How to Make Your Own Cold Smoker

Smoking foods is often done using a grill, but there are other options. One way around this is to build a cold smoker. It is inexpensive to make and produces grill-like results. Only three items are needed in order to make this device, and all can be purchased for less than $10 at your local supermarket. Smoking food does not actually cook the food. It is only intended to add flavor before or after cooking. Cold smoking can be used on beef, pork, fish, scallops, sausage, cheeses, ham and bacon.

• 1

  Clean the inside of the can completely. Remove any labels or adhesive from the outer surface of the can.

• 2

  Make a hole in the can with your knife that's large enough for the soldering iron to fit through. Put the hole close to where the can and lid are still attached.

• 3

  Put the smoker pellets into the can--fill it less than halfway. Bend the lid so that it is closed, and put the soldering iron into the hole. Lay the can on its side so that the pellets cover the soldering iron (i.e., the tip is under the pellets).

• 4

  Place the cold smoker in the grill where the food is going to be smoked. Close the lid--be careful of the electrical cord. Plug in the electrical cord for the soldering iron and let the food smoke for an hour or so--for longer smoking, you'll have to take the device apart and replace the pellets.

• 5

  Unplug the soldering iron and let the can cool down for about half an hour. Once it is cool, remove the soldering iron from the hole, bend the can lid back so that it is open, and dump the used pellets into the trash. .