This larger Artisan Cold Smoke Generator by ProQ is designed for smokers with a volume of at least 150 litres (think ProQ Excel or bigger). Delivering up to 16 continuous hours of cold smoke from a fill of 300g, the Artisan is a great choice for cold smoking on a larger scale.

Create smoked salmon, bacon, cheeses, charcuterie, cheeses and ingredients with this ingenious cold smoking method which, despite it’s simplicity, is both reliable and effective. No electrics to go wrong, no high tech controls, just the simple process of slow smouldering wood dust, generating cooled aromatic wood smoke flavour without the heat. Cold smoking needs to take place in temperatures under 20 degrees otherwise your food will begin to cook.

Use in any ventilated smoking chamber such as a large BBQ,  home made smoking cabinet or shed. You don’t need any alternative heat source, just a supply of fine wood smoking dust.

The maze design looks simple enough but the mesh size, channel width and length have been perfectly calibrated so that a 300g fill of wood dust will smoulder gently over the course of 16 hours. Use again and again for a wide range of cold smoking projects.

Included with your Artisan generator is a tealight together with a 300g pack of fine oak smoking dust. Everything you need to get started.

Cold smoking

Cold smoked foods are essentially raw foods which have been cured with a salt and sugar mix before sealing with a layer of wood smoke. The cure removes excess moisture which has the dual effect of removing the breeding ground for bacteria and intensifying the food flavour. The seal of smoke also has a preservative effect. Non fresh foods, such as nuts, oils, salts, chillis and garlic, don’t need to be cured but can go straight to the cold smoking stage.

How it works

Fill with 300g of a fine wood dust. Light from the outer corner using the tealight supplied and once the wood starts to smoulder remove and extinguish the tealight. Place in your grill and add your food. Ventilate gently. The wood will gently burn producing cooled wood smoke without heat as it travels along the mesh channel. Leave for the full 16 hours or part fill for shorter smoking sessions.

Selecting your wood dust

We recommend oak, beech, maple and whisky oak from our dust collection for best results. Other flavours will work but can be less reliable due to their larger sized or variable sized particles, a combination of large and small particles. Larger particles with their larger surface allow too much oxygen into the process creating heat spikes which will elevate the cold smoking temperature and also increasing the risk of the smouldering being extinguished. Tiny, dusty particles won’t allow enough oxygen in to maintain smouldering. Batches do vary however, so do feel free to give us a call about latest batch consistency if you are set on a flavour not on our recommended list. You can also mix flavours to even out consistency issues, so for example, Beech with it’s mild subtle flavour is an excellent ‘carrier’ which you can use as a base layer in your cold smoke generator to maintain smouldering, topped with your preferred flavour eg Apple or Hickory. Or create your own bespoke blend with equally powered flavours such as Maple (consistently fine) and Cherry (more variable consistency).

Preservative Effect

Cold smoke penetrates the surface of the food to create a barrier to pests and disease as well as adding smoky flavours. This has a preservative effect and although the food effectively remains raw it is safe to eat – such as smoked hams, saucisson or salmon, or can be cooked for consumption at a later time, such as bacon.

This device will add a vast new culinary repertoire to the home smoker whilst also providing a reliable source of cold smoke for the commercial smoker.

Measures L 28 x W 25 x H 4 cm

Made of stainless steel.

Care Instructions: Wash in hot soapy water and scrub gently with a soft nailbrush to remove any residues. Also dishwasher safe, but wash separately.