Frankenstein!!! My home made cost effective cold smoker.

[gavin erwin]

Pecan you say    I like the flavor of pecan for fish and cherry wood, i find mesquite is a bit strong for fish, more for pork and other meat.

[Mudcrab]

If I remember correctly the saltpeter sold by Crown National and Freddy Hirsch is Sodium Nitrate (NaNO3) aka Peru saltpeter.

[FishStyx]

Pecan you say    I like the flavor of pecan for fish and cherry wood, i find mesquite is a bit strong for fish, more for pork and other meat.

I have tons available to me... so back to the question... Sawdust, shavings or chips?

[CRANKMAN]

Marty, the commercial smokers use a block about 76 x 50 x 500 which is slowly fed into a burner. Home smokers tend to use saw dust (about wet off saw size) or pellets. I have found in my home made smoker than shavings from a hand plane work best.

[gavin erwin]

And how does oak smoke?

[FishStyx]

Marty, the commercial smokers use a block about 76 x 50 x 500 which is slowly fed into a burner. Home smokers tend to use saw dust (about wet off saw size) or pellets. I have found in my home made smoker than shavings from a hand plane work best.

I'll put some through the thicknesser and we can give it a bash.

[CRANKMAN]

And how does oak smoke?

I haven't tried oak yet - but I have read that the American red oak is not as nice as the European white. Weeping willow could be worth a try, it shares many properties with oak, from a shitake mushroom growing perspective at least. I can't get it up here.

[FishStyx]

And how does oak smoke?

About 30 a day 

[super_daav]

haha classic Styx!!!


We sell the oak sawdust downstairs for the Snowbee range of hot smokers and the oak is recommended for meats as opposed to fish as a little heavier in taste.


Never used in personally but very popular. We also sell Elf sawdust brand which says "untreated hardwood". I have confirmed that this predominantly karri wood and then some other types (Trade secret apparently) mixed in. Never even heard of karri wood but its a nice dust to use!


Eish this is going to be a project for the next few weeks!

[FishStyx]

haha classic Styx!!!


We sell the oak sawdust downstairs for the Snowbee range of hot smokers and the oak is recommended for meats as opposed to fish as a little heavier in taste.


Never used in personally but very popular. We also sell Elf sawdust brand which says "untreated hardwood". I have confirmed that this predominantly karri wood and then some other types (Trade secret apparently) mixed in. Never even heard of karri wood but its a nice dust to use!


Eish this is going to be a project for the next few weeks!

Karri is one of the Eucalypts. Makes good decking. Tough as nails

[super_daav]

Interesting thank you!