« Reply #47 on: March 08, 2015, 05:01:01 PM »
Sounds like my kind of meal. You will find that the beef will adsorb smoke much better when it is cold, and once the meat reaches 145-160F ( depending on the kind of meat it is ...) it will not really take on any more smoke.
If you have not tried cold smoking - I highly recommend that you try one of the Amazen Smoker tubes or the maze design.
This time of year is great for cold smoking, because even with heat sensitive items like fish and cheese - you will not over heat them with just a little understanding of the objective - and your tools. If you have a "traditional" type of grill that is not being used at the moment ( a gas or charcoal horizontal type is what comes to mind - but anything could work with a little thought...) OR:
If you have some clean flat area - preferably concrete - where you can place an elevated cooling rack, and a med-large cardboard box upside down over it...you can cold smoke anything....fish, nuts, chez mix, cheese....tomatoes for your ketchup ...use your imagination!
Poke a SMALL hole ( think #2 pencil ) on one end of the box on a vertical side - close to the ground. And - one at the opposite end of the box on the highest point of the opposite end of the box.
Place the smoker tube/device on the end of the box where the hole is near ground level - but not so close as to catch the box on fire and your cooling rack at the other end of the box, where the hole is up high. This will prevent heating up what you want to keep cold. Place your meat on a tray on the cooling rack ( or small items on Q-mat - also available from Amazen Products -who is one of our sponsors ) and light the smoker device - allow it to flame up for a couple of minutes, then when it settles down to just smoldering pellets or chips or dust - depending on which device and fuel you use - put it in the box at the described location. Now - go prep the side dishes while you allow meat get 30 min. to 2 hours of cold smoke depending on your tastes. I do not recommend cold smoking ground meat because of the time that the meat will stay in the temperature "danger zone" (see USDA guidelines online) but whole muscle cuts - this is a great way to get a nice smoke profile before you cook it it by any other method - and well worth the time.
Should we call you Alton Teesquare or Tim Brown - what a cool simple / quick idea. Thanks!
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