epicuric
Legendary Member
The Epicuric Cold Smoking Cabinet Mark 1 has been in service for around nine months now. It is the two rack model with smoke control valve and optional temperature probe attachment. Cost was around £12 for the smoke generator, the rest was made of bits I had lying around the shed. The smoke box (the purple bit in the bottom) contains the smoke generator, which is loaded through the flap on the left hand side once lit. The horizontal dowels support two wire racks (standard baking variety) on which the food is placed for smoking. Once lit and loaded, the front doors are taped up with gaffer tape, and the smoking process begins. Flow control is achieved by balancing the valve on the top (see below) and the smoke box flap - just like you would a log burner.
A temperature probe (digital meat thermometer) can be inserted through a small hole in the side of the chamber. This is only really necessary on a hot day to ensure the temp stays below 18 deg C. This can be achieved by placing a bowl on cold water inside the chamber. The smoking process for say, a side of salmon takes 4 - 6 hours depending on taste required.
Credit to the design goes to Mr T. Touran, who runs excellent courses in food smoking from his cold smoking HQ in Milton Keynes. See http://www.coldsmoking.co.uk/
The Model 2 is currently under developement.
