Ed Paone The Smokai looks like a good unit.
It is a similar design to the Smokin-it and the Smoke-Daddy.
I have seen a few home-made cold smoke generators that use an air pump and venturi principle to pull the smoke into the smoking chamber.
I have a couple of these at this point, and for what they are, they are not bad… But, Im looking to do more with them…
Right out of the box these do a passive smoke delivery using the convective currents of the smoker to draw the smoke into the smoke chamber and out the upper vent…
I’m looking to install a venturi pipe powered by a high powered aquarium pump to gently push the smoke into the smoker thus allowing a higher concentration of smoke…
I have an assortment of 3/4" ID black pipe nipples and fittings to use for the outer pipe (smoke delivery) of the venturi system… Then I will use a 1/4 ID piece of copper tubing for the inner pipe (air delivery)
I was just wondering if there were any engineers out there that might know how to derive a formula to computer for distances “A” and “B” in the attached pic…
raider2119 I wonder if you could put an icebox between that and the unit to pass your smoke over ice first? I’ve never done that but from what I hear the smoke that comes off of ice is preferred for cold smoking. You seem to have more experience with that than I do, have you ever tried it?
Jonathon When I was playing around with cold smoking the milk / cream for ice cream I did a coil of copper tubing, a moonshiners worm, to allow the smoke to cool… I had planned on putting the worm into a coffee can and packing it with ice for additional cooling, but it clogged with creosote and failed before I ever got that far… I assume it might not have clogged so quickly if I had used a larger diameter copper tubing, (or your “ice chamber” idea).
Additional fail was because I was forcing air through the fire chamber of the cold smoker causing a very hot fire… The resulting smoke was incredibly bitter and not pleasing.
I kind of gave up because I had to come up with a better smoke delivery system… That’s why I’m working on this venturi idea now…
raider2119 hmmm…the moonshine reference is giving me some ideas with cold smoking. There are some hardware options with stainless steel Tri-clover fittings that might work well for cooling the smoke. They are cost prohibitive in a general sense but if you happened to have the parts on hand for other purposes it might just work!
This is a shotgun condenser. It has a cold water inlet/outlet on the outside of the tube. Alcohol vapors pass through the inside tubes as the water cools them and condenses them back into liquid. Such a device could be used to cool the smoke as well.
Now I’ve got my head spinning thinking of all the crazy uses for my stainless fitting stock pile!
Joe Hell That looks cool, though my junk pile generally does not include those kind of high end parts…
I was talking with a plumber the other day and he offered to let me come scavenge his junk pile for a ring burner w/ pilot light and thermostat assembly from an old propane water heater… Hopefully this means my next smoker is going to be a gas smoker… but with accurate thermostatic controls
BTW, while Im not thrilled with using pellets, I do love the new Traeger smoker commercials… none of us want our food to end up tasting like (g)a*s…
raider2119 I have all the parts/equipment to start a small winery, brewery and distillery gathering dust. I have several 60 gallon stainless drums…one of which could be used to make one heck of an impressive smoker. If only I could afford to hire a welder capable of the task.
Joe Hell I grew up trying to use a standard arc welder, and my welding skills were HORRIBLE… A few years ago I picked up a light duty mig welder from Harbor Freight which makes it a much easier job… I still wouldn’t want to have to depend on my welds for anything structural, I can certainly do acceptable tack welding, and even run short seams that once I grind them off, still hold and look fairly acceptable… Oh, and they are pretty cheap, about $125… of course, I ended up spending about $150 for a good auto-darkening helmet…
Joe Hell you could make the smoker look like a still just to impress nosy neighbors
craigrice Pit Boss has a smoker they call the ‘Whiskey Still’! The neighbors might even be more impressed if I made some booze! Lol. Hopefully an opportunity will arise that I can use the equipment commercially again.
Joe Hell I have seen those and I am here to be a sample judge lol.
craigrice It’s too bad we have distance going against us…I’d love to host some grillin’ and drinkin’! A Walton’s ‘family’ reunion could be a good time. G’night Jon boy!
Joe Hell after 32 plus years driving a truck Washington is one state I have never been to
craigrice oh man! Washington is a gorgeous place to be! I took a drive yesterday in the blue mountains and it was gorgeous. I live on the border of Oregon and took roads I’ve never been on…quite rare. On a clear day you can see most of the prevalent volcanoes in the area! Hundreds of miles from here but it’s very impressive to see the peaks!
In a few weeks we will lose the rolling green hills to maturing wheat. My family has been here for more than 150 years. I can’t imagine living anywhere else
Joe Hell my wife has a close friend that lives in Portland or. she had lived in phoenix and Alaska she loved both
craigrice Portland is pretty awesome. My kid lives across the river in Vancouver, Wa… Portland is a foodie mecca! I’d like to visit both Phoenix and Alaska! I have Family in Anchorage. The pictures they post are incredible!
Joe Hell Our next door neighbor is a Hindu Temple… There are days when the smell from the smokers permeate the entire area… I know they would be happier if I were making booze…
raider2119 LOL! I bet more than a few would be willing to take a bite!
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