smoking malt in a cold smoker

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onewhofarts
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smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by onewhofarts »

Hello Forum

I built a cold smoker for malt , for brewing smoked beers and making (hopefully soon) peated whiskey.
first trails with the new project malt turned out to be bonfire aroma , maybe it doesn't sound so bad
but i mean it is bad. it is very far from the aroma i want.
i fired up some coals , put them in the smoke generator and added fruit wood chips. the chips get burned and ashed pretty quick. i renew them every 15 min.
i 'm guessing that the mix of the coals+chips was wrong.
i saw a website named smoke daddy that he recommend (specialy for cold smoking) to mix wood pellets , wood chips and coals. but i have a feeling
that i'm doing something wrong and it's not the pellets. maybe cause i used just simple quality coals , barbque quality.

thanks
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city shiner
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by city shiner »

So I am a big fan of smoke/peat in whisky/whiskey. Lagavullin being one of my favorites. Appearantly Scottish peat is unique. The only way to impart that particular taste profile is to use it. I've never researched it but I bet you could buy some off the interwebz....just a thought.
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still_stirrin
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by still_stirrin »

city shiner wrote:... I've never researched it but I bet you could buy some off the interwebz...
http://caledoniasbest.com/shop-all/scot ... ning-peat/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

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engunear
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by engunear »

Maybe the coals have had all the oils and other interesting things baked out of them. I'm getting good results with wood chips, bark etc. There is a thread called "Smoked grains and malts" and probably others. There are BBQ sites on smoking that have tables of suitable timbers. A table from such a site is on that referenced page. Enjoy!
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Boda Getta
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by Boda Getta »

I have been using Cherry Smoked malted barley with good results in my single malt. I'm not sure the process the malter uses for this product. Cherry smoking chips for meat smoking is readily available and I have thought about making my own in my cold smoler.

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buflowing
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by buflowing »

still_stirrin wrote:
city shiner wrote:... I've never researched it but I bet you could buy some off the interwebz...
http://caledoniasbest.com/shop-all/scot ... ning-peat/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Cheers!
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They also sell wet peat. Thom, at Caladonia, says its what they use in the whisky industry. Wet or dry, i mix with charcoal in my smoke generator.
Jes2xu
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by Jes2xu »

Awesome!

This is going to be one of the first things I try once I am up and running also!

I decided to go the cold smoke generator route. Seemed easier to control the amount of smoke vs heat (as I will use it for both hot and cold smoking). And it should keep smoking for at least a few hrs without topping up.

Anyway, mostly I just wanted to comment to "save" the thread haha. I have been wondering if there is an alternative to peat too. So I shal follow along :)
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Single Malt Yinzer
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by Single Malt Yinzer »

onewhofarts wrote: first trails with the new project malt turned out to be bonfire aroma , maybe it doesn't sound so bad
but i mean it is bad. it is very far from the aroma i want.
i fired up some coals , put them in the smoke generator and added fruit wood chips. the chips get burned and ashed pretty quick. i renew them every 15 min.
i 'm guessing that the mix of the coals+chips was wrong.
thanks
I'm not sure but based on that you might have the generator on too high. The smoke coming out of it should be very sweet smelling, not acrid. Most cold smokers should last 1-2 hours minimum without the need to add anything. Based on the picture I would expect that one size to last 2-3 hours on low. And make sure that you're letting the smoke out. If you trap it in there it will also give you that acrid flavor/smell. I splurged for the big daddy - it's 3-5 hours. Makes a great rack of ribs or brisket. :)

To get max smoke retention wet the grains first. The "smoke" flavor is a particulate and sticks better to wet stuff. It doesn't need to be soaking wet. Spray it lightly with a spray bottle of water.

As for what you put in there it's a good mix. The charcoal chunks keep the heat going on low.
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engunear
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by engunear »

To get max smoke retention wet the grains first. The "smoke" flavor is a particulate and sticks better to wet stuff. It doesn't need to be soaking wet. Spray it lightly with a spray bottle of water.
Hmmm, does that mean one could pump smoke into a fine water spray and get liquid smoke for mashing?
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to make whiskey. I think that what we have to say has more lasting value.

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Single Malt Yinzer
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by Single Malt Yinzer »

Could you? Yes. I'm not sure how efficient it would be. I think this would be a better way: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Liquid-Smoke" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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Plc Ryan
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Re: smoking malt in a cold smoker

Post by Plc Ryan »

Make sure you soak those wood chips in water for a couple hours so they smoulder and don't just burn up. Could be part of your problem.
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