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Soak wood chips in your favorite liquid (water, beer, wine, etc.)
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for 3 hours.
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Fill the can with 1/2 cup of wood chips at a time and place in the firebox of your offset smoker on it's side.
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Insert the tip of the soldering iron into the can, underneath the wood chips, to the back of the can.
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Plug the soldering iron in and turn it on.
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The time it takes to begin seeing wisps of smoke depends on the wattage of the soldering iron.
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I used the 40 watt setting on my iron and began seeing smoke in about 5 minutes.
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After 15 minutes, there will be smoking embers.
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Turn off or unplug the soldering iron.
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Keep the firebox vent open by a quarter and the smoke chamber damper by an eighth.
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I was very pleased how well this worked.
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1/2 cup of wood chips generated copious amounts of smoke for about 1.5 hours.
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The ambient temperature outside at the time of testing was 75F and the highest temperature the digital thermometer recorded inside the smoke chamber was 79F; well within the acceptable range for cold smoking.
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Now that I have proved to myself that this actually works, going to try out a recipe tomorrow.
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If you try this method, be sure to share how it went and any suggestions.
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*Safety Concerns: When using an old soldering iron, it is probably best to replace the soldering tip.
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Solder contains lead and there is probably a small buildup of solder on there and you certainly don't want that ending up on your food.
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Would there be enough to make someone sick?
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I don't know but why take a chance when a new soldering tip is only about 5 bucks.
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Also it is important to note, some metal food cans have a protective layer on the inside.
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I am not sure if when heated it would give off anything poisonous that could be carried in the smoke.
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Always look for a can that does not have that layer.
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Pros of this method: If you already own an offset smoker, the this is an inexpensive hack that works fairly well.
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Cons of this method: If you don't already own an offset smoker, then it isn't an inexpensive hack anymore.
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Since you don't want to go above 86F you are restricted to late fall, winter, and early spring for cold smoking.
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(Depending on your geography) The embers can sometimes die early so you may have to turn the soldering iron back on to finish them.