For decades, immersed in studying, working, learning, and teaching the art and craft of meat curing, now sharing his passion with you through his content.
I’ve been learning how to cold smoke for a few decades, I thought it would be hard. It’s not, like everything it’s a process, however, it’s also a craft. For some reason, it’s perceived by people as being really confusing.
I’ve read 5 books on cold smoking, so I have diligently gone through and picked out the best practices having met a few Artisan butchers, they have been helpful in showing some tips and tricks too.
A Dutch butcher also helped me with some wild venison and pork meat when I was alot younger, to cold smoke it.
With some basic equipment and knowledge, cold smoking can be incredibly satisfying.
I’ve got 4 different cold smoking devices/techniques to go over also.
What will be covered below:
- Each Step of Cold Smoking Meat
- What is Cold Smoking
- Equipment for Cold Smoking
- Cold Smoking to Preserved Meat
- Traditional Designs & Smokehouses
- Easy Food to Cold Smoke
In contrast, it has been used for thousands of years successfully. Nowadays, you can find commercial and artisan cold-smoked goods everywhere. I have tried quite a few cold-smoking techniques.
Now the above is ideal for fully cured meats to cold smoke. This is not the technique for non-meat like vegetables, spices, salt, dairy, or fungi.
(Schwarz) Forest Ham
How to Cold Smoke in Detail
- Fully salt cure the meat
- Form pellicle on meat
- Setup a reliable cold smoking environment of under 20°C & 65-80% humidity
- Cold smoke and dry in sessions, with some airflow
- Monitor the cold smoking regularly
- Refrigerate and continue the following day if needed
So here is each step broken down to hopefully explain the process for cold smoking cured meat. There isn’t that much to it, it just takes some time, I will use bacon as an example but these rules can apply to all the wonderful fish, red meat, or chicken that you can cold smoke.
Salt curing is only applicable for meat, it is not needed for dairy products like cheese.
At the bottom of this article, the non-cured options for cold-smoked foods will be elaborated on.
1. Fully Salt-Cure the meat either dry or wet curing
Quality of the Meat
Just a reminder you want fresh meat, ideally, it even has a good story behind it about its traceability. Locally harvested or bought locally often means the best flavor and best outcomes.
You do not want aged meat for instance for the local butcher.
I have used frozen pork belly for bacon which did turn out great. The quality of and the traceability I knew well.
Accurate Curing Process
Since submerging meat into a brine liquid will cover and penetrate, it does cure more effectively.
Dry salt curing involves covering the meat with salt and letting the process occur with contact on the meat. Making sure all areas of the meat have salt rubbed into it is really important.
This is where brining can be easier since it will have a deeper penetrating effect than salt dry curing.
Salt Wet Brining – Simple Recipe
For example, Bacon – pork belly slab of 11 pounds /5kg (can be scaled to suit)
- 1 Gallon or 4 Liters of Water
- 250 grams of sea salt
- 125 grams (max of sugar)
- 80 grams Pink Curing Salt No. 1
Heat to dissolve in a pan and leave to cool to room temperature before brining.
Salt Dry Curing – Simple Recipe
2+% sea salt to the total weight of meat
2. Form pellicle on Meat
Binding the proteins on the outside of the meat will allow the smoke vapor to attach to the meat more easily.
Leaving the cured meat uncovered and hanging overnight in a relatively cool area achieves this, no insects or some protection may be needed. (Under 15°C/60°F).
This can also be done on a non-reactive rack inside the fridge, uncovered.
Pellicle formation or drying the meat out before cold smoking can be done, I often do it. Since you are going to be cold smoking for long sessions, it isn’t really necessary so much. The meat should start drying out in the cold smoker also.
However, my preference is still to do it the same way as hot smoking pellicle formation. After curing, place in the fridge uncovered overnight.
3. Setup a Reliable Cold Smoking Environment
Under 20°C & 65-80% Humidity
I’ve seen online a few people trying to use charcoal smokers or another form of Low and Slow smoker to cold smoke food. Most kettle charcoal smokers will not be under 30°C/86°F; some have used bowls of ice to keep the temperature down.
For hot smoked food it’s okay = to cook/smoke food at the same time
Just won’t be able to cold smoke = smoking cured meat for flavor/preservation or just flavor.
I have just lit 1 piece of charcoal and sprinkled it with wood chips, this can create cold smoke. As long as the smoking area still remains cool.
But with fire in the same chamber, it just doesn’t work. You need to be pumping ‘cold’ smoke into the chamber or have a fire small enough, so minimal heat is generated (like the pellet & maze smokers).
Considering you can easily and cheaply acquire a maze or pellet tube smoker. This would be a better option for cold smoking. It also burns/smokes very consistently.
The actual smoke process is much simpler with cold smoking compared to hot smoking in some ways. I think it’s really straightforward if you have your basic factors which are:
- Reliable cold smoker – pellet tube, smoker generator, maze smoker
- An enclosed area where the meat or food is
- Under 86°F or 30°C – much less ideally
Here is a video overview I made about cold smoking also.
Cold Smoking Devices – Many Options
You can really easily make a cold smoker box, wine barrel, cabinet, or smokehouse, there are heaps of options available. Attaching a smoker generator to it is a simple process.
Cold Smoke devices are available to create smoke like the above, which has adjustable airflow
More options are below under “Equipment for Cold Smoking”
Choosing the Wood
Lighter hardwoods like apple & cherry are my preference when it comes to cold smoking. Heavier or strong woods like mesquite will create a deeper stronger flavor, ideally, I like to mix them. I like to use an 80:20 ratio of light to stronger wood sometimes.
For more wood selection, I wrote easy universal woods in this post.
4. Cold Smoke the Food
It’s pretty straightforward once you have the smoke entering the food area. You can use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is under 25°C or 86°F. If I’m using an electric cold smoker attachment or smoke generator I don’t normally bother. I just wait until the temperature outside is under 25°C / 77°F.
If you have fully cured the meat and it’s is cool/winter or maybe nighttime, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Keep Your Cold Smoking out of the Sun
The sun can really heat things up, I always try and find a shady spot to do the cold smoking on the porch. The sun will swing around across the sky, so keep this in mind where you position your cold smoking session.
Hanging & Racks
It really does come down to the design, traditionally fish fillets and salami are hung. But if you have racks in the smoker it can work this away also.
I read in a book that if you are hanging meat, the salt is drawn down through the meat.
One advantage of being hung is smoke can more easily surround the meat as well.
Don’t place food directly in front of where the smoke is entering the smoke area. I have learned from experience, it can make the food bitter being too direct onto the meat.
5. Monitor the Cold Smoking Regularly
Set & Forget is great if you are using an electric smoke generator, all you need to do is top up the wood.
When it comes to smokehouses with offset smoking areas or smoke generators. I do find myself checking every hour or two to make sure the smoke is still being generated. Sometimes a smoke generator will go out and need igniting again.
Since you are generally cold smoking for days, it’s just nice to have a look every now and then.
6. Refrigerate and Continue the Following Day
It’s a long process but at the same time. If you want to take breaks, usually, you can wrap it up and put it in the fridge for the next session, and most cold smoking needs some rest every 4-8 hours especially for pork and red meats.
When you refrigerate cold or hot smoked food once completed, I always find the smoke flavor gets more intense. This is even the case when you cook/smoke a sausage and leave it in the fridge overnight.
I find it sometimes hard to put it in the fridge, it gets devoured too quickly!
What is Cold Smoking?
Cold smoke is for preservation and flavor. Or can be done for flavor alone.
Cold Smoking technically is done below 30°C/86°F, the meat must be fully dry salt-cured or brined properly. Above this temperature and if you cold-smoke meat, it will start to cook.
European guidelines (which are more advanced than many other countries) suggest cold smoke should be applied below 72°F/22°C
Some German meat smoking books I have read suggest under 65°F/18°C.
That’s why I like to cold smoke between 50-68°F/10-20°C personally. Either on cool winter days or
It takes 1 day to 6 weeks depending on the meat recipe. It is done primarily for preserving and flavoring the meat.
Although, cold-smoked bacon does have a magnitude of variations for how long the traditional dry-cured bacon is cold-smoked. I choose about 6-10 hours of cold smoking for my bacon style.
Equipment For Cold Smoking
Here is a review of the Smokai I did, it’s a solid smoker.
- Cold Smoking Device
- Food
- Salt
That’s about it when it comes to cold smoking; the equipment needed is simple and straightforward. I guess this is why is done so widely across many European countries.
You want to make sure the meat is refrigerated before cold smoking will give the best outcomes.
Also, full salt curing the meat is essential.
There are many ways to cold smoke; here is a selection that I am familiar with. You need to generate smoke and make sure the smoking area is well under 30 cel. From that old smoking book, I read called Home Smoking & Curing by Keith Erlandson. It mentions meat starts to cook above 30°C, hence why cold smoking occurs below this temperature.
DIY Smoker Options & Designs
Will cover the simplest of smoking devices, and then below you will find traditional designs I have found in books and online about structures and smokehouses.
Most designs I have seen have 2 chambers.
- an area where wood is smoking & smoldering
- food or meat area where meat can be hung or on racks
A pipe or some connection is made so the smoke can travel to the smoking food area. Because the fire/wood is in a different area, this keeps the temperature below the all-important 30°C or 86°F, generally speaking.
I came across one Dutch butcher many years ago, he just had an incredibly large metal storage tank with double doors. He would make a large pile of sawdust below the meat. With a blow torch, he would just light it. Because it was 6 feet below where the meat was hung and it was winter, the temperature always remained low.
For inside a smoking area the below devices can be used depending on dimensions.
Pellet Tube & Maze Style Smoke Devices
You will find these work very similar to each other. You light one end and it starts smoking, pretty simple. However, because it isn’t a controlled form of burning. It can be a little hit-and-miss, for example, sometimes I find the pellets will stop burning.
Keeping an eye on this method is key. You also must remember fire needs oxygen, so how you set these devices up needs to take this factor into account.
I use a pellet tube on the gas grill to enhance what I’m cooking. Like, steaks or eggplant. Alternatively, I just leave the gas grill heat off and use the enclosed area to cold-smoke some food.
If you want some recommendations for some I use, please find details here.
For a smokehouse or larger cabinet, a pellet tube or maze might not generate enough smoke to fill the space. I guess it really does depend on the design.
Smoke Generator (Venturi Effect)
The big point this has over many electric smoker accessories or the above maze or tube smokers. Is that it has variable controllers, therefore you control how much smoke is generated and how it burns.
Depending on the wood you use, this means you have more control over the cold smoking project.
These can come in a range of sizes; I find they can really create a good amount of smoke. I’ve played around with pumping smoke into my gas grill BBQ, portable smoker & kettle BBQ.
Some can handle larger chips and chunks of wood. Other smoke generators are more suited to pellet wood fuels. I’ve tried to use the unrecommended wood sizes a few times, it becomes annoying because you have to relight or clean out the tubes often. I would avoid this experimental behavior if I was you.
This is really a cool (cold smoke) invention, it’s one that I have been using for many years. My smoke generator came with a drill bit, you can then make a hole and use a nut and thread to mount the smoker in many different locations.
A small air
Also, there are really interesting charcoal pellets for smoking, this can be used for flavor, or if you hot smoke (low & slow), you can use this for a more effective smoke ring. Here’s a link to a bunch available on Amazon.
The key to smoke generators working effectively is to use good wood that’s really dry and right-sized for the device. Some generators prefer chunker-sized woods, some prefer some dimensions or pellets.
If your looking for the 'ducks nuts' (that means a very good bit of equipment). A smoke generator can be used as a cold smoker, or adding smoke to indirect cooking which equates to a form of 'low & slow' bbq or making smoked ham and some much more.
The inventor of smoke generators was Smokai, it's a simple device that uses the venturi effect and a variable air pump to control the amount of smoke you are pumping.
I have a range of cold smoking options, and the Smokai is my favorite.
By far the smokai is the most efficient cold smoker I've come across because you have control.
It also burns very clean, which flavors the food exceptionally well. I've been using smoke generators for over 10 years, and this one is the ducks nuts.
Check out this review I did of the Smokai Smoke Generator here.
I cold smoke oily fish I catch and wild turkey quite often. If you use a brine you get a full salt-cured penetration.
As mentioned, you probably want to start with something non-meat, like cheese. That’s nice and simple, actually, a lot of milk or non-milk-based products can be cold smoked, believe or not even chocolate!
This can just help make sure you have an environment conducive to cold smoking.
- Under 30 degrees temperature at all times, (ideally 10-20)
- Enclosed area with an exhaust for the smoke
- reliable smoke generation
Related Questions
What Does it Mean to Cold Smoke?
Cold smoking is a form of drying meat or flavoring vegetables or other foods. If cold smoking meat, it is first cured then dried & smoked. Cold smoke has antibacterial properties and preservation aspects to it. The purpose of cold smoking is to flavor as well as preserve
Can you Cold Smoke in an Electric Smoker?
An electric smoker is designed for hot smoking, that is to cook whilst adding smoke flavor. Certain models of electric smokers can have accessories attached to introduce cold smoke into the electric smoker whilst it is turned off.
For decades, immersed in studying, working, learning, and teaching the art and craft of meat curing, now sharing his passion with you through his content.
Comments
I’d love to know more about Venturi vs maze/tube
Hey Julia, it’s a super broad question!
The biggest thing is the pump from smoke generator means control over how much smoke with the variable pump. I see from you email you’re in Australia?. Google https://smokai.com/ – to read about a venturi smoke generator
If you haven’t read, I wrote this about pellet tubes – https://eatcuredmeat.com/how-does-a-smoker-tube-work-cold-or-hot-smoking-guide/
I love your site I built a new smoke house and plan to use a lot of your records thanks Steve B from Missouri. Have you ever cold smoked a chicken?
Heya,
Nope – but as long as the meat is fresh (chicken seems to develop unwanted bacteria faster than red meats. As part of the charcuterie whole muscle online video course I’m doing, I’, going to be included a cold smoking ebook (currently writing it). Trying to go in-depth as much as possible. I’ll also make the cold smoke ebook available separately, I’ll be emailing out when its done to all emails on this page.
Cheers
Tom
Would it be possible to build a smoker or cold smoker using the exhaust vent from the pellet wood stove in my basement to pump smoke into an enclosed smoker box? any ideas would be greatly appreciated
Definitely! I would think so! Basically, cold smoking is pumping smoke from 1 area to another, or just keeping the smoke under 30C or 86F , but I prefer under about 15C or 40F. Moisture and Airflow helps too!
I’ve seen cold smokers made from fridges, barrels, any wooden box, beehives, gas grills, kettle grills, pellet smoker grills – really it’s just a chamber with airflow through it! 🙂
All th ebest,
Tom
Hello Tom!
I,ve made my own Venturi type smoker. For generating a lot of smoke it´s very effective and the smoke is also cold and that is good because I want to cold smoke. However the smoke is thick and white and the food I´ve smoked so far tastes terribly bitter. The Wood I´ve used is Cherry and it makes the food taste great in my hot smoker. What is your experience of Venturi type smokers, can you get them generating any other smoke than thick White? I´ve looked at a lot of clips when people use them and they all seem to make only thick White smoke.
All the best Patrick.
Nice Patrick! Yeah the theory behind cold smoking is ‘light’ with good airflow and high humidity. So fo me, I always just have a whisper of smoke.
My venturi smoker has a variable airflow pump (fish tank air pump basically). This allows me to choose the smoke amount!
I learned many years ago less smoke is better than. Open up the chamber/area more and go slow on that smoke! I’m going to have a cold smoking ebook as part of the online dry cured course coming out in a few months, here that link. Cheers Tom
Thanks Tom! I have smoking chamber with minimal airflow and a lot of smoke from my smoker. So now I have some things to start fixing. Graet tips, looking forward trying them out!
I´ll look into the course and ebook to, sounds great!
No problemo! cheers Tom
nice article Tom im going to cold smoke a twice smoked ham for xmas my 1st go at cold smoking if i cold smoke cheese or peppers at the same time does it affect the flavor or should they be done separate thanks keith
nope, not in my experience, here’s to the silly season!
Hi Tom, a lot ofGood information here. I am planning on getting your book it is sure to help me has just this article long did. I do have a question: I want to cold smoke Loma, I wish for it to hang for approximately 14 days give or take. It will have a dry rub with curing salt and regular salt to create equilibrium. My question is, how many days should I put this in a cold smoker to smoke and then remove it, to finish the drying process in a 70% humid 50 degree Environment inside the house, that will not be smoking? I want to get some good smoke flavoring but I live in Michigan and it’s pretty cold out so I think cold smoking for a few days?? And then hang inside? Not sure if you’ve had any experience with this but you may have with your years of knowledge please share. Thank you the time you took to write extensively to be honest.
I share my cold smoked bacon recipe in the online course, I like 6-8 hours for a lighter smoke. You could try 4-6 hours, let it rest overnight. Of course, it depends on the thickness of the smoke vapor, airflow etc… it just takes experience with this craft! 😉 Many of bought the ebook and are happy with the content, Cheers T – Like dry curing, there is much more then just a recipe to follow!
Pingback: How to Make the Best Bacon – (Calculator & Guide) | Eat Cured Meat
Hi, loved the article and the site, congratulations! I’m making homemade pastrami (it’s curing in my fridge right now) and I plan to finish it off in the slow cooker and cold smoke it to add flavor (I live indoors, so I’m using a smoke gun). Should I do it while it’s cooking or only afterwards? Or maybe both?
Hey there, to be honest I haven’t used a smoke gun. I’m using other methods involved with combustion!
If it was me, using this infusion method – I would be doing it after cooking. Seems the infusion of smoke is lost if done before cooking. After smoking, you should ‘rest’ in a container/bag/cookware overnight. This may enhance the smoke flavor and let it permeate. Cheers Tom
Hello, do you think I can use the same cold smoker for Fish and Meat? Do I risk getting the fish taste or flavors pass onto the meat?
Regards
Of course that’s ok! Been doing that for like 20 years!
I converted an old fridge into a smoker box and used a water heater with 2 electric plates dropped in it where i place buckets of chips , a 12 foot 6″ galvanized pipe joins the two so I can get smoke at 75f. I’ve made a salt heavy teriyaki brine to soak my moose meat for 12 + hours in an attempt to make moose jerky. My question is since jerky is drying the meat and smoke is just a flavour enhancer / preserver should I try to place a fan in the fridge to promote air movement
If it was me, I would want some airflow also for jerky, some form of acidity can also be used to preserve, like the ‘biltong’, which south Africans are known for. Acidity has a denaturing effect like cooking.
Also, if it was me thickness of the meat will be a big factor in drying (something like 3 days per inch?), also what salinity the salt brine is of course! hope it works out! Cheers Tom ps. after a 10-20 hr of smoking max, I would be just letting it dry. The hard part of wet brining is knowing that you have fully salt-cured it evening through the meat. More recently I have been injecting meat with equilibrium brine to speed things up (just makes lots of holes!)
Hi Tom
I still can’t find an answer to my question. I had the pork belly for bacon in salt brine for ten days. That’s my father’s advice. But now, I don’t know how long, how many sessions to keep cold smoking and what are steps between and after smoking. Where and how to dry the bacon? Thank you.
Hey, too many variables, it’s not quite that straightforward, for ‘saturation curing’ 1-2 days per 2 lbs/1kg, it depends on the temperature you’re curing, and also the fat/meat ratio (less water in fat).
This is the reason why I am producing a video bacon course right now, should be done by xmas I hope.
I cold smoke for 4-8 hours my house bacon, dry bacon before cold smoking. Also, hope you have exp cold smoking, its quite a few tips. Get my free ebook on cold smoking if you haven’t from the menu.
All the best,
Tom
Like some of the other commenters, I’m curious about doing this in an apartment without a proper smoker. Do you think it would work to cure fish/meat/whatever in a vacuum sealed bag under weights for a week, then pump smoke from a smoke gun into the bag and close it off for a day or so to really infuse the flavors?
Or is the point to let it smoke + oxidize/dry a bit at the same time?
Thanks!!
I think I wrote on smoke guns, the ‘vapor’ doesnt really stick at all to the meat. It’s used in some restaurants as the finally stage. But its really nothing like using ‘real’ smoke. My suggestion, which I have been testing with my new 5 ways to do bacon masterclass – using liquid smoke, buying good stuff means its the condensation from a smoker basically. Putting this on during the curing process is definitely what I would be doing!
You mentioned earlier in the article about humidity with cold smoking. Can you throw a good humidity level to keep if your smoking for like 3 weeks (suho meso). Also is there a low temperature to be aware of? Keep it above freezing? Read something about a dew point once. Thanks
I had to google suho meso! it sounds a lot like pastirma or basturma I’ve made.
Ideally depending on where in the world you are at nighttime is often when humidity is more like 70% – and better for cold smoking. (basically you want conditions similar to dry curing…)
I’ve cold smoked from above freezing to about 15C/60F. For longer cold smoking, I guess you could add a humidifier. Remember cold smoking is really just drying the meat with smoke around it!
3 weeks, is often more like once per day for 3 weeks, not 3 weeks 24 hours from what I’ve learned. Cheers
Is it ok to smoke cheese and steak at the same time?
cold smoke? I do! that wonderful smoke is anti bacterial/fungal etc… Cheers T
Thanks for this article! Just discovered your you tube channel as well. I’m new to cold smoking but have made some delicious cold smoked salmon with WSM and a maze smoker, now want to do white meat fish i.e. herring. When I see videos and articles on herring or cod, they indicate after finishing cold smoke, you still have to cook, poach, pan fry? With salmon, I cured 24 hrs, rinsed (soaked actually) then cold smoked 80 F about 18 hrs then chilled, sliced and ate, nobody got sick. Just brined some pollack, rinsed, then smoked 18 hrs, looked great but I did additional hours at 200 F to be safe, now I have jerky. Is there something about salmon that’s unique? Would appreciate any help. All the best, Cheers!
interesting, I haven’t done herrings or smaller oily fish! but i am waiting for the weather to clear up to get some! its been one my list for a long time
salmon is often salted and dried
herring, anchovies, etc is often salted, cold smoked and oil preserved (probably a reason for that)
salt and drying these small fish could make them too intense in flavor! (i have had that with some wild game, like certain ducks or geese)
If its salt cured properly then it just comes down to drying for preservation, but with salmon gravlax or lox – often its not dried, just consumed inhibited with salt form my exp
All the best,
T
pollack is lean, salmon is fat, this will produce diff outcomes too, fattier fish better for smoking!
I am trying to start cold smoking. Need a lot of knowledge so I start right.
Great, hope what I write helps, All the best, Tom Mueller –
Check out the free pdf cold smoking guide too