The Type:
Cold smokers can be electric or manual. Electric cold smokers can be the traditional smoker tubes that heat the wood chips up by electricity. Another type of electric smoker is the fast acting smoker gun.
These battery powered guns such as the MITBAK Portable Handheld Cold Smoking Gun prepares cold smoked delicacies in minutes and adds the perfect touch of complexity to your gourmet. This type is recommended for the busy bees, the impatient ones and the cooking aficionados.
On the other hand, manual cold smoker tubes are more traditional and give you the feeling of BBQ to the fullest. Most units reviewed by us belong to this variety. These need to be manually torched to get the smoking started.
The Size:
The size of your smoker tube is important because it determines how much wood it can accommodate. The greater the number of wood chips, the more smoke it generates. And the more smoke produced, the better your cold smoking session turns out to be. 12’’ long smoker tubes are considered ideal. You can opt for units like the LIZZQ Premium Pellet Smoker Tube.
The Shape:
Smoker tubes come in interesting shapes. We can’t name any other kitchen gear that shows so much variety in shapes.
The best shape for cold smoking is the circular shape. This minimizes the cross section and the gap between adjacent wood pellets. This way, the pellets are more densely packed and create more smoke.
Unfortunately, circular tubes roll. They can roll out of your grill and may cause burn hazards. Trojan Grill Ultimate Smoker Tube Complete KIT claims to have a “no-roll” circular design that takes cares of the rolling cold smoker issue. It definitely is a work of wonder.
Another way the manufacturers solve this rolling issue is by molding the smoker tubes into a hexagonal or oval shape. These shapes are the closest to a circular one, while at the same time they provide enough stability. A-MAZE-N AMNTS12 Oval Pellet Tube Smoker is an oval smoker attachment made with this in mind. The hexagonal shape is more popular. You get our top pick, the Skoo Pellet Smoker in this form.
Square shaped cold smokers like the Carpathen Pellet Smoker Tube aren’t that common, but these are the easiest to position. Ergo, we highly recommend it for the new Pitmasters.
Run Time:
We are often asked what the optimum duration of cold smoking is. We say between 2 to 4 hours. Ergo, look for something that promises to smoke that long.
So, whoever thought that the 2.5 hours of run time promised by the IMSurQltyPrise Smoker Smoke Tube Box for Pellets Grill is not enough, brace yourself to be surprised. This small and compact budget buy gives you a sufficient run time.
You can also go for longer tubes providing runtime ranging from 4 to 5 hours. A-MAZE-N AMNTS12 Oval Pellet Tube Smoker and Premium Hexagon Wood Pellet Smoker Tube 12″ by EMBR Smoking are more than enough for this.
Complimentary Attachments:
This is not a must have, but we like it when we unbox a whole bunch of supplies instead of a single piece, We simply love the The Best Cold Smoker Kit Combo: Trojan Grill Ultimate Smoker Tube Complete KIT . It makes us feel good.
How to Use the Cold Smoker that Landed at Your Doorstep?
Using a cold smoker isn’t hard. It just mandates you to know what you are doing. So, it’s probably a safe idea to skim through this stepwise “How To Use” guide before you start with your best cold smoker.
Things You Need:
- Your new cold smoker tube
- Your favorite wood pellets
- A propane torch
Step 1: Fill up your smoker tube with wood pellets and then gently tap it on the floor.
This will settle the pellets closer to each other and create more room for pellets.
Step 2: Fill the gap created when you tapped it to the ground with more wood pellets.
Now, you have a compact arrangement of pellets inside your smoker tube.
Step 3: Now place the tube on a fire-safe surface such as your grill grate with the open side pointing upwards.
Step 4: Light the pellets on top of the cold smoker tube with the propane torch and let it stand for 5 minutes ( some suggest 10 minutes ).
Step 5: Now put the fire off by gently blowing at it.
Voila, you are all set and SMOKING!
Queries Unfulfilled? Skim through the Solutions to these Cold Smoking FAQs to Know More!
Cold Smoking is an age old sophisticated art that has come back from the pages of history and taken us by storm. For us, it’s relatively new and it’s okay to have a lot of questions about it.
We picked the questions we are asked the most and tried to answer them for you.
01. What are wood pellets?
Wood pellets are small wood capsules mass produced as a fuel source of pellet grills and pizza ovens. They come in different flavor profiles and to give the smoke a certain scent. That’s why pellet grills are well known for producing flavorful dishes.
Infusing your meat and food with this distinct smokey scent is what cold smoking is all about these days.
02. Which is the best wood for cold smoking?
All wood pellets smoke, but not all of them add a pleasant aroma to your food. For cold smoking “Clean Burning Woods” such as mesquite, hickory, beech, cherry, apple and oak are the best.
Which one you should specifically go for will depend on which flavor you are keen to try out the most.
03. Which food can I cold smoke?
The options are endless, but we made a list. And we are sure that after having a look at it, you will exclaim, “Which food CAN’T I cold smoke?”
- Bacon
- Beef cuts
- Cheese
- Butter
- Chicken
- Fish
- Ham
- Nuts
- Olives
- Lemon and Limes
- Veggies
- Sausages
- Garlic
04. Can I cold smoke raw meat?
You can. But you shouldn’t.
Nope. Nada.
It’s a bad idea to cold smoke uncooked meat. When people of the past used it as a preservation technique, they did it meticulously and in a manner that we don’t know anymore. Cold smoked raw meat could be a harbour ground for harmful bacteria, and we don’t want that.
Thank goodness, we have the refrigerator now so we don’t cold smoke raw meat anymore. These cold smoking gears are all designed for already cooked or curated meat. The goal is to prepare mouth watering delicacies for our loved ones to enjoy.
