At the time of me writing this article on how to cold smoke on a pellet grill the temperatures are very low and sometimes even below freezing.
The ideal temperature for cold smoking!
What Is Cold Smoking?
Cold smoking is a very old way of preserving food. Many times it was just in combination with curing. Curing with salt or some type of acid-tasting thing like lemon juice.
Cold means that there is no heat involved and actually the lower the temperature the better. As long as you keep the temperature in the smoker under 80 degrees you can smoke in your pellet grill with any pellet flavor you like.
Cold Smoke Equipment
If you ever looked at how to cold smoke food you must have, just like me, found many types of equipment to do that.
I have seen things such as cardboard boxes up to professional smoke generators and even whole smokehouses that were built for that purpose.
What Do I Use For Cold Smoking
I do not cold smoke that much that I would opt for an expensive solution. I smoke when it is cold and the temperature allows me to keep the temperature in the chamber of my pellet grill under 80 degrees.
Smoke Tube
This is the one I use and I got it on Amazon for under $15 and has lasted me for many years now.
The benefit is that I can also use it to add more smoke to my pellet grill when I am just doing my regular smoking and would like to have a little stronger smoke taste in my meat.
Just add the pellets you like to use to the smoke tube and light them. Wait till they burn and then make them smolder. Add to the pellet grill and that is all you have to do.
What Can You Cold Smoke?
It is not easy to answer this question. There are foods that are easy and safe to smoke and some others are hard to cold smoke and might even have health hazards when done wrong.
Basically, you can smoke about any food. However, there are things to keep in mind before starting.
In the cold smoking process, the temperature stays in the “danger zone” for a long time and this can make bacteria grow easily and fast.
As long as you do your research and use the right sanitary rules you should be safe to start with cold smoking on your pellet grill.
Beginners Guide To Cold Smoking
I can type here hundreds of words but sometimes it is easier to watch a video. He can probably also explain it better than I can.
Now we know the basics it is time to get started and what is better than to start with the easiest foods to cold smoke?
Easiest Food To Cold Smoke
In my opinion, some of the easiest foods to cold smoke are cheese, eggs, and nuts. I recommend starting with cheese since they absorb smoke easily and this means they are not in the dangerous temperature that long.
Video On How To Smoke Cheese
Who else can show us better how to smoke cheese than Malcolm Reed.
Cold Smoking On A Pellet Grill – My Opinion
Cold smoking can be done on about every grill. However, in better pellet grills that have good seals and no air leaks, it can be done very effectively.
One word of advice is to keep food safety in our mind at all times since smoked food can make you very sick when it is done wrong.
Although there are many products for sale that can help you smoke food. The easiest way to get started is with the smoke tube I mentioned above.
Robert Chill
Robert Chill loves to cook on pellet grills and uses all types of recipes and techniques to cook some awesome food. With his experience, he is able to share many reviews, tips, and ideas on how to buy a pellet grill. You can read more about him here