When it comes to cold smoking, there are a few key things to look for in a good smoker. First and foremost, it is important to make sure that the smoker can maintain a consistent temperature. Otherwise, the food being smoked will not cook evenly, and it may even become unsafe to eat.
Cold smokers typically operate at lower temperatures than traditional smokers, and as a result, they can be used to smoke delicate items such as fish and cheese without cooking them. For these reasons, cold smokers are becoming increasingly popular with home cooks and professional chefs alike.
In addition, it is important to choose a smoker that produces little or no smoke. Otherwise, the food will absorb too much of the smoky flavor and will be unpleasant to eat. Finally, it is important to choose a smoker that is easy to use. After all, the whole point of cold smoking is to add flavor without spending hours tending a fire.
Quick Overview Of Best Cold Smokers
Best Overall: Smokehouse Products Smoke Chief Cold Smoker
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Best Versatile: Smoke Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Hot Or Cold Smoker
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Best In Value: Smoke Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Generator
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Best In Budget: Meva Smoker Gun Infuser Set
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Best Design: TMKEFFC Smoking Gun Cold Smoker
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The 5 Best Cold Smokers In 2023
Contents
Best Overall: Smokehouse Products Smoke Chief Cold Smoker
This smoker has 9.5 x 4 x 12.13-inch dimensions and 7 pounds weight, making it small enough to fit on most countertops or shelves.
It operates on 110VAC or 12Vdc power and easily connects to any grill or smoker. The smoke generated by it is full of flavor and traps moisture in the food, helping it to stay juicy and tender.
This handy little device provides up to 3 hours of continuous smoke, perfect for smoking meats, fish, cheese, and more.
It is designed to be used with gas grills, pellet grills, charcoal grills, smokers, and numerous other outdoor cooking devices.
Pros
- Used With Numerous Outdoor Cooking Devices
- Provides Smoke Up to 3 Hours
- Smokes With Ease
Cons
- A Bit Pricy Than Others
Best Versatile: Smoke Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Hot Or Cold Smoker
With 16 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches dimensions and 6.39 pounds weight, it is compact and portable enough to take with you on the go.
The hot smoking function is ideal for meats, fish, and vegetables, while the cold smoking function is perfect for cheeses and nuts.
It is constructed from high-quality stainless steel and aluminum, making it durable and long-lasting. The smoker also includes a stainless steel cleaning brush, making it easy to keep clean.
The smoker is also easy to use, with a simple design that makes it easy to set up and use. This smoker fits in all major pellet smokers and provides an adjustable air pump that evenly distributes smoke throughout the cooking chamber.
Pros
- Fits With All Pellet Smokers
- Durable Stainless Steel Construction
- Provide Proper Seal With Aluminum
Cons
- Doesn't Work Properly
Best In Value: Smoke Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Generator
This smoke generator has 16 x 4.5 x 4.5-inch dimensions and a 7-pound weight, making it the perfect size for smoking large cuts of meat or fish.
This unit is made with aluminum and stainless steel for durability, and it comes with a ceramic grill adapter for easy installation.
This easy-to-refill generator produces thick, flavorful smoke that can infuse meats and veggies with a delicious smoky flavor. The included stainless steel cleaning brush.
Pros
- Easy To Refill
- Easy To Port
- Includes Ceramic Grill Adapter
Cons
- Sometimes It Leaks
Best In Budget: Meva Smoker Gun Infuser Set
It is increasing in popularity due to its stainless steel construction and ability to smoke food items such as fish, cheese, vegetables, meat, and cocktails quickly and easily.
It is a convenient and easy-to-use smoker gun that has two smoke levels. It also includes a one-operating button. This makes it easier to control the smoking process and ensure that the food is properly smoked.
The gun comes with a dome cover, a cup lid cover for infusing liquids, and 1 starter apple wood chips jar. The dome cover protects the food from the direct heat of the smoker, while the cup lid cover prevents liquid from dripping onto the food.
Pros
- Durable Stainless Steel Construction
- Convenient And Budget Friendly
- Includes Lots Of Accessories
Cons
- Batteries Not Included
Best Design: TMKEFFC Smoking Gun Cold Smoker
The dimensions of the unit are 4.1 x 2.36 x 4.9 inches, and it weighs in at just 0.66 pounds. Despite its small size, it is able to generate enough smoke to flavor meat, fish, cheese, and even cocktails.
It has a Hand-held designed smoker infuser with 2 gears of smoke amount. It’s gaining an increasing fanbase due to its ease of use and portability.
It comes with DIY tools set, cup cover, and wood chips, so you can customize the flavor to your liking. Powered by 4 AA batteries, this handy little device allows you to infuse your food with delicious smoky flavor.
Pros
- Powered By Batteries
- Hand-held Design
- Lightweight And Portable
Cons
- Stop Working
What Is Cold Smoking?
Cold smoking could be done at temperatures no higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This method may use smoke to flavour food and bring aromas but not actually cook it like in hot smoking. Cold smoking might generally be done for meat. This technique could be dated back to many years when food was supposed to be preserved for a long time and refrigeration was not an option then. You can also read tips to use smoker in cold weather to smoke meat while outing with your friends.
I have experienced that the cold smoking performed nowadays is more of adding flavours to food and bringing out that earthly flavour rather than preserving it for days. The process of curing the food during cold smoking may remove moisture and inhibit bacterial growth but at the same time provides an ideal room for bacterial growth therefore I prefer the method of curing done by a professional.
The cured food may then be smoked, which gives it its distinct smoky flavour. Smoking meat takes time, which could range from hours to days depending on the product used for smoking.
What Is Cold Smoker?
A cold smoker is a type of smoker that uses indirect heat to smoke food. It could generally be a chamber or a box through which smoke is pumped for a period of 12 to 48 hours. The food is placed in a chamber that is not directly exposed to the heat source, and wood chips or other flavoring agents are added to the chamber to produce smoke.
A temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius is supposed to be maintained so that bacteria doesn’t grow on the cured food which might be common if cold smokers are not set to proper temperatures. I have seen it available in different types and varieties with numerous settings for the user and cold smoking your favorite meat at your own ease.
What Is A Cold Smoker Gun?
These are generally small in size, have that stable and steady platform and that makes their setup easy; they have prevented tipping numerous times when in use. As these guns might be hand-held devices, it makes it easier to finish off the food with a variety of smoky flavors and aromas without being exhausted.
I have used cold smoking guns on foods that needed gentle smoking like ice cream, butter, or cocktails as well as cheese. They are generally controlled by dials on them for a specific smoke intensity for flavoring the food with the right amount of smoky taste.
Hot smoker Vs Cold Smoker
I find that hot smoking could be called a process in which food is cooked and smoked parallel, whereas, in cold smoking, the food might be cured first and then smoked which could be an indication that the food remains raw rather than cooked. Hot smoking may not follow the process of curing. In hot smoking, the food might be cooked and flavored with wood smoke, whereas in cold smoking, the food might have that smokey flavor in it after curing and getting smoked.
Hot smoking generally takes a few hours to complete therefore could be called faster as compared to the cold smoking process, which could even take several days to complete the process of smoking as far as I have experienced.
The temperatures in both kinds of smoking might play a crucial role in their process as, in hot smoking, the temperature stays between a range of 52- 82 degree Celsius, whereas in cold smoking I keep the temperature between 20-30 degrees Celsius.
Factors To Consider When Buying A Cold Smoker
There are several factors that could be kept in mind when buying a cold smoker as these could be available in the market according to the needs of buyers, some might need portable and quick smokers and some might need a smoker that serves good durability and could work with any kind of wood.
Type Of Smoke Generator
Simple smoker tubes to completely electric smoke makers are different types of smoke generators. I personally believe that full-fledged electric smoke makers are better as they decrease manual labor when using simple smoker tubes. Smoke generators could be powered by the combustion of wood chips, sawdust, or other combustible hardwood that could help the smoke generator work efficiently and effectively.
Wood Type
Wood type could play an important role when performing cold smoking as different kinds of wood leaves a different kind of flavor to the smoked food. Hickory might be a powerful smoking wood but it may cause a lot of smoky flavor to the wood which may result in bitter and dry tasting smoked food.
Oak might be considered another powerful wood and it might not tend to over-shadow the taste and texture of the food. Grapevine cuttings are considered to impart a delicate flavor to smoked food, especially meats. I have seen the only downside of grapevine cuttings could be that they produce a large amount of pungent smoke.
There could be other numerous wood types that might be taken into consideration when smoking is done. Sometimes it could be best considered to use the two-in-one method and mix some kinds of woods together to add that delicate flavor to the food and cut that pungent smell rising from some woods when burned.
Portability
Portability could come in as an added bonus when a smoker needs to be carried along, like camping or traveling to a destination where smoked food would be a treat. Smokers like the cold smoking gun might be travel-friendly, easily manageable, and generally come along with cases to carry to prevent them from any kind of damage.
Fuel Runtime
Some smokers might run for a longer period of time depending upon how many wood chips or wooden pellets could be added to the smoke generator which decides the amount of fuel usage, wastage, or preservation. The smokers that need to be constantly checked for temperature change, might use too much fuel as compared to those smokers which have fully-programmable temperature control systems.
Ease Of Use
Cold smokers might not cook meat but in reality, cure them therefore they could be easier to operate without any trouble. Even though cold smokers are so substantial, it would seem to be difficult to use. Certainly, this is not the case. I find that the mount tube on the cooler smoking kit is intended to fit easily into the slide of the smoker, and it could be changed by changing the elevation of the smoker if it is set up on an irregular surface or area.
I find starting the smoker might be as easy as simply pushing a power button. When the wood chips are relatively close to the heating unit, the ash that forms starts to fall into the ashtray automatically. The only thing different I do is keep the temperature of the cold smoker within the recommended range and add more wood chips as required.
Durability
The cold smokers are generally made with stainless steel tubes. These tubes could be put together nicely. Putting them together nicely may make them more durable and these may last for a longer period of time. The cold smoker that I use comes with ease of cleanup as the food never touches the inside of the tubs of the unit and therefore I do not necessarily clean the interior. Most cold smokers might include an ashtray that could be easily pulled out and cleaned rather than needing to clean the bottom of the appliance after every use.
Cold Smoking Precautions
Everything in the vicinity of food is supposed to be kept sterile. When using a smoker or grill, I find it useful to heat it to a minimum temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty minutes before trying to put the food inside. Before employing any utensils, tools, wire racks, or other items, I perform them through the dishwasher to clear any bacteria from them.
Maintenance of dry conditions might be an important part of the cold-smoking process. I prefer salting the food first, it is within my family through generations, and I have also seen it as a common practice among many users that salting is practiced before curing the meat so that bacteria doesn’t develop while the food is smoked or stored.
The process of curing might be followed before the food is smoked so that it helps to remove moisture and clears the inhibition of bacteria.
FAQs
Is Cold Smoking Healthy?
In my opinion, cold smoking might not be healthy as the food that is being cold-smoked is not cooked and remains raw. This might make the food more open to a bacteria-friendly zone. The temperature at which cold smoking is done could be considered an ideal temperature for bacteria growth which might lead to food deterioration in most cases.
How Long Does Cold Smoking Take?
Cold smoking could take seconds with the advanced equipment that is available in the market and provide that smoky flavor to the food or it could also take up to several months to nicely smoke the food within the proper temperature zone keeping a sterile environment.