Fire for Cold Smoking advice needed

[JES]

So, we are living in Norway and I have built myself a small smoke house and will be making some sausage soon. I have a very limited supply of pecan wood chunks and was hoping to see if those of you who cold smoke could please provide some input on the most efficient way to smoke.

I have a small Weber style grill I am using for my firebox and will pipe the smoke over with some vent duct. I have two options for wood/fuel sources:

1) Buy 5 lb bags of pecan chunks via Amazon, for about $50 shipped per 5 lbs...Thinking of using some charcoal for the fire source and soaking the wood chunks in water and then adding them as needed. But for a 4 - 6 hour smoke, how many pounds of wood chunks would I need?

2) A local company sells pecan wood pellets for a pellet style smoker. I don't have any experience with the wood pellets, but this would be my easiest way to get fuel for my smoke.

My preference would be the wood chunks and not the pellets, but the cost is really hard to swallow.

Thoughts on best way to get this done?

No matter what, this is going to be the most expensive smoked sausage on the face of the Earth...

[Neuse]

I use very well seasoned mesquite bark. It produces good smoke.

I have a pane at the bottom of my smoke house,
I take it out and get the fire started, let it burn for a little while, then put the pan back inside, add some more bark and cover with a piece of tin.

I don't want a fire, just smoking, smoldeing bark.

Do not use use green stuff.

[Uncle Saggy]

In Europe, Alder is the go to wood for smoking. Why not use alder and charcoal for the fire/smoke source and add the pecan you have throughout the cold smoke?

[clintb]

If you soak the 5lbs of wood you buy in water for a day or overnight that will be plenty for smoking 5-6 hrs using charcoal as the base heat. Soaking the wood that long prolongs the smoke and less burn of your wood. Only put a chunk or two at a time for that time frame of cooking and you will be fine.

[kmitchl]

I use the A-MAZEN products pellet smoker. It is available on Amazon. One of the products I have purchased that does everything they claim.

[Smart]

Fire for Cold Smoking advice needed

I wouldn't soak your wood. It is a myth that has been busted.. Penetration is nill and the water doesn't allow for a clean blue smoke burn where it does until it evaporates.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_soaking_wood.html

Personally I'd do what uncle shaggy suggested. I'll go through 10-12- 18" pieces on a 5-6 hour cold smoke in my smokehouse. Of course I'm
not sure of the size of your firebox and smokehouse set up.

[JES]

Here is my set up, doing a test burn today.

I'll look into the alder, thanks for the tips.

[JES]

There is a store maybe 1/2 a mile from my house and I can get any of these charcoal or pellets:

http://www.gastronaut.no/E2x2VLXC9g_H7z_AhlFK64-KFLV68f3TP9D6CJ1KWD.ips?template=webshop

Amazingly all the way across the world I can buy B&B lump charcoal, go figure. I always liked the pecan smoked sausage and bacon so wanted to do that. What is y'all's experience with using mesquite for this? I always used pecan for smoking briskest, chickens and ribs and mesquite for grilling. Those that use mesquite for cold smoking do you like the flavor? Right now I could go for pallet wood smoked sausage.

[Smart]

Fire for Cold Smoking advice needed

If you can get lump charcoal, that's as good as wood for a good coal base to throw your chunks on.

I was raised on mesquite cold smoked sausage. My dad, brother and friends still use it. I have better access to pecan and oak in DFW so I use pecan. They are both great

[Old Bald Guy]

It doesn't take much wood to cold smoke a batch of sausage provided you have a way of choking the fire down so that it will smoke and not flare up. I use a piece of 12" pipe about 16" long with a plate welded on the bottom and 3 or 4 small holes cut in the sides down low for air. Took a hubcap from a 3/4 ton Ford truck and poked 6 or 8 small holes in it for my lid. Nothing fancy but works really well. Set the pipe out of the smokehouse, put maybe 8-10 pieces of charcoal in it, add a tad of lighter and fire that sucker up. Let it burn for a while until the lighter fluid smell is gone and then add a few chunks of whatever wood I'm smoking with and let them get started burning. Set the pipe back in the smokehouse, fill it up with wood chunks and then put the lid on it. It smokes for about 4-6 hours on less than a 5 gallon bucket of wood chunks. That will give you plenty of smoke flavor without overdoing it. Let it hang until it's dried to your liking.
My smokehouse sits out under a big oak and is well ventilated. I mounted a 8" component fan in the wall and leave it running to keep the air circulated which keeps me from having mold issues.

[dbaio1]

If your using lump charcoal for your fuel, I'd think using the pecan pellets would provide you the smoke flavor your looking for. Maybe someone else will chime in but I'd give it a try if the cost is much better on the pellets. $50 for that little bit of wood is super expensive to me. Good luck.

[JES]

If your using lump charcoal for your fuel, I'd think using the pecan pellets would provide you the smoke flavor your looking for. Maybe someone else will chime in but I'd give it a try if the cost is much better on the pellets. $50 for that little bit of wood is super expensive to me. Good luck.

That's where I'm at, still expensive, but not as much as having those chunks shipped from the U.S.

[Smart]

$50 is cheap if you consider it part of your entertainment fund...I enjoy the whole process so $50 for a something to do and a good time doing it, is cheap entertainment..

[JES]

$50 is cheap if you consider it part of your entertainment fund...I enjoy the whole process so $50 for a something to do and a good time doing it, is cheap entertainment..

I have 10 lbs here now, the company just cut my foreign living allowance to the tune of over $25K so my entertainment fund is gone! Now got to make that 10 lbs last!

[ATControlFreak]

http://www.amazon.com/-Maze-n-Pellet-Smoker-Hickory-Pellets/dp/B00LLIQRZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429470554&sr=8-1&keywords=amazen+pellet+smoker

Someone else posted about this earlier in the thread. I just bought one so I don't have an actual testimonial yet. Might work for what you want.