External Smoke Generator - What's your thoughts

[snakyjake]

Here is some information posted by Meathead Goldwyn at AmazingRibs regarding electric smokers:

You can use sawdust and wood chips with some electric grills, and get a nice smoke flavor, but it is different from other smoke flavors because the wood smolders at a low temp. Electric smokers can make smoke from wood, but the burn temp is so low that the flavor is very different than gas or charcoal smokers, and in my mind, inferior for most foods.

So I'm curious if the external smoke source can be better optimized for the smoke profile flavor, since it doesn't have to also be used to produce heat?  The solution sounds simple; just need to optimize the heat temperature of the smoking wood.

Thanks,
Jake

Good question.  My own take on this, and without ever having used an external smoke source is that smoke flavor is smoke flavor regardless of whether it be hot smoke or relatively cool smoke.  Hopefully someone with experience using an external smoke device can provide some solid insight as to the flavor profile. Regarding layers, I would think (after ruining a butt) that the longer a piece of meat sits in a stream of smoke, the more flavor it gets, at least on the exterior. My ruined butt was very bitter, and the tacky coating on the exterior had the consistency of creosote.

 

[old sarge]

Hello Smoker Nation,

update on the external smoke generator,  We are now working on our second prototype.  we needed to make some adjustments in the design.  Looks to be a stainless steel square vertical burn chamber. with the hope to have a large enough chamber to support a smoke for 5 or 6 hours before having to re load with more wood.  We have tried various mounting locations on the smoker and I believe we might go with a door mount.  Seems to work well with little or no condensation issues.  We should be able to also offer a pre drilled door setup for the customers that don't want to drill a hole into a smoker.  Or you could actually mount the generator anywhere you want.  We plan on posting some photos to review after we do more testing on this second prototype   

Thanks for thew update!

 

[Cheezhead]

Hi folks
Wondering if there has been any progress on this option? I would love to keep my family’s tradition of cold smoked sausage alive with today’s technology.
Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

[LuvMyQ]

Count me in as one who needs a user friendly option for cold smoking.  Anxious to see progress in this.

 

[martinman54]

Heck ya!  Count me in on the external smoke generator.....perfect idea for smoking my homemade deer links and bacon!

Tony from Texas

 

[Administrator]

Hello Smokin-it Nation,

Thought I would post our new external smoke generator.  Made from all stainless steel, comes apart into 5 pcs for easy cleaning. Will also include a variable speed air pump.  Holds approx. 2 pounds of wood pellets.  In our testing we were able to produce smoke for up to 6 hours without reloading the generator.  We have a very limited supply at this time.
cost will be $129.99 delivered.  I will be posting more pics and a video shortly

 

[old sarge]

Looks mighty nice from where I'm sitting. Should be a hit with the folks who cold smoke. 

 

[Scold]

I’m so in!  As soon as they go on the website, I’m gonna order that, my new 3D, cart and hella accessories.  ;D

 

[martinman54]

Looks great!  How much for one mounted on a 4-D door shipped?

 

[old sarge]

I’m so in!  As soon as they go on the website, I’m gonna order that, my new 3D, cart and hella accessories.  ;D

Based upon what was posted about a limited supply, you may want to contact Steve direct via email regarding a purchase.  Keep in mind that to mount the unit will require drilling and stainless steel is pretty tough stuff to drill.

 

[old sarge]

Looks great!  How much for one mounted on a 4-D door shipped?

Only Steve can answer that.

 

[LuvMyQ]

Yeah, I'm a handy DIY'er, but that whole drillin' stainless steel thing may be a no starter for me.  Dang it.

 

[LarryD]

Yeah, I'm a handy DIY'er, but that whole drillin' stainless steel thing may be a no starter for me.  Dang it.

It's not just the stainless...  if your bit/saw catches the insulation you could completely yank it out and destroy the thermal properties of the smoker.  This seems like a bizarre design.

 

[EFGM]

Yeah, I'm a handy DIY'er, but that whole drillin' stainless steel thing may be a no starter for me.  Dang it.

It's not just the stainless...  if your bit/saw catches the insulation you could completely yank it out and destroy the thermal properties of the smoker.  This seems like a bizarre design.

Good thought and valid concern on the insulation. I’ll bet Steve can share his experience on the test model (s) he had retrofitted. Must not have been an issue or he would not be proceeding with this.

On the drilling, yes, stainless steel does take patience, and slow RPM drilling with some oil. Patience is the key. Check out Spyder Products hole saw kits. Lowe’s is a great source.

 

[Limey]

When I cold smoke I use an external smoke generator(Smoke Daddy Big Kahuna) and pipe the smoke down through the blowhole. No drilling required and it works great.

 

[old sarge]

Drilling should not destroy insulation. You will lose a little when you punch through but it will be negligible if you are careful. Just push it to the side as you go through the other panel wall.

Steve has doors for all models except for the 3.5 and the 5 in stock and pre-drilled for the smoke generator. They are in limited supply right now so not listed in the site. But he can be contacted via email for a door if you want one.

The smoke generator will hold 2 lbs of pellets.  He has exceeded 7 hours of smoke. He will include 1 lb of starter pellets. The pump is included in the price for the generator.

The generator is 3 1/8 inch square and 10 inches tall. The tube is 3/4 inch diameter and extends 3 1/2 inch into the smoker.

Also,  Steve has held prices through all the trade talks but come 1 Oct 2019 you can expect prices to go up if the 25% tariff kicks in. So waiting for any specials on smokers or accessories might probe futile.

 

[EFGM]

You know after all this time I never looked at the door to see how it was mounted. Looks like a couple of taps with a rubber mallet and its off.  Thanks for the info Dave.

 

[old sarge]

Lifts right off. No mallet needed.

 

[Administrator]

Hello Smokin-It Nation!

Just a couple thoughts on the new smoke generator.

I did not have any issue drilling a hole thru the side of the test smoker.  I used a brand new drill bit and went very slow.  I had only a very small amount of insulation come off during the drilling process.  The doors we will offer will be drilled and a stainless steel collar will be welded on to both sides of the door for the generator tube to slide into.  This process will be done by my local machine shop.  We will also pre drill two starter holes for the (2) self tapping screws that mount to the top of the generator body to secure the generator to the smoker door.
I am hoping to have pricing for the various doors this week as I am waiting for current replacement door
pricing.  The air pump used is a variable speed pump so you can vary the amount of smoke pushed into the smoker.  With this process you don't even need the wood box inserted in the smoker.  We actually test a generator again today and had almost 10 hours of smoke from a fully loaded generator. Approx. 2lbs.  I did tap the main body of the generator twice during the smoke to make sure no bridging of pellets happen inside the generator.

 

[old sarge]

Sounds simple enough.