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How to use a cold smoke generator

Updated: 23 October 2026

The usual failure is ordinary. The dust goes out, the tea light stays in the maze, or the kettle is shut so tight that smoke and heat have nowhere to go. This page is the lighting sequence for a ProQ-style maze, with a short aside for the pellet tube and the hose pump in this set. It does not rank products. Which rows exist, and at what price, sits on the [cold smoke generator comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/cold-smoke-generator). Peter F. took the steps from ProQ’s current UK guide on 20 October 2026, plus the NHS line on barbecues indoors. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The usual failure is ordinary. The dust goes out, the tea light stays in the maze, or the kettle is shut so tight that smoke and heat have nowhere to go.

Our top picks

QWORK QWORK 12 inch pellet tube

Best overall

QWORK QWORK 12 inch pellet tube
6.6/10about £8.99
View offer
ProQ ProQ Original maze

Rank 2

ProQ ProQ Original maze
7.8/10about £34.99
View offer
DOBADN DOBADN hose pump

Alternative

DOBADN DOBADN hose pump
6.2/10about £46.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Fill so the walls still show
  2. 2.Tea light out, then into the chamber
  3. 3.Vents and a thermometer
  4. 4.Tube and pump, briefly

Fill so the walls still show

ProQ’s expert guide says you tamp the dust so the maze walls stay visible, then light one end only. A track buried over the top is the fill reviewers associate with an ember that jumps. A thin smear of the sample bag is the other miss. On the Original, UK reviews describe the ember dying when the dust is coarse, damp, or spread short, and the included bag is often only a partial fill. If the dust is damp, dry the dust, not the maze: about 30 seconds in a microwave, or about 30 minutes in a low oven, then cool it on a suitable plate. Do not put the metal maze in the microwave. Tamp so you can still see the walls.

Tea light out, then into the chamber

Light one end with a tea light, let that end take, and take the candle out before the maze goes into the cooker. ProQ says the generator is for outdoors, the smoke is a carbon monoxide risk, and the candle is out before the chamber. The NHS says not to run a barbecue indoors or in a tent. The current UK expert guide says let the maze establish for 5–10 minutes away from a draught, then check after 30 minutes that the ember has not jumped a run. Older retailer PDFs say the dust can be smouldering in about 30 seconds. Follow the current 5–10 minutes. Do not collapse the two lines into one invented minute.
QWORK QWORK 12 inch pellet tube

Testsieger

QWORK QWORK 12 inch pellet tube
6.6/10about £8.99
View offer

Vents and a thermometer

Smoke has to leave the cooker. Vents that are fully shut hold the smoke in and let the chamber warm up. ProQ’s cold-smoking guidance aims below 21°C. If the chamber rises above 21°C, take the food out, refrigerate it, and start again when the cooker is cool. A thermometer in the food space is how you know. That pause is not a promise that the food is preserved or cooked. Bacon still needs cooking, and fish has its own limits, on cold smoking cheese and fish. A cardboard box is not the workaround. Use a lidded metal barbecue, outdoors, with a vent you can open.

Tube and pump, briefly

The QWORK tube burns pellets. Knock the open flame down so it smoulders, then put it on the grate. A UK review put that burn at about four hours and warned about temperature. If the food must stay cold for much longer, the tube is the wrong tool. That choice is on electric cold smoke generator vs maze. The DOBADN sends smoke down a stated 50 cm hose. One UK review describes ash stopping the session after about an hour. Empty the ash and check the airway before you blame the wood.

Common questions

Do I leave the tea light in the maze?
Take it out once the dust has taken, and take it out before the maze goes into the chamber. ProQ’s product page pairs that step with an outdoor-only warning and carbon monoxide. A candle left inside a closed kettle is a second flame in a box that is supposed to be a cool smoke. The current guide’s 5–10 minutes of establishing happens with the maze out of the cooker, away from a draught, candle already removed.
Why does the dust go out?
On the Original, reviews point to coarse dust, damp dust, and a sample spread too thin along the track. ProQ’s fix for damp dust is to dry the dust, not the maze: about 30 seconds in a microwave or about 30 minutes in a low oven, then cool it, on a suitable plate. Tamp so the walls still show, and light one end. If the ember jumps a wall, the track was overfilled. ProQ’s own check is at 30 minutes.
What vents stay open?
Leave a path for smoke to leave. Shutting the kettle tight holds smoke in the chamber and lets heat build. You still want the lid on, outdoors, so the smoke bathes the food. The thermometer tells you whether that compromise is staying below 21°C. If it is not, food comes out and goes in the fridge.
Can I do this in the garage?
ProQ says not indoors. The NHS says you do not run a barbecue indoors or in a tent, because of carbon monoxide. A closed garage is that kind of space. Use the garden, with the maze established in still air, then the cooker. If anyone in the house feels ill while a burner has been used in an enclosed space, get to fresh air and get medical help. The generator does not become safe because the food is only cheese.
When do I stop because the chamber is too warm?
ProQ’s cold-smoking page says that if the chamber goes above 21°C you take the food out, refrigerate it, and continue another time. Use a thermometer in the cooking space. A sunny afternoon or a tube on the grate can push a small kettle over that line while the generator is still lit. Food rules for cheddar, salmon, and bacon are on the cheese-and-fish page.

Related pages

Cold smoke generator buying guide

Cold smoke generator

Best cold smoke generator UK: who should skip a row

Cold smoke cheese temperature for cheddar and fish

Electric cold smoke generator vs maze: heat and burn

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 21 October 2026.

  1. ProQ: cold smoke generator (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. ProQ: CSG expert guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. ProQ: cold-smoked cheese (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. ProQ: home-cured bacon (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Sous Chef: home smokers (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: freezing fish and fishery products (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK: Listeria (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. NHS: carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 21 October 2026)