Hello from Jersey

[slemps]

Hi All,

Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Sam from Jersey. I always loved BBQ and cooking outside.

Last year I did a lot of smoking on my charcoal Weber. Just chicken and ribs but the results were pretty good. I got hold of a few oil drums and planned to make a UDS which I finally finished last weekend.

I also run a small smokehouse which mainly focuses on cold smoking (salmon, bacon, garlic etc).

I love gadgets and building things (although I'm not great at the building part yet!) and generally making (seemingly) complicated food. I've attempted feta cheese, vinegar, cider, fermented chilli sauce and lots of cold smoked stuff obviously.

I also have a tandoor oven which is amazing. It doesn't come out that often but when it does it's worth it! Fresh cooked naan is hard to beat!

S.

[Kiska95]

Hi and welcome from sunny Sunderland (not)

Hows the heat wave???

Just built my first uds too and it went well just finishing the second for cold smoking. What are you using for your cold smoke generator?

I have been curing loads of meats lately and have started on sausages and want to do smoked sausage or "Savaloys" as they are called up here. Picked up some excellent salmon sides so that will be the first item out of the cold smoker just would like the weather to pick up.

[slemps]

Thanks Kiska.

Yeah the weather was holding me up too. I sanded the outside of my barrel after the burn and it rained solidly for ages so I couldn't paint it. This weekend was good so I finally got it finished. Back to grey skies today though, I guess that was summer

Nice, yes the UDS would be great for cold smoking I reckon. Our smokehouse is quite big, like a large garden shed so we use a homemade contraption for that.

For smaller spaces though, you can't go wrong with a Pro Q smoke generator. Ive used them for a number of years in a Weber with great success. For a UDS you'd probably want the artisan version though which is a bit bigger.

Good luck with the Savaloys, tasty!

[Kiska95]

Hi
thought i had posted this so sorry if i repeat myself.lol!
Been thinking about the artisan but a couple of reports say they are hard to clean?? i had considered making my own couldnt be that difficult as the material is so thin but due to the nature of a uds i would have use a drip shield.
was considering an amazen pellet one but they are us only so now thinking about a venturi style but worried about too much smoke and creosote any advice?

[tommo666]

This is what i use viewtopic.php?f=56&t=5793

also i made my own tube from something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/38mm-1-5-Inch ... 3ccb0e2b3c

[slemps]

Hi Kiska,

I've not used the artisan personally but I have had a lot of experience cleaning the smaller version.

The easiest way to do it is with a blowtorch. Just blast it until it no longer burns on it's own (ie when you stop with the blowtorch) and it will just flake off. It's really effective.

Regarding using it in a UDS, I wouldn't think you'd need a drip shield as the stuff you put in to smoke would have been dried in the fridge first. You don't want anything wet enough to drip to go in to a cold smoker as the smoke won't penetrate well.

What are you looking to smoke in there anyway? If it only needs four or five hours, a pile of sawdust will burn for about the length of time.

Good idea tommo! You can also find metal garden sieves, find a plant pot to put in the middle (upside down) so you can lay a ring of sawdust and light one end.

S

[Kiska95]

Hi

Good point and tips thanks

full Salmon sides (hanging)just had a forum user (not this forum) suggest that they do drip and put out the smoker but I agree with your point that everything should be dry,

[slemps]

Hi Kiska,

I'd say they should dry longer if that's the case. Also after rinsing the salt off, you can pat dry most of the water off and the pelicle will still form.

One other point, do the fillets still have the lug bone (shoulder) attached? If they don't, I wouldn't hang them, the weight of the fillet will gradually stretch the hole until it drops off the hook. We lay all of ours flat. I should think you would easily fit them in the UDS flat.

S.

[Kiska95]

Hey Great info and tips thank you!

was going to make a mesh version out of a large oval Sieve as suggested as a try out and the Stainless steel tube seems a winner

Thanks again

[slemps]

Anytime Kiska.

Let us know how you get on.

S.