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Cold-smoking?


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#1 Big Nake

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 02:39 PM

Has anyone heard of this or tried it? My wife and I just got back from Panama City Beach and last night she ordered pan-seared scallops that were served on a bed of parmesan risotto and in the middle of all of that were some smoked grape tomatoes and pickled onions. It was unreal. I read an article and snipped this from it...

Cold-smoking is a great technique that introduces a complex, smoky flavor to fruits and vegetables without cooking them. This process keeps their texture firm and their color and raw nutritional benefits intact. You can do this easily at home on a grill. Place your fruits or veggies in a pie tin with holes poked in the bottom to allow the smoke to pass through and put it on the grill. Soak any flavor of wood chips in cold water for at least an hour, then place them on a sheet of aluminum foil and put it where the charcoal goes on the bottom of the grill. Light the wood chips but do not turn on the gas in the grill, then cover. The wood chips will smolder at a low temperature, 90-100 degrees F, but will not catch fire, lending a nice smoky flavor to the produce above. You can also elevate the pie tin above a pan of ice to ensure the temperature is kept cold (this is optional). Maintain the smoke for about 20-30 minutes for maximum flavor. This technique works especially well with sweeter fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes, bell peppers and grapes.


I also have a way to pickle some onions. I would like to try the smoked tomatoes and pickled onions and I think they would go great with all kinds of things.

#2 djinkc

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 02:43 PM

..........put it where the charcoal goes on the bottom of the grill. Light the wood chips but do not turn on the gas in the grill.........

 

that's an interesting grill



#3 Big Nake

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 03:12 PM

..........put it where the charcoal goes on the bottom of the grill. Light the wood chips but do not turn on the gas in the grill.........

 
that's an interesting grill
I thought that was weird too but I assume you could do this on a charcoal or gas grill. Hell, you could do it in a coffee can. I actually just emailed the restaurant to see if they would share anything.

#4 Felix Furbush

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 03:55 PM

YouTube search "Good Eats smoking fish" there a pretty good video on there that should help you out



#5 Big Nake

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 04:03 PM

I should also mention that these tomatoes were not blistered or blackened or anything... they looked like whole, steamed tomatoes or something but that flavor! I'll report back if I hear from the restaurant on how they did that.

#6 BuxomBrewster

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 04:33 PM

I've heard of people doing it with a box and a dryer vent and a smoker.  Just hook the dryer vent onto the output of the smoker and attach it to the box.  Put the food in the box that you want to smoke.  



#7 djinkc

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 04:39 PM

YouTube search "Good Eats smoking fish" there a pretty good video on there that should help you out

 

Funny - we watched that one this weekend on the dvr

 
that's an interesting grill
I thought that was weird too but I assume you could do this on a charcoal or gas grill. Hell, you could do it in a coffee can. I actually just emailed the restaurant to see if they would share anything.

 

You have a Weber kettle right?  I would think you could light a few briquettes, throw on a little piece of wood or some smoked chips to get smoke with not much heat.  Cold smoking meat/fish is a whole different story from what I understand.



#8 realbeerguy

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Posted 10 April 2017 - 06:59 PM

Here's one build.  httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrKB1E-UCDA

 

There's one using a large coffee can but I cannot find it now



#9 Big Nake

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 06:21 AM

Guys: great stuff. DJ, yes... I have 2 Weber kettles along with a Genesis so I have some options. The wood "chips" I have at the moment are more like chunks which may or may not work in my favor. I'm envisioning trying to get one chunk heated well enough so that it stays "lit" and smoking for the 20-30 minutes necessary without there being a heat source (like gas or charcoal). But once that chunk is going, I could easily just place the tomatoes in the Genesis and put the chunk underneath. I plan to try this soon.

#10 Poptop

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 06:39 AM

I have rigged my Weber charcoal kettle with a dryer hose off the top vent. I run the hose about 7 feet to "any" cardboard box. I've only done salmon, following Emeril's curing recipe which takes a week. Then I cold smoke for a couple hours. It works fantastic.

https://www.brews-br...-smoked-salmon/

I've done onions and peppers this way. I've also cold smoked Kosher salt which makes a real nice seasoning for other dishes.

#11 Big Nake

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 07:49 AM

I have rigged my Weber charcoal kettle with a dryer hose off the top vent. I run the hose about 7 feet to "any" cardboard box. I've only done salmon, following Emeril's curing recipe which takes a week. Then I cold smoke for a couple hours. It works fantastic.

https://www.brews-br...-smoked-salmon/

I've done onions and peppers this way. I've also cold smoked Kosher salt which makes a real nice seasoning for other dishes.

Brother Poptop... I apologize that I didn't see your other thread earlier. I may have seen it and I am a fish-head but I'm not really a Salmon-head so it may not have registered. I had Grouper and Snapper in FL four or five times this past weekend and everything I had was dynamite. I plan to play with this over the weekend and see what I can make with the smoked tomatoes and pickled onions.

#12 Poptop

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 08:05 AM

After reading your post, the first thing that came to mind is getting a few pounds of plum/Roma tomatoes, halving them and dehydrating them for a few hours in the oven on somewhere less than 200F to get the sundried affect. The do the cold smoke....

#13 Poptop

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 08:08 AM

As a kid growing up in Elmhurst, my Dad used to some home from time to time with smoked white fish that was wrapped up in newpaper. The skin was golden and the flesh, so soft and tender. Man, I'd do that if I could.

#14 Big Nake

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 08:23 AM

I had a recipe for a "smoked salsa" where you place roma tomatoes, onion and jalapenos on the grill with some chips/chunks of wood. The process was to smoke until everything was soft, blistered, slightly charred, etc. but the result was a WAY too smoky salsa. I like smoke and this was too smoky. The fish you describe sounds awesome.

#15 Stains_not_here_man

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 08:44 AM

Cheese.

Your welcome.

#16 Poptop

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 08:46 AM

^^ especially Queso Fresco. It has a very high melting point and stays solid. Smoke it often.

#17 djinkc

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 11:26 AM

Here's one build.  httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrKB1E-UCDA

 

There's one using a large coffee can but I cannot find it now

galvanized - no thanks



#18 Big Nake

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 11:59 AM

I guess I wonder why anyone with a grill would build something new like this. With a standard Weber, you could get some chips smoldering and place your [food] in there and let it go. The temp would not get high and you already have the whole thing in one place. The contraption above looks like they want to make MOAR smoke which might create more heat than you would want so they send the smoke to another vessel. I get it but I don't think that's necessary for what I'm envisioning unless I wanted to make a ton of smoked grape tomatoes.

#19 Felix Furbush

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 12:01 PM

Smokehouse Products Big Chief Top Load Smoker httpss://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZKZJM4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4Fs7ybED6ANCT

#20 Big Nake

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Posted 11 April 2017 - 03:07 PM

I also just checked out the online menu for this place and the pickled onions I mentioned were actually pickled shallots. Seems like a small thing but it could make a difference. I haven't heard back from the restaurant but I'm going to try this over the weekend and see what it says.


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