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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2018 00:30
by StefanS
Kijek wrote:Stafan
cold smoked total for 30 hours by 15 days.
Am I to understand in 15 days you cold smoke, maybe 2hr a day?
When cold smoking, once you start, you can stop and start again the next day?
There is no set timing in other words?

I have a pork loin curing in vac bag, ( equilierium method right? ) for close to a month now and getting to cold smoke it ( my first time cold smoking ).
Because I have smoked pork loin covered in beef bung and it was some kind of experiment - i do not suggest smoking your pork loin for more like 16 hours - 2x8 hours with minimum 24 hours rest between . Your smoker temperature shouldn't pass more than 78F.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2018 01:02
by Kijek
Thank you, I feel I'm ready now.
2x8 max 78* f

Oh and should I rest in the refrigerator?

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2018 01:14
by StefanS
Kijek wrote:Oh and should I rest in the refrigerator?
what i do - it is resting piece in curing chamber with temp. 52-55F and humidity 80%. IMO refrigerator has a low temp and very low humidity.

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2018 14:57
by Kijek
Ok I undertsand

So what I will do is let it rest in my "Chamber".

I can keep temperatures at 50*f & 55*f so the humidity is 80%

So that should be perfect, right?

I'm starting to understand some of this cold smoking now.

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 00:52
by jjnurk
I'm cold smoking some loins and salmon using a different set up than I did before. I bought a colander at the dollar store and made my own cold smoke tray. Working like a damn !! lots of smoke but very little temp to the point of it being below 10C. Reading some literature on the subject, I see that the temp should be at between 12 - 22C max 30C.
Copious amounts of smoke and very little heat .... is that a worry or should I introduce a little bit of heat to bring up to at least 10C or is this ok?

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 02:55
by redzed
Meat will take on more smoke when it's warmer. Smoking at -10C is probably not a good idea, besides you will need to apply smoke for hours and the meat will also freeze in that temp. I like to cold smoke at less than 18C, but if the temp is under 13C, I give it some heat. I know that there is info out there that tells us that cold smoking can be taken to 30C, but that is way too warm, especially for fish.

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 03:19
by jjnurk
redzed wrote:Meat will take on more smoke when it's warmer. Smoking at -10C is probably not a good idea, besides you will need to apply smoke for hours and the meat will also freeze in that temp. I like to cold smoke at less than 18C, but if the temp is under 13C, I give it some heat. I know that there is info out there that tells us that cold smoking can be taken to 30C, but that is way too warm, especially for fish.
There might have been a misunderstanding. I'm not smoking at -10C. I was just saying that the temp was less than 10C ........ but still above 0C. I landed up taking my whiskey soaked oak as a fire starter, laying it under the cold smoke tray, filled with cherry sawdust and that brought the temp to about 25C.

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 16:37
by jjnurk
A re-trail of cold smoked pork loin, this time using the equilibrium method and I won't go back. Used 2.5 % salt and it turned out great! 3 days @ 6hrs smoked on cherry wood.
Is there some rule of thumb regarding cold smoking? I've read tons of material and there doesn't seem to be any consistency. Some say for 12 hrs for 5 days with 8 hrs rest, others non-stop for a week, others 8hrs to 10 hrs a day, etc. Does it come down to preference and flavour or the thickness of the

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Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 16:52
by Bob K
Along with flavor cold smoking is also a drying process, or part of the drying process. What did the original recipe call for?
Are you consuming that as is or are you doing further drying or cooking?

Looks Good! Hey those ham bags are washable and reusable!

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 22:14
by jjnurk
Thx for the compliment!
There really isn't a recipe that I'm following, kinda going by the seat of my pants. The first time I did this, I over salted and used cure #2. I let it hang for about 2.5 weeks. This time was 2.5% salt, 0.15% sugar, 0.25% cure #1, along with bl pepper and some bay leaves and started devouring the next day. I got the ratios and smoking times off this forum, from what others have done and took my chances. My wife says it reminds her of back home. Brownie points for me :cool:
PS. didn't know the netting was reusable. Good to know.

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 22:50
by Bob K
Joe-
Just be aware that you are eating raw pork, with the preserving power of the minimum amount of salt and cure. It does have its risks..... Pork is usually cooked or dried to a safe aW

I bought a pack of those bags many years ago and still have some unused ones.

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 13:24
by jjnurk
Thx for the info. Makes me wonder on how some of the "older Poles" here, stated that the way they did it isn't really different from what I did. Maybe I'm missing something from their info, like a lot more salt. I'll rethink for next time.

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 14:13
by Bob K
jjnurk wrote:Makes me wonder on how some of the "older Poles" here, stated that the way they did it isn't really different from what I did.

If you are referring to Stefans Schinkenspeck......the loin was smoked for 30 hours over number of days, which reduces moisture, and then further dried is his chamber.
StefanS wrote:Pork loin - similar story, but more herbs like thyme, sage, rosemary added. 14 days EQ in vsc pack. Packed in beef bung and cold smoked total for 30 hours by 15 days.

will stays in curing chamber until... not decided yet
But yes the original recipe by Ligawa did not include drying after cold smoking

There is another Schinkenspeck post here: http://www.wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopi ... ck&start=0

Note the smaller thinner pieces of meat used, which dry more while cold smoking. There are a lot of unwritten details in many older recipes. A lot was learned by hands on experience...

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 14:23
by jjnurk
Sorry..... by older Poles here, didn't mean the ones on the forum, but rather here in the city.
Good info though. Next go around, instead of 6hrs x 3 days, will go a lot longer.

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 14:30
by StefanS
jjnurk wrote:Sorry..... by older Poles here, didn't mean the ones on the forum, but rather here in the city.
Good info though. Next go around, instead of 6hrs x 3 days, will go a lot longer.
keep in mind that cold smoking it is drying with addition of smoke - humidity level in that process is very important.