smokers Smokers for a beginner? help please

S

stokerob

Hey, I'm pretty new to all this and have been reading through all the posts etc.. Well, I see a lot of you guys from the States going on about Smokers etc but I have yet to come across one,, I'm really interested in trying one out and was wondering if there is a way to make one from old BBQ equipment etc, the cheapest one I can find over here is about £50 ($100) so I dont wanna splash out just yet... also, what dyou burn in them, any ideas for the best stuff to burn when cooking say chili poppers, steaks etc ... any help would be most appreciated! :onfire:
 
I use charcoal and wood such as mesquite and hickory and any fruit wood and pecan
You can make one out of a 55 gallon drum... cut it half and hinge it. I first made on out of a 55gallon drum and connected a 30 or 35 gallon drum (upright with out a top lid) by a HVAC tap in connector (be sure to make a cover for the burning barrell). I cooked everything in there. there are a few sites to make them and you can also use woodstove parts or a trash can http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html

heres where I looked when I made my own http://bbq.about.com/od/plansforsmo...Plans_for_building_your_own_custom_smoker.htm


Wanted to make this one : http://bbq.about.com/gi/dynamic/off...it/bigbaby/build_big_baby_metal_bbq_pit.shtml

http://bbq.about.com/gi/dynamic/off...bt=1&bts=0&zu=http://www.mikesell.net/smoker/
 
If you have a Webber style charcoal grill you can put your coals off to one side and your meat as far away from the heat as you can. If you have a gas grill, just light one side and keep it on low. Make a pack out of aluminum foil and put your wood in that pack. Place the pack directly on the burner.

Those are crude methods, but they work.
 
DevilDuck said:
If you have a Webber style charcoal grill you can put your coals off to one side and your meat as far away from the heat as you can. If you have a gas grill, just light one side and keep it on low. Make a pack out of aluminum foil and put your wood in that pack. Place the pack directly on the burner.

Those are crude methods, but they work.
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I started out using a weber kettle the only problem I had is when I wanted to do more than to racks or a big chunk o'meat. I used a tin drip pan in the middle and surrouneded it with coal I also cut a square sectionout of the grate so I can drop chunks of wood and charcoal. Problem with a gas grill is the long burn times both are plausible :P:D
 
bentalphanerd said:
Thats an awesome looking build LUCKYDOG .. and no welding.
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thats what intrigued me the most no welding.... If I had more space thats what I would have built.... my wife saw me looking and agonizing over the plans and bought an offset smoker for me... still those are great designs
 
You can get a basic Texas style smoker here for about $150...money well spent. In Europe? I have no idea...you may be SOL.


I would not do steaks on a smoker...direct grill 'em. But for briskets, ribs, sausage, slow chicken and pork butt, there's no substitute for slow and low indirect smoke. Moving the coals to one side of a Weber just won't cut it for real BBQ. ( and I own a Weber as well....)

As for wood...any hardwood that doesn't have a funky sap or flavor should work. I use oak, hickory and mesquite but pecan is my favorite.
 
One other thing....while making smokers out of 55 gallon drums is a tried and true tradition, remember that they will rust out in 2-3 years then you're gonna need a new one. To me it's worth the money to invest in something more substantial, metal-wise.
 
chuk hell said:
One other thing....while making smokers out of 55 gallon drums is a tried and true tradition, remember that they will rust out in 2-3 years then you're gonna need a new one. To me it's worth the money to invest in something more substantial, metal-wise.
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True and its hard to find barrels now-a-days that are food grade metal... Watch out for the Skull and Crossbones or a Mr. Yuck on 'em
 
You can make a smoker out of a cardboard box and a hot plate. Somebody posted the plans last week on this site. A smoker like that won't cook food like a grill, it is good for smoking peppers, bacon, cooked meats etc. It "cold smokes" adding flavor but not really cooking.
 
cheezydemon said:
You can make a smoker out of a cardboard box and a hot plate. Somebody posted the plans last week on this site. A smoker like that won't cook food like a grill, it is good for smoking peppers, bacon, cooked meats etc. It "cold smokes" adding flavor but not really cooking.
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I posted it :D(click here for link) And according to Alton Brown(host of Good Eats), it is actually a hot smoker and it does cook the food (just look at that finished salmon...) However, the maximum temperature is somewhere around 195-200(thats how hot the box got when I neglected it while playing a video game). It is ideal for meats that cook at lower temperatures like fish(150 degrees), but I assume it could cook things to close to 200, it would just take awhile. From the time I put the fish on to the time the internal temperature of the fish reached 150 degrees was right at 5 hours. It could have finished faster, but I opted to keep the temps around 155-160 to prolong the smoking process, thus increasing flavor.

I learned how to make it watching Good Eats on the food network. That show also had an episode on cold smoking bacon, again using an improvised smoker but a different style.
 
I have an old one door fridge......I get this going for a smoker ill send pics.In theory for an electric smoker it looks very simple you have an adjustable element a vent on top...is there something im missing(besides gutting the fridge)?..Could do gas too
 
my only question is instead of that rubber door seal what do I use...Im shure it wont take the heat.....after researching this is going to be a relitively(bad spelling lol)easy job... gut out steralize introduce element and voilla oh yeah the chimny lol what im going to have is a metal frame no insulation...nothing..thats the reason I bought the fridge in the first place lol but it worked hehehehe
 
I was going to use an old Coke fridge but I bought a new smoker instead. I wondered about the seal too but with an electric smoker, the heat shouldn't be too bad. I just got a great new book called "Meat smoking and smokehouse design" from Amazon. It gives many designs for both hot and cold smokers and also explains a lot about brines and cures and has sections on fish, poultry, and meat and sausage. Another homemade smoker is in the works right now to use up about 80 extra cinder blocks. This one should be interesting.

Here's the one I just bought. I decided on a propane model this time for more precise heat control for smoking and dehydrating although I really like charcoal and hardwood chunks.

 
Man look at all those peppers! I want to visit Potawies pepper plantation!

Congrats on the smoker too. Looks like a fine machine.
 
With the fridge you can do cold smoking and regulate the smoke thru a valve on the top of the fridge.

That is awesome Potawie
 
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