Design and Build a Cold Smoker

Guys, I apologize for the long video but there is a lot of information you need to know before you start building a cold smoker. A cold smoker can be used to smoke meat, fish, cheese, spices and even vegetables. Cold smoking helps preserve foods to be eaten at a later date and also adds flavor to food.
Link to the Smoke Box I used on this build:
amzn.to/3WSkhbS
Other Links:
StarSan Sanitizer
amzn.to/3ChMAbs
LEM Stainless Steel Scale
amzn.to/2XlfSVy
Winco Cutting Board
amzn.to/3C9TCgc
Food Grade Plastic Bins
amzn.to/3hrJnvy
The Sausage Maker Bacon Hooks
amzn.to/3CdxmC9
Heavy Duty Meat Hooks
amzn.to/3lo3cFk
Small Black Hooks
amzn.to/3C9DBqE
Boning Knife
amzn.to/2YNppF7
Hope you enjoy the video, as always if you have any questions feel free to drop me a comment, I'll do my best to answer it promptly.
#coldsmoke
#smoker
#smokehouse

[@robertwaselovich9205]

I converted a dorm sized fridge into a cold smoker, works great!

[@W4GHW]

Two suggestions: 1. Drill a couple of small weep holes in the bottom. 2. Use something like PAM cooking spray to spray on the firebox. I ran a steel offset smoker for 10 years that sat on an uncovered deck and I sprayed PAM on it every time I used it and it never had any rust. The oil will soak in better when it is hot. Eventually, it will end up seasoned like a cast iron pan.

[@brianboe3774]

Forget the neighbors being mad about what it looks like ….. they gunna be REALLY mad if they gotta smell that thing and you don’t invite em over

[@boranpetric9775]

❤

[@danssv8]

That would smell so nice. Everyone would wonder where it comes from. Nice build

[@JoeyBozify]

Looking good, I’ve been thinking of building one for myself! Hvala , pozdrav is CA !🇭🇷

[@johnNJ4024]

I am wanting to build a smokehouse myself. I didn't know about the rock filter to help condense the tar and other carcinogenic compounds. Great video! Thank you! A side note, boy the houses in chicago are sure crammed on top of each other. Holy smokes! I would not be happy in a situation like that. LOL! I need more elbow room. I bet the neighbors get hungry smelling the smokehouse running!!!

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Yes they do, that is why I put a lock on the door. I do have great neighbors and always share some meat with them, plus they know me as the crazy guy with deer heads all over the garage. Can't wait to retire and move to a farm...

[@antedosen8027]

Have been watching your videos, learning alot. Cant thank you enough. Much appreciation

[@VelebitMountainMan]

More to come, than you brother! Hard winter, too warm, didn't get any meat cured or smoked. Going to do a refrigerator build this summer.

[@antedosen8027]

@@VelebitMountainMan I'm a south side cro myself, living in whiting, indiana. So I know. My wife finally gave me the ok for a build. Tell ya man you have been a life saver. I am learning so much.

[@hoytmccloskey5967]

Looks great!

[@averagemaintenance3875]

Very well made and explained in detailes with a lot of sense. I can use some of your points for my smoker, like aluminium pipes versus galvanized. Thank you.

[@jakeraketic1315]

Awesome! I’m in process building something similar for this upcoming season.

[@doylerabjohn3435]

Nice homemade smoker

[@roadtrippin2781]

Oak & Hickory for the win!

[@brianboe3774]

You’ve never had Cherry .. obviously

[@ankicaduich3782]

Good job with the explanation

[@joesmith7427]

You can use a 1 gallon paint can with an injector and0 small air pump to blow all the smoke u ever wanted, a gallon of wood chips will last 12 hours or so! The pamper is a good idea, and the higher the stack is, the more draft, and the larger diameter the stack, the more volume it will have, the colder it is on the outside of the stack, the better it will work!! Nice job on the smoker!! Some old kitchen cabinets would have worked!! A cheap weber grill works good for the smokebox. Put the termometer face on the outside, u dont have to open the smoker to check the temp!! U could bury the smoke box and rise the smoker box! Smoke rises!! The fire box could be in the basement,the heat goes in the house, the smoke outside in the smoker! 😊

[@carfvallrightsreservedwith6649]

River rock? County roads got all the gravel you'd want. The rocks are more for spreading/distributing the smoke around the chamber, otherwise it would enter and go straight up to the flue.

[@markwilcox5284]

Love your channel.

[@profas1983]

Top job mate!! Show us how you light the thing etc. 👌

[@profas1983]

Btw im a lithuanian who lives in UK whose cousin lives in Germany and is maried to a Croatian and we all support Ukraine! Slava Ukraine!!

[@carfvallrightsreservedwith6649]

$650?! Ouch! Next time go get pallets, most of the time they're free for removal. A little looking around businesses I've found them 6-10 ft long. Sure you have to deconstruct if building from plans bit the simplicity lies in being able to screw them together for the box construction and using the slats to lap board the sides. Upside is it's all untreated lumber. Regular linseed oil can be used for outside protection (if your worried about food safety) but boiled linseed drys faster and harder and its on the outside so no worries.

[@simoHoss]

I am first generation Serb living in NW IN and my family had a smoke house. Not doing it for 40 yrs, I forgot how to season the meat, and how to smoke it and let the meat settle time frame time. It would be great if you can do the process from the beginning to the end. I have 10 loins salting now. :) Thanks

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Here you go! Pork Loin kzbin.info/www/bejne/haCtn3iwe994a7Msi=6a0FmANBQjRekuaH Slanina kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2bZeJueocx6gKMsi=IGzDEnbQRiZDDU8j Beef kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH2Uc2Rqd7KtkKMsi=NnPbvCc4Il-CY21g Kobasica kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqW3Z2iCh9qSZpYsi=yEyaregyAK_1rYXy kzbin.info/aero/PLUqO8AtKy24cfJpWAdoKKTl84LlglKJBr&si=ixMcPUaAw2kdPI5B

[@twestgard2]

That’s a work of art. Make on for your wife at 1/6th scale for jewelry or something. 😉

[@Wakeywhodat]

Careful, his subwoofer already got evicted 😂

[@VelebitMountainMan]

LoL so true... the garage is my soon to be permanent residence... not a bad option, fridge full of beer, t.v., fireplace... just need a bathroom!

[@pkeaton1]

You need to season your firebox inside and out. Just spray Vegetable oil all over inside and out. light a good hot fire and a hard protective coating will form. Like a well seasoned cast iron pan. Do this at least twice a year and you should be good. Great for eliminating and preventing rust.

[@simoHoss]

To season the inside of the box, I have a hot fire for a week and that sealed all the wood, concrete and metal of my smoke house.

[@ronnie5979]

I got to say it does look good. That being said in my humble opinion you are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. I have always been told to keep it simple. I would be afraid to speculate how much money you have in that smoker. But to each his own I guess.

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Yeah your right, I realized about half way through the build it was too much, but now I'm glad I built it. At the end of the day I put a lot of meat through it every year and it works good.

[@ronnie5979]

@VelebitMountainMan it looks great. I have a suggestion for a replacement for your plywood. How about cedar tongue and groove siding. It is expensive but it will last for ever and it repels bugs. And if you use some kind of insulation between the outer and interior walls you can use it as a hot smoker as well. All you would have to do is shorten up the smoke stack between the fire box and smoke house. I do the same thing at my house. It's a good video. Thanks for the reply.

[@HladniSjeverniVjetar]

Jako zanimljivo. I meni je uskoro u planu radit nesto za susit meso, samo triba vidit koji oblik i koliko veliko. Definitivno dobre ideje. Znaci bilo bi bolje napravit kao mali komin za lozit vatru od cigle umjesto zeljeza?

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Da, cigla bi bila više praktična, duže bi trajala i pravi će bolji, čišći dim. Mislim za par godina da ću pravit nešto malo jače od cigle...

[@jasminnezirevic9226]

Jarane dosta dobro radis ovo sa susenjem mesa svaka čast interesuje me koliko dugo dimiš meso u sušnici ili koliko sati dnevno i koliko dana

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Vidiš na video koliko mjesto imam u pećnicu, samo mi staje 3 ili 4 komada jabuke kad naložim vatru. Taj dim, ta vatra gori za jedno 3 do 4 sata. Kad sušim meso ja naložim vatru navečer i ostavim do jutra. I tako nalozim 2 ili 3 puta kako koj komad mesa. Veće meso, ajmo reć pršut, naložim 4 vatre. Za kobasice možda 1 ili 2 vatre, pećenica 2 vatre, vrat 2 vatre, od prilike tako. Ja volim meso kad ima miris od dima ali da nije pri jako, kad je jako dobijem kiselinu. Ja bi vam preporučuje da naložiš jednu ili dvi vatre prvo dok ne vidiš kako će bit, lako je nadodat.

[@milanjanicijevic1848]

Je l mozete reci koje je dimenzije? Sirina, visina, dubina? Pozdrav

[@patricbuskas3779]

about the filter please can you share the research on that i thought that "natural smoking" shouldn't need that kind of tools

[@VelebitMountainMan]

I'm going to work on a video this fall about the filter. I experimented with it all last year and came to the conclusion that it is absolutely worth it. Long story short it eliminated the harsh "tar" like smoke flavor from the meat and eliminated some of the carcinogens from the smoke. I did need to smoke the meat a little extra and the color was slightly less visible but after drying it was unnoticeable and the meat had a slightly more sweet flavor. Definitely with it in my opinion.

[@user-dy6iq8sr2s]

@@VelebitMountainMan svaka cast! what do you think, would a car AC active coal filter do a better job? it traps all kind of nasty stuff, but i wonder if there would be smoke flavor at all?

[@davidherrera6885]

Do you have a link for the dryer vent box? I can't find one like that, thanks!

[@VelebitMountainMan]

www.homedepot.com/p/Lambro-TiteFit-90-Degree-Rectangular-Aluminum-Dryer-Duct-3006/323135416?g_store=&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_002_AIR_CIRC_ACC-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_002_AIR_CIRC_ACC-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24-71700000097492027--&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsPCyBhD4ARIsAPaaRf0i__g6D34lbvb_ihhdOj2ttLR43Iah8dHayby6dQUsSi0AXHBm6z8aApg-EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[@davidherrera6885]

@VelebitMountainMan thank you, I did find this but it looked too long. I'm assuming you cut it down to size then. Thank you, again.

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Yes, I modified it, I remember cutting it down and flooding over a bottom flap to create a box.

[@markchilluffo9638]

Use wood sealer on the outside plywood, linseed oil & Thompson water proofing

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Will do, going to need to do some sanding and repairs this spring. Winter beat up the smoker pretty good this year.

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Any brand you would recommend?

[@salmon.enthusiast]

Cool video, thanks for putting in the effort! What outdoor temp range do you consider safe to smoke in? Just a thought, but you could potentially get a lower smoke temperature if you pointed a fan down the outside of your inlet pipe counter to the flow of your smoke. Getting some cold air flowing over the surface area of your inlet pipe should theoretically increase heat transfer. I think it’d knock the inlet temp down at least a couple degrees

[@VelebitMountainMan]

I smoke up to about 40/45F, I've tried the fan and you are correct it works! But the longer duct works even better from my experience.

[@user-pn2or3iv8j]

Were you using fish hooks to hold your loins, or just running the string through?

[@VelebitMountainMan]

I run string through it then have a black small hook that attached to the stick in the smoker

[@randydean1513]

What diameter of pipe should be used? Is 4 inch large enough?

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Yes, I use 4" and it's plenty.

[@randydean1513]

@@VelebitMountainMan Thank you. Should the outlet pipe from the house be the same size or can it be larger or smaller?

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Good question, I talked about that in the video and am drawing a blank right now. I know for a fact it can't be smaller, it must be at least the same size or larger to create a proper draft.

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Just rewatched the video, didn't mention the exhaust diameter. At a minimum it should be the same area as the supply. Mine is adjustable to help control the draft. I wouldn't go more than double the area of the supply, it will definitely affect the draw of oxygen for your fire. If possible add a way of dampering the exhaust for fine tuning.

[@summerforever6736]

Stain is not going to seal it you need to use oil base polyurethane Nice work

[@simoHoss]

Do NOT use any sealer, paint on the inside. The heat and smoke will transfer the fuses to the meat.

[@markchilluffo9638]

👍👍

[@asmajic11]

What are the dimensions of the box itself? Looks like maybe a 3x4 base and 5 ft tall?

[@VelebitMountainMan]

24x36, box height is 48. Gable is about 22 tall and the total is about 6' 6" to the vent peak. If you need more info let me know I can email you.

[@asmajic11]

@@VelebitMountainMan thank you!! I appreciate it

[@jakeraketic1315]

What wood you’re using?

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Pine for the frame and cedar foor the roof.

[@jakeraketic1315]

@@VelebitMountainMan I meant for smoking lol

[@jakeraketic1315]

Do you have a Facebook page?

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Ahhhh primarily Apple or a little cherry

[@jakeraketic1315]

Honestly I see so much of myself in you especially coming from Dalmatia and experiencing all the activities of my family and neighbors when it comes to smoking meats

[@markpennella]

Some great tips. However, you took 5 minutes to get to the point

[@brokenbravo83]

As soon as you said ply wood with silicone and then stain.... But put in a filter for the smoke. Then the temp/ humidity probe is on the inside. When you opened the door and your temperature probe fell it really sums it up for me. You said it right there at the end... Build it right. Cute drawings but in practice this isnt the smoker for me. Ill stick with my tried and true methods and not this overpriced chemical box

[@jakethesnake9528]

The quality of the lumber is really based upon the type you are buying as well as what you are willing to pay, nothing more, nothing less. The cheaper the plywood.......the more defects & problems. Tongue and groove would be a better option than plywood, mainly because of the glue used in plywood. If using plywood and I could afford the outrageous stuff, I would go with the hardwood types. Just one man's opinion....nothing special.

[@VelebitMountainMan]

Agreed, built it during covid, no lumber in stock had to use what they had

[@joesmith7427]

U can always get another wife!! But a good cold smoker doesnt talk back to u! 😊 u cant get another mother!! Remember that! For that price, u could have paid for the meat and have it served to you!!

[@michaelsteven8281]

Would love some info on curing. I want to buy Tata one of those Cooleds you see in a circlek. The True brand. Was thinking it would make this a year round process then.

[@VelebitMountainMan]

There are some good videos out there on how to build a cure room/fridge or you can buy a prefab one from the net but they are expensive. www.sausagemaker.com/product/stainless-steel-digital-dry-curing-cabinet/ Better off making one. I'm going to get serious about buying a new fridge to facilitate curing.