Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I should add the salmon is laying flat skin side down on top shelf. I did put some S hooks in but they tore through the salmon on first effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) Hi Justin. I am newish to the smokey art of cold smoking! It is bizarre that only 2 months ago we were worried about to high a temperature and needing to keep a good airflow. Now we have problems with too low a temperature! I installed a computer fan to draw air up the cabinet and this worked well. Now to keep a higher temperature I have installed a heater and a thermostat below the chamber that the smoke enters the cabinet from my external smoke generator. So far I have been able to maintain a temp of 22 to 23 degrees. This diagram is before the heater was installed, but it goes where the legs are. I have walled in this space. Just sharing ideas........ with thanks to original advice from Wade and others on the forum. oh yes....I smoked 2 halves of sides of Salmon, one skin down and one skin up to see the difference. I must admit both Wife and I preferred the skin down piece. I am about to smoke 2 sides suspended. I am going to use skewers and cord as advised by ....I think yet again, Wade. 7 Edited November 23, 2018 by Ruedeleglise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Thanks mate, yes good ideas, thank you for the contribution. What sort of heater and thermostat did you use? I was thinking a light bulb might do a the trick I do not need a fan a fan the smoke ifs flowing beautifully with the pro q maze at the bottom of the wsm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 I went along to a reptile store and bought at stupid expense, (but don’t tell the wife) a “micro climate” thermostat and coupled it to a ceramic bulb heater. I chose the highest wattage he had, but can’t remember what it was! My reasoning was that it was better to have an over powerful heater controlled by the thermostat than an underpowered heater working its socks off and getting nowhere! In retrospect I wish I had either somehow got a more powerful ceramic bulb or installed 2, as I feel it does struggle a bit to get to the 20s.....but so far it does and has! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 OK Well inkbird controller has 2m probe s can run the probe to the wsm from inside and keep electric connections inside, and run simple bulb and hard wire form the bulb int he wsm to inside plug to give the heating. Easy I think. Will give it a try. Might need bracket to mount bulb which is a bit more challenging inside a wsm but maybe get a stand to go next to the maze will stop it smoking up the bulb, no that would change the heat output and the light output does not matter? Just bought the relay controller. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IJ0F2OW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1MZXMWDS73ECR&psc=1 Can rig up bulb and wire cheaply myself, Wonder what watt 100 w, would or something smaller to give more fine control when temp hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) Um cancelled order, can not be bothered to wire it up input and out power. want something simpler not a project. Edited November 23, 2018 by Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 Go to a reptile / pet shop. Pay more but it takes the grunt out of it. The advantage of a ceramic bulb heater is...I think...that it heats up slower and poss that a light bulb enclosed could fail more quickly. More of the energy in a ceramic bulb goes into heat production and not to produce light. Just my thoughts....not an expert in any way! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Good tip ceramic bulb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07G351BMF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0788DGBB1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GVDTUNI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Bought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 18 hours ago, Justin said: Reading up it looks like some people smoke as low as 4 degs c it just takes longer to lose the weight. I will charge it up the maze with dust again before I go to bed and leave it,shame shame to lose the that build up, i suppose i would fire up the propane torch and heat the charcoal basket bowl a little bit to get the temp up a few degrees. Then replace the bubble wrap will insulate that heat in more so it will last longer. up to 11 degs now I use an Inkbird temperature controller and a couple of 100w ceramic reptile heaters to keep my large cold smoker up to temperature for salmon I initially constructed my own PID controllers but when I discovered the one from Inkbird it was so much easier. Another option would be to use a pellet cold smoke generator as they generate more heat than the sawdust one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Justin said: I did put some S hooks in but they tore through the salmon on first effort. Use the skewer method to support the wight of the salmon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I have gone one ceramic bulb route, wsm is quite tight on space but i think I can rig it out. I suppose i could build a wooden one but lets try this first. ye sis aw the inkbird option but it was little more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Skewer method oh i did not see that when i saw you picture, you put the skewer through threaded horizontally? do you have photo from the other side mate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 36 minutes ago, Justin said: Um cancelled order, can not be bothered to wire it up input and out power. want something simpler not a project. I made several PID controller units using similar controllers to the one you have just returned. As you say they are a lot of fiddling when you can buy the ready made one for about £25 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor72 Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 20 hours ago, Justin said: Ok well here goes nothing. Looks like an old classic Dr Who monster 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 6 minutes ago, Justin said: I have gone one ceramic bulb route, wsm is quite tight on space but i think I can rig it out. For the WSM you will only need one. My smoker is a converted commercial upright freezer and so is much larger. Yes, just screw the bulb holder onto a piece of wood - or a piece of bent metal as I have done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 6 minutes ago, Justin said: Skewer method oh i did not see that when i saw you picture, you put the skewer through threaded horizontally? do you have photo from the other side mate? Yes, The skewer does not zigzag though the skin but just goes right the way through the meat. The strings (or in your case your "S" hooks run below the skewer, which distributes the load along the whole width of the fillet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Will do Slamon at 780 g now. Been smoking 20 hours 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I had 4 sides of salmon smoking last night which I will carve today. Since I discovered the skewer method several years ago I have never had a fillet drop off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor72 Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 One day I’ll get the time to do all this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 yep, get the set up right like wade and ruedeleglise and it will be fine. My set up i am going to do is 42 quid all in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Raptor, no time like the present Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Raptor72 said: One day I’ll get the time to do all this Yes retirement is great. Jokingly retirement gives you all the time to spend the money you no longer earn! Seriously though, you have to work hard at retirement to enjoy it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruedeleglise Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 4 minutes ago, Justin said: yep, get the set up right like wade and ruedeleglise and it will be fine. My set up i am going to do is 42 quid all in No don’t quote mine as being all set up right! It is only where it is thanks to expert advice. It is still in the development stage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Gotta start somewhere. Question: Like cheese being packed and left to mature the smoke taste, is salmon the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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