How the two methods differ
Hot smoking cooks and flavours at once, around 80-90°C - cooking time depends on the food and equipment, so check that the fish is thoroughly cooked rather than relying on a fixed time. Cold smoking stays below 30°C: the food never cooks, it just takes on smoke over hours, which is how smoked salmon, bacon and smoked cheese are made. Cold smoking needs more careful food-safety controls because it does not cook the food. Our beginner's guide to home smoking walks through both from zero.
Which suits you?
- Choose hot smoking if you want results tonight, you like cooking on the hob or BBQ, and smoked fish or chicken is the goal.
- Choose cold smoking if you enjoy a project - curing salmon over days, smoking cheese for Christmas - and patience is part of the pleasure.
- Torn? Start hot. The skills carry over, and a ProQ generator turns any lidded BBQ into a cold smoker when you are ready.
The fuel is different too
Hot smoking runs on wood chips; cold smoking runs on fine wood dust, which smoulders low and slow for up to sixteen hours in the ProQ's maze. They are not interchangeable - chips will not smoulder cold, and dust flares too fast hot. Our best wood chips guide covers matching flavours to food.
Good first projects
Hot: mackerel fillets - forgiving, fast, and better than anything in a supermarket sleeve. Cold: the treacle-cured salmon is the classic first cure, and smoked cheddar avoids handling raw fish, but still needs safe temperatures, hygiene and storage. If you are weighing up which smoker itself to buy, our choosing a smoking oven guide compares the options.
Smoking kit questions, answered
Can one kit do both hot and cold smoking?
Nearly. A ProQ generator inside any lidded BBQ handles cold smoking, and the same BBQ with a smoker box handles hot - so the combination covers both. The stovetop oven is hot-only.
Is cold smoking safe at home?
Cold smoking does not cook food, and curing alone does not guarantee safety. Use a tested process with controlled temperatures, hygiene and refrigeration. Pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems should avoid ready-to-eat cold-smoked or cured fish unless cooked until steaming hot throughout; older people should also be aware of the increased risk. See the Food Standards Agency guidance.
Do I need outdoor space?
Follow the smoker manufacturer's instructions for fuel, ventilation and location. Use only equipment explicitly designed for indoor use indoors. Never use a charcoal barbecue or an outdoor smoker in a house, garage, shed or other enclosed space, and do not leave burning equipment unattended.
The full range - kits, smokers, generators and every wood - lives in our food smoking collection.
