Are you ready to up your meat game and impress your friends and family with perfectly smoked and cured meats? Well, my friend, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re talking about cold smokers, the ultimate tool for meat enthusiasts. Those magical metal boxes that let you infuse everything from salmon to cheese with sweet, smoky goodness without actually cooking the food. Cold smoking – it’s not just a culinary technique, it’s a way of life.
As someone who’s been known to cold smoke an entire wheel of brie in one go, I’m here to tell you that every food lover needs a cold smoker in their arsenal. Hot smokers are great and all, but there’s something special about letting smoke work its magic over hours or even days without applying any direct heat. Low and slow, that’s the cold smoking motto.
And before you start thinking this is some fancy-schmancy chef thing, let me tell you that cold smoking is actually pretty easy. You don’t need any specialized training, just a little bit of technique and patience. With the right cold smoker, you’ll be churning out smoky salmon, cheeses, nuts, and more in no time.
What Is Cold Smoker? The Cold, Hard Truth
First things first, what is a cold smoker? How do cold smokers work their magic? This nifty gadget is designed to smoke meat at low temperatures, typically around 80-100°F. It takes longer than hot smoking, but the end result is a beautifully flavored, tender, and juicy meat that will make your taste buds dance with joy. The basic idea is you generate smoke in one chamber and pipe it into another chamber where the food sits for anywhere from a few hours to a couple days. The smoke infuses the food with flavor and gives it that gorgeous mahogany color, but since the temperature stays low, around 70-90°F, it doesn’t actually cook the food.
A cold smoker is a device used for smoking food at low temperatures, typically below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike hot smoking, which cooks and smokes the food simultaneously, cold smoking only imparts a smoky flavor to the food and does not cook it. The cold smoker consists of a smoke generator that produces smoke, which is then channeled into a smoking chamber where the food is placed on racks. The smoke is then allowed to circulate around the food for several hours, adding flavor and preserving it. Cold smoking is commonly used for meats, fish, cheese, and vegetables, and is a popular technique among food enthusiasts and professional chefs alike.
Cold smoking is all about teasing out every nuance of flavor slowly over time. There’s an art to it. And like most arts, the right equipment makes a world of difference.
Let’s talk features. There are a few key things to look for in a cold smoker:
Ample Smoking Capacity
You’ll want a smoker big enough to handle a whole salmon or several racks of ribs. Otherwise you’ll be stuck doing tiny batches, which is just sad. Go big or go home!
Separate Smoke and Food Chambers
The smoke chamber should have a way to burn woodchips, pellets, or sawdust to generate smoke. The food chamber is where you’ll load up the salmon, nuts, cheese, etc. Keeping them separate prevents the food from getting bitter.
Adjustable Vents
Controlling air flow through vents is crucial for managing temperature and smoke. You don’t want thick, acrid smoke clouding up your precious brie. Gotta keep it clean!
Insulated Construction
You want something that holds a steady temp, especially if you’ll be cold smoking through frigid winter nights. Thin metal won’t cut it.
Easy Access
You’ll be checking on your food a lot, so look for a smoker with wide doors and removable racks. You want to encourage frequent peeking!
Cold Smokers Working Principle
Now, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of cold smokers. Portable cold smokers are incredibly popular nowadays, and for good reason. They’re compact, easy-to-use, and can be used in a variety of settings, from your backyard to a camping trip. Plus, they offer a level of versatility that is hard to come by with other smoking methods.
The basic principle behind cold smoking is that the smoke generated by the smoker is used to flavor and preserve the food. The smoke is produced by burning wood chips or other materials, such as sawdust or pellets, which are then directed into a smoking chamber. The chamber is designed to be air-tight, so that the smoke can circulate and penetrate the food without being too hot.
In order to keep the temperature low, cold smokers often use a variety of techniques to control the flow of smoke and air. For example, some smokers use a water pan to absorb heat and maintain a consistent temperature, while others use fans to circulate the smoke and keep it from becoming too concentrated. Ultimately, the key to successful cold smoking is finding the right balance between smoke, temperature, and time to achieve the desired flavor and texture for your food.
My Kingdom for a Cold Smoker: Choosing the Best
When it comes to choosing a cold smoker, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, consider the size of the smoker. If you plan on smoking larger cuts of meat, you’ll need a bigger smoker to accommodate them. Second, think about the type of wood chips you’ll be using. Different wood chips provide different flavors, so it’s worth experimenting with a few to find the ones that suit your taste buds. And lastly, make sure the smoker has good ventilation to prevent the meat from becoming too smoky or bitter.
Masterbuilt Portable Cold Smoker
One of my personal favorites is the Masterbuilt Portable Cold Smoker. This bad boy is perfect for on-the-go smoking and can be easily attached to any Masterbuilt digital electric smoker. It’s also incredibly easy to use and clean, making it a great option for beginners.

Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Generator
Another great option is the Smoke Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Generator. This little guy is perfect for those who want to add a little extra smoke to their existing grill or smoker. It’s compact, durable, and produces a consistent amount of smoke. Plus, it’s just plain fun to say “Magnum P.I.G.”

Little Chief Front Load Smoker
This cute electric smoker may look low tech, but don’t underestimate it. The boxy Little Chief has been around for decades and still churns out excellent cold smoked salmon and jerky.
What it lacks in fancy features it makes up for in simplicity and durability. Just plug it in, load up the woodchips, hang your food, and walk away. The heating element will keep it between 165-200°F without any temperature control needed.
For under $100, the “small but mighty” Little Chief is great for beginners who want a simple, no-fuss cold smoker. Just know that the capacity is limited, so you’ll need to smoke in small batches.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker
If the Little Chief is basic, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series is the luxury SUV of smokers. It’s equipped with all the bells and whistles like built-in thermometers, digital control panel, insulated double-walled construction, and more.
This thing can easily maintain a perfect 100°F for cold smoking. It can also crank up the heat when you want to do some good old fashioned hot smoking. The Gravity Series is as versatile as a smoker gets.
It’s pricier than most models, but worth it for the flawless temperature control and huge smoking capacity. We’re talking over 700 square inches here, enough space to cold smoke dozens of pounds of bacon simultaneously.
The only downside is you have to feed it charcoal and woodchunks instead of convenient pellets. But hey, great smoked food requires some effort. This bad boy is worth the extra time.

A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker
Sometimes you don’t need a whole smoker appliance – you just need a straightforward way to produce smoke. That’s where the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker comes in handy.
It’s an open-ended metal tube that you fill with flavored wood pellets. The pellets smolder without flame to create perfect cool smoke. Then you can set the tube inside any grill or smoker to infuse your food with luscious smoke flavor.
I love the A-MAZE-N tube because it gives you flexibility. It’s great for cold smoking in regular charcoal grills, refrigerators converted into smokers, even cardboard boxes in a pinch.
For less than $40, you can add easy cold smoking capabilities to equipment you already own. You can even bring it camping. The A-MAZE-N tube brings delicious cold smoked food within anyone’s reach.
Confessions of a Cold Smoking Addict
I may have an obsession. There’s just something magical about taking a food you love and amping up the flavor with a deep smoky essence.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gotten up at 3am to reload my cold smoker with more pellets, unable to leave my precious cargo unattended for long.
My enthusiasm has gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion. Let’s just say my neighbors don’t appreciate the smell of 12 straight hours of cold smoking pork belly wafting through the neighborhood. Ah yes, that sweet smell of hickory smoke and sodium nitrate. My idea of heaven!
But you gotta suffer for your smoke, am I right? No great dish comes without sacrifice. Just imagine the glory of slicing into a perfectly smoked pastrami you labored over for days. The juicy meat practically melts on your tongue, the flavor deep and complex with just a whisper of woodsmoke.
Yeah, I’d smoke a truckload of sausages in the Alaskan wilderness if it meant I could keep experiencing flavor nirvana like that. I’m far gone, my friends. Cold smoking for life!
I hope my passion has inspired you to explore the magic of cold smoking yourself. It truly takes your cooking to the next level. Grab a smoker, load it up, and get that thin blue smoke working its way into every bite. Your tastebuds will thank you!