Realcook 8" Cold Smoke Generator, Hot or Cold Smoking on Any BBQ Grill and Smoker, Perfect for Smoked Salmon, Cheese, Pork and More, Smoke Time up to 4-7 Hours

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I tried it out and using a tealight to start seems to work better then other methods. It really did burn for just a little over 6 hrs. I like the long burn time with minimum material. The tubes use a lot of pellets and only burn about 2-3hrs. For large pieces of meat you have to refill smoker tubes several times.

I was skeptical of the small size at first, but this worked very well for cold smoking salmon in my kettle grill. Make sure that you use wood chips (not pellets), a tea candle below for sustained heat, and be patient when you first start the fire. It was 20 deg. Fahrenheit with high winds both times I used this, but once you get the smoke going, it works. First semi circle of the largest ring lasts about 3 hours, so no need to fill this up entirely if you are not doing a long smoke. Starting the fire takes some patience, I had to hold the lighter on the chips for a few minutes and the tea candle is a good fail-safe. Keep the top vent of grill just cracked to observe smoke - do not open while smoking (especially if it’s cold and windy). I also like that this is not smoke-overload like the pellet tubes - it’s gentler.

The media could not be loaded. I've spent some time with the Realcook 8" Cold Smoke Generator, using pure hickory sawdust from The Sausage Maker, and I've been quite satisfied. The natural, authentic flavor provided by the hickory sawdust is a distinctive touch and contrasts with the experience you'd get from processed pellets.In the quest for perfect smoldering and continuous burning, I found it beneficial to heat the wood sawdust in an oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes before use. Not only does this process dry out the sawdust, making it more combustible, but it also brings the sawdust close to its burning temperature, easing the lighting process.One of the main features I'm looking forward to exploring more is the capacity for cold smoking. This smoke generator seems to be perfectly built for such tasks, as I've seen in numerous YouTube videos showcasing cold-smoked items like salmon and cheese, thanks to the minimal heat it radiates.That said, achieving a perfect setup requires careful attention. The sawdust should be lightly placed in the spiral channel—avoid tamping or compacting it—to ensure the necessary airflow.When used in a basic gas grill range, the smoke output is more on the lighter side. If you're seeking a heavy smoke environment, you might be better served by a hot smoker or a tube pellet smoker.Maintenance is also a consideration, as the screens attached to the spiral frame can accumulate residue from burned sawdust, which requires regular cleaning.Despite these minor cons, the Realcook 8" Cold Smoke Generator shows great promise once you've mastered the setup. The authentic hickory wood smoke flavor it provides is absolutely worth the initial effort.I've included four photos and a video along with this review to provide a better idea of how the Realcook 8" Cold Smoke Generator functions in real time. The photos were taken at different stages of a 1-hour burn: a couple of minutes in, at the halfway mark, and at the end of the hour. There's also an image of what the smoke generator looks like after it's been cleaned of ashes and loose saw dust. The video I've added showcases the smoker just after lighting it, so you can see the saw dust smoldering and the smoke output.

Took about 32-33 hrs to complete the entire spiral. Amount of smoke is alright - dry cured tenderloin went out incredible juicy - I have never tasted so much meat juice before, but read published reviews first:I used N&L Beech sawdust - my first three attempts with Camerons Apple somewhat larger chips failed after 1.5, 3 and 2 hrs. You do need a really fine chips, like sawdust. Second, I put N&L sawdust evenly leveled to ~ 3/4" layer into the oven set to 220F for 30 min. After that it's a piece of cake. I left the bottom vent of the Kamado Joe smoker open to ~ 1.5" and the top vent's small exhausts fully open. I think that the latter one regulates how much smoke stays inside, so I'll try to have them opened somewhat less next time. Wasted about 5% of the sawdust that didn't caught smoke.I "think" the oven trick may work with apple chips as well and will try it next weekend.

Smokes rather well but does need to be babysat . Air flow and chips need to be regulated to sometime keep burning properly.

The media could not be loaded. I bought the large coil because I always smoke my salmon at night and my small coil usually only produces smoke for 3-4 hours.I started smoking with 3 salmon and in the instructions I also read about mixing herbs into the wood dust. I thought it was a good idea and I did it.The following morning I checked the smoker and found 3 salmon still steaming and dripping. The smoker was boiling hot and the plastic seal had melted in some places.A fire has raged here. At this point I had the suspicion that the wood dust had ignited because of the herbs and then, of course, due to the heat generated, the fat from 3 salmon had also acted as fuel.Goodbye $100 - so I bought 3 more salmon and tried again the following night and this time without herbs. I also positioned the spiral in such a way that no salmon fat can drip into the embers - even if something like that can't actually happen with cold smoking.The next morning brought disappointment. Oven hot, all the salmon overcooked and I was another $100 poorer.Now it was clear that the spiral was not burning as it should, but the embers jumped over and burned up completely. This creates a lot of heat from the unplanned melting fat, which then drips into the embers.My electric smoker generates up to 275 degrees and the insulation is probably designed for 375. If the plastic melts, then there must have been extreme temperatures that could have caused a fire!I'm going to ditch this thing and keep using my little version.I can only advise against this version. A dangerous chain reaction occurs here due to the uneven burning!

This thing works pretty good. I use with my pellet smoker.