat.  Then I thought I can add a battery operated fan or computer fan to blow on the pellets.  I think that would work.  I think you can also just turn on the fan in certain pellet grills as a diagnosis.  Would be nice to be able to switch it on without going thru all the menu options

[Chris__M]

I think you can also just turn on the fan in certain pellet grills as a diagnosis.  Would be nice to be able to switch it on without going thru all the menu options

My old Traeger is completely rewired, which means that once power is switched on at the wall, the fan runs.

This is why I think I may be able to cold smoke using my Cold Smoke Generator in the Traeger. My only concern is whether the air-flow will be too much!

As I say, up to now, my cold smoker has been a cardboard box, but it has the layout of a vertical smoker with the CSG at the bottom. So it seems that "hot air rising" is the mechanism by which air circulation worked there. I certainly have never had an issue with the quality of smoke, whether I have used wood dust or crushed pellets.

[PNWYS640]

On my YS640 the fans will run without building a fire. I use a tube user the diffuser and it works flawlessly.

[Michael_NW]

Get the front shelf and the upper grates too.

So that's what it looks like when it's not covered in snow!

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

[Bar-B-Lew]

yes, except those pics are about 800 miles apart

[elenis]

Get the front shelf and the upper grates too.

Wow Bar-B-Lew that looks like a nice set up. My wife let me get my 2 star, but so far the only upgrade she has let me do is the flashfire igniter. The box is just a dream at this point. I have cold smoked salmon in the drawer and cheese. For people that like salmon they said it was really good. Not my cup of tea, I would much prefer Bentley's bacon.

[Bentley]

Lets see...salmon or bacon, salmon or bacon, salmon or bacon...A split second decision for me!

[Bar-B-Lew]

elenis, save up...that smoker box is a great investment in my opinion.  I am really glad that I have it.