Warm Weather Cold Smoke in the PBC Completed
Saturday was my planned day to use all my knowledge from the previous tests that I ran for cold smoking in the PBC. The day didn’t start as I had planned, not getting out of bed at 5:15 AM to unwrap the 5 cheese types and removed from the refrigerator to let them sit and air dry for 2 hours. So, 6:20 I decided if I was going for a 4 hour smoke I better get moving.
Plan for today’s smoke: 4 hours of continuous smoke. Keep PBC temps as low as possible and do not exceed 90 deg. PBC temp for any length of time. Keep cheese dry and do not let it melt.
06:30 AM --- Cheese out of the refrigerator, unwrapped, and rest in the open air at room temperature to form a skin. 5 Cheese types to be smoked: Sharp Cheddar, Sharp Provolone, Mozzarella, Gouda, and brick American cheese.
Set up the mini grill, filled the AMTS with pecan pellets, positioned the PBC and opened the vent and put attached the smoke hose.
Kingsford 14" Charcoal grill and the 12" AMTS.
08:10 AM --- Lit off the AMTS.
08:25 AM --- Cheese placed in the PBC. Smoke rolling. PBC barrel temp = 71 deg. Ambient Temp = 69 deg. Humidity= 70% Winds= West @1 MPH Skies = Cloudy.
Start of the Cheese smoke.
09:30 AM --- Smoke rolling. PBC barrel temp = 72 deg. Ambient Temp = 73 deg. Humidity= 68% Winds= WNW @1 MPH Skies = Cloudy.
PBC Temperature.
10:35 AM --- All Cheese rolled over. American cheese showed signs of sweating wiped cheese dry and returned to PBC. Smoke OK. PBC barrel temp = 76 deg. Ambient Temp = 75 deg. Humidity= 68% Winds= West @6 MPH Skies = Cloudy, sun is trying to break out.
All cheese rolled over for better smoke penetration.
11:30 AM --- Smoke rolling OK. PBC barrel temp = 81 deg. Ambient Temp = 78 deg. Humidity= 66% Winds= West @1 MPH Skies = Partly Cloudy.
12:30 PM --- Smoke rolling. PBC barrel temp = 84 deg. Ambient Temp = 81 deg. Humidity= 67% Winds= North @10 MPH Skies = Partly Cloudy.
12:45 PM --- Planned 4 hour smoke complete, all cheese removed from PBC. All cheeses showed signs of sweating and the American cheese showed signs of settling (indentations) on the surface of cheese from the PBC food rack. Cheese wiped again and rested in the house at room temp again for 35 minutes. Then all cheese individually wrapped marked, vacuum sealed and placed in the refrigerator for at least 30 days.
Finished product heading into the house to rest and wrap.
Observations: I should have started and hour earlier, PBC temps would have been lower and probably would not have had the grill marks in the American cheese and probably no cheese sweating. Under these conditions air and PBC temps should not be above 82 degrees for an hour or longer--- so earlier or later in the day should help that situation. I am satisfied with the outcome.
Added note: The modifications I made to the cookers will take no more than 10 minutes to restore them to their original condition. Other than the AMTS, which I bought earlier for other smoking opportunities, the modifications to perform this smoke cost me less than $40.
CM