Cold Smoked Salmon

Got a nice piece of Salmon from the supermarket, so after the tedious job of scaling the side... why don't people here do the job before they sell the fish (I'm happy to prepare fish that I have caught)???
Anyways, put it a dry cure mixture, some coarse salt, sugar and a bit of black pepper. I will leave this in the fridge overnight, then it's on to the smoker for at least 8 hours tomorrow.

No Smoker, but still want to cold smoke food?

Now all this talk about smoked cheese must be making your mouth water (the pictures don't help either), so some of you may be thinking... I don't have a smoker/ hooded BBQ, what's the point??
Well just to show you that you can use just about any container to cold smoke in, obviously a bit of common sense is required here, I’ve made a cold smoker using the following items:

• A cardboard box, the one I’ve used measures 16” x 13” x 22”.

• 4 x Lengths of wood doweling, I’ve substituted these for some long skewers.

• A ProQ™ Cold Smoke Generator.

• A flat baking tray (larger than the base of the ProQ™ Cold Smoke Generator).

• 2 x Oven grates, or any other grates that will fit.

• Wood dust.

Box

Other Bits

Baking tray in place - very important bit of the kit, as this will prevent your box catching fire.
You can use a small paving stone, or something similar that is heat resistant.
Insert the 1st 2 skewers/ dowels
Put the 1st rack in (hope my wife doesn't see this).

All ready to go...
Over the next couple of days, I will be preparing some Salmon, by brining, it will then be the first food item to be cold smoked in the cardboard box.

It's been a joy to get feedback from some of you regarding your thoughts on the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator and in some cases you've even done indepth reviews... Thank You!

Below are some of the comments...

My cold smoke generator arrived via US mail on Oct. 28th, 6 days after I placed the order. Your packaging was exceptional. Our average temp here in Wisconsin has dropped to about 45 degrees, perfect for cold smoking. In anticipation of receiving the ProQ I've had a half slab of bacon curing in the refrigerator just waiting for today's test. So far the generator has burned about 4 hours and the inside temp is maintaining within a couple degrees of outside air.

Thanks for providing a simple solution that virtually eliminates the unnecessary hocus-pocus that has developed around the simple art of cold smoking. Darus Wisconsin

"There are a variety of smoke generation products on the market today. But I don’t think there is one that can beat the “ProQ Cold Smoke Generator.” For pure simplicity"... Read more

"This has to have been my most successful smoking session ever and I can't endorse it more highly"... Read More

The mailman just deliverd my cold smoke generator from macsBBQ, I think i'm in love! How easy can something be? Why didn't i invent that? Pieter Netherlands

Once again, thanks for your feedback and please keep it coming!

Smoked Cheese On The WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain)

Cold Smoked Cheese - The Easy Way!

I love cold smoked cheese and my WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain) hasn't been used for a really long time, so I went out and bought 2 types of Cheddar and some Red Leicester cheese.

Cheese loaded onto the top grill, I used the lower grill to rest the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator on and also left the water pan out.
Cheese is in the smoker, lid on and I'm just waiting for the candle to get the dust smouldering in the smoke generator.

Dust is smouldering, so into the smoker goes the Cold Smoke Generator (luckily the door on the WSM is large enough for it to go through).

Now comes the hard part...

What to do for 2-3 hours while the smoke works it magic??? I decided to set up the Scalelectrix, so I could play with 2 of my boys.

The ProQ Cold Smoke Generator will run for up to 10 hours on a full load of dust (100grams), but on this occasion I only needed a max of 3 hours, so once it was all done, I just moved some of the dust away from the smouldering bit, this I will use on the next batch.

Cheese is ready to come off after 3 hours.

I just have to pat it dry with some kitchen towel, wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest overnight in the refridgerator (some people suggest resting it for up to a week, but I can't wait that long).That's it, SIMPLE!

Cold Smoking Made Easy.

The long awaited arrival of stock is finally over, as ProQ Cold Smoke Generators arrived yesterday.

Over 200 have been shipped out already!

This cold smoke generator is the easiest and most cost effective unit available on the market today.

Ladies, please DON'T give the man in your life socks this Christmas (or something else mundane and boring) and equally men, DO NOT go down to the store on Christmas Eve for a present (I never have... honest!).
If the love of your life enjoys cooking, the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator makes an ideal and unique gift.

Order yours today!

British BBQ Society National Final 2009

I was fortunate enough to take part in the British BBQ Society's Competition at the weekend, as a member of "Bite The Bullet" BBQ Team.

Bite The Bullet Team Stand

The event was held at Rother Valley Park, a stunning location, just outside Sheffield.

Although there were only a few teams taking part, the atmosphere was one of good food, fun and a fellowship, the true spirit of BBQ.

Jeremy and Andy - Team Crispy Critters

Overall results:

National Grand Champion 2009 - Crispy Critters

National Reserve Grand Champion 2009 - Bunsen & Burner

Mystery Box
1st Bite The Bullet
2nd Chicago Jack
3rd Crispy Critters

Chicken
1st Bunsen & Burner
2nd Ryan’os Ribs
3rd Stick the Kettle on

Ribs
1st Bunsen & Burner
2nd Crispy Critters
3rd Chicago Jack

Pork
1st Chicago Jack
2nd Crispy Critters
3rd Bite The Bullet

Brisket
1st Crispy Critters
2nd Royal Q
3rd Chicago Jack

Dessert
1st Bite The Bullet
2nd Crispy Critters

BBQ Sauce
1st Crispy Critters
2nd Bite The Bullet

ProQ Cold Smoke Generator

I love smoked cheese and Salmon, but have always struggled to produce "cold smoke" easily and for long enough periods of time... this got me thinking (not always a good idea).
The last 6 months I've been playing with all sorts of different ideas and materials to try and acheive genuine cold smoke and I think I have finally cracked it!



This unit (which is patent pending) can produce a good steady stream of cold smoke, from just 100 grams of wood dust, for up to 10 hours. This makes it more feasible to do products like smokey bacon, cold smoked salmon and easily does cheese (which only requires 2 - 3 hours).
Production is underway and the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator should be available by mid August.


Feel free to contact me if you'd like more info on this product.

.: Popular Mechanics - For those of you in South Africa, chance to win a ProQ Excel 20 BBQ/ Braai/ Smoker

.: Popular Mechanics - Be the first to know :.

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Testing The Cold Smoke Generator Prototype

Yesterday I started testing the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator prototype.
Initial result was a 10 hour burn on 100 grams of Oak dust.
I am really pleased with the results and will continue testing today... updates to follow.

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Cold smoking.

I'm a fan of smoked cheese, but have always struggled to create cold smoke for long enough periods, without buying expensive equipment... most I ever achieved was about 1 hour, which is ok for some things, like garlic, but way to little if you want to make smoked bacon or salmon (smoked cheese usually takes about 2 hours).
This got me thinking (not always a good idea) that there must be a way to produce smoke, without creating heat, for a much longer time period and several months later I am almost there.
Initial tests on the "ProQ Cold Smoke Generator", produces smoke for around 7 hours using just 120g of wood dust. This device will work in just about every BBQ/ smoker, as long as it has a lid.
Patent has been applied for and is "pending" on the design and as soon as I can, I will post more details.

Top 5 BBQ's

ProQ Excel 20 makes it into the Sunday Times top 5 BBQ's

Read the full article HERE