Made a ghetto grain smoker

[scarecrow]

Thought I would make a grain smoker as an introduction into making scotch (which I have never done before).

First up I had to raid the cardboard bin behind Harvey Normans and knock up a bit of a structure.
This will be the bottom section.

bottom.JPG

I cut a flap for the banjo and the SS pot and made a hole for the smoke into the top chamber.

bottom2.JPG

This is the top chamber with the tray supports. I added some copper wire to stop the supports from slipping out.

top2.JPG

top3.JPG

Made a screen for the grain.

screen.jpg

Mores a commin"

scarecrow

[scarecrow]

And dumped in 4Kg of lightly soaked barley. Light the fuse and stand back. :shock:
The towels I wet to keep some of the smoke under control.

Run1.jpg

This what I used. A half bag of Killarney Peat Moss and a half bag of oak shavings, both were lightly misted with water.

bom.jpg

I smoked the grain for 2 hours, stank out the neighbourhood and had a visit from the local boys in blue.
I stirred the pot every half hour. The oak smoked well but the peat moss just smoldered slowly. It needed a stir to get it going again.
I lightly misted the grain bed twice during the run and when I was finished the barley was nice and dry with a slightly golden colour.

The smoked grain is on the left. You can just see the colour difference.

Grain1.jpg

The grain had a nice wood smoke aroma to it which I liked. Couldn't smell the peat.
One thing I noticed was that the grain had opened up and swelled slightly, and it was much softer to chew on than the non-smoked stuff. Love the smell though.

And I did all of this with one mutha fukin hangover. Someone WILL appreciate this.

scarecrow

[Frank]

I appeciate it :laughing-rolling:
Nice work mate...what are you gonna do with the peated grain in terms of adding to a wash etc?

and did you give the cops some? :teasing-neener:

[law-of-ohms]

had a visit from the local boys in blue

You gota tell us what happened with the fuz!

[scarecrow]

When I was spreading the grain out after smoking is when they arrived. It looked like I was in full production in a meth lab.

I told them I was making a German lager beer for home brewing and was smoking the barley for extra flavour. They were concerned about the copious quantity of smoke. They said that the neighbours complained about the smoke and the smell.

I said "So, you think it was a bit much for 8.00am on a Sunday morning?" They laughed and went about their business.

PS Pick a time Frank, I'm commin' over. :dance:

scarecrow

[bt1]

A larger beer f me...classic!

Nice informative post btw with spot of good humour

bt1

[R-sole]

You need to have vents in the top of the smoker too. The smoke has to be able to find it's way out if it gets in there and hangs it will turn acrid apparently.

I've also read on the beer forums that it should be left for a week or two before being used for the same reason. It lets the flavours settle and stops the acrid taste from dominating.

I couldn't get garden peat moss to smolder properly.

[scarecrow]

It has an adjustable vent hole at the top. That's the idea with the cross over towels.

venthole.JPG

I can also adjust the temperature this way using the digital thermometer near the top.
When it first fires up it will hit 140C easily. I then knock down the heat and open the vent hole and it sits between 70 -75C.

I just tried another experiment by soaking the peat overnight and throwing it on hot coals. Dang, she'sa smokin' now.

Freakin' neighbour yelled at me again. I told her to keep the noise down, it's still early and people are sleepin'. :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

scarecrow

[scarecrow]

Did a run with only peat smoke, no oak. 2 hours of heat and smoke. Turned out a bit darker than expected.
I soaked the grain overnight to really open it up.
Much darker than the wood smoked on the right and raw on the left.

grain2.jpg

scarecrow