In the next 6 to 20 months I want to build a smokehouse. I have an idea but I'm not sure if it is a good idea.

When doing cold smoking, I've read that you are supposed to keep the temp between 70 and 90 (some references just say "below 90"). For fish, keep the temp below 70.

I have a cold spring that runs all year. This is where I get my year round drinking water. What I don't use, runs down a moderate slope. What if I built the smokehouse a ways down the slope and piped the water to the smokehouse. The hanging rods could actually be pipes containing cold water. If I built the structure out of straw bales, I might be able to maintain a pretty cool temperature inside the structure. I could smoke in the summer.

Does anybody see flaws with this idea?

What would happen if I smoked a ham at, say, 50 degrees? Would that be better, or would that be bad?

(I'm thinking of building three rooms in a row from the spring: A springhouse, the cold smoker, and another room that has the same pipes running through it that would be a dry root cellar)

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), January 28, 2001

Answers

as far as I know,, the "temp" they are talking about, is for the smoke, cold smokeing is piping in the smoke away from the heat source, as opposed to lighting the fire right under the meat, and cooking it at the same time.

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 28, 2001.

If the temperature outside is in the 90's and you have your fire 20 feet away, the temperature inside the smokehouse is definitely going to be above 70. So this wacky idea of mine should help me bring the temperature down for smoking the fish.

What I'm curious about is what if I bring the temperature down a lot! Like to 50 degrees. Is that okay? Is that even better?

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), January 28, 2001.

from the book, canning, freexeing, curing & smoking of meat, fish & game, "cold smoking refers to a slow, smouldering smoke that seldems gets above 70 - 90 degressF. This is the kind of smoke one uses when hams and bacons are smoked. Meat is never cooked during cold smoking because the smoke never becomes hot enough.", all your doing with cold smoking, is adding a flavor,, you still have to cook it at anyother time. For fish,,I hot smoke it,, cook and smoke at the same time.

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 28, 2001.

We always figured that 140 degrees was the line. Above that you were "kippering". Below 120, it was a "hard smoke". I have no idea what it was between 120 and 140. But either, canned at 10 lbs for 50 minutes or more, seemed fine. I'm talking trout or salmon here - not sure about other goodies. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 29, 2001.