smokers Smoker for the poor student...

GrumpyBear

GrumpyBear

there are various diy smokers out there, i'm thinking of trying this one at the end of this year:
http://homepage.mac.com/dubmann/PhotoAlbum1.html
of the ones i've seen this seems the least likely to, y'know, burn down my house... the guy says $60 but i think i could make this for less then 20, the only thing i wonder about is i'm pretty sure smokers (like, the kind you actually buy all in one peice...) ussually have vents.
Whattaya think good idea, bad idea, d'you have a better idea? help me out folks...
 
Looks similar to the trashcan or cardboard box cold smoker. I'd definitely make a vent somehow on the top.
 
Recent smoker design trends I have put a vent low, so that more smoke hangs around.It is cheapest to use materials you already have.

I made a great smoker out of 2 large terra cotta pots.
 
i can't think of a great way to put a vent low on a terra cotta pot, but i can get a pot that size for about six bucks at this great co-op nearby, i'm convinced if i hit the garage sales i will eventually come across a hotplate, and i already have a round grill in my camping stuff. I would spring for that temperature gauge thingy (wanna keep it low and slow...) but i wonder would a meat thermometer work?
 
Absolutely. And F*** the hot plate mate. Just use a little charcoal and wood chips!

Seriously. If you bury the bottom pot it will take a ton of heat, and you don't need much to smoke.

You are right about the vent.

I put mine on 2 bricks to let air in.

It is easy to put a temp guage and handles on. Just drill holes.
 
GB - I dont know how you'd burn down a house with a grill outside, unless you're really careless.
I dont know if you already have a grill or not, but if you're gonna spend $20-$25 on that makeshift smoker, then whats a extra $20 ? & you'll be able to smoke more meat at a time & grill with it. these are cheap & work great except for really cold temps then you'd want the gas option with it (but those cost more)

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100043270


if you're really worried about fire then check this model out, a little more money but still not much & they say you can still grill with it ?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100029710#specs
 
A friend of mines father made a smoker he used for Mullet down in south Florida back years ago out of a refrigerator. This is a very crude drawing of it. There was an adjustable vent on top of the old fridge and a separate fire box ducted to the bottom of the fridge. I thought this was ingenious. All was made from scrap/junk he had around the house.

 
That is worth watching. Alton's innovations will probably at least give you a better idea of how to do yours, even if you don't use the "old fridge" method!
 
well i'm in canada, and home depot doesn't carry that one here, but my comparable option is this little guy:
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...ode+matchall&recN=113003&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber
and thats not even in store, just online so shipping is extra.
my general feeling about that whole 'whats another 20 bucks' thought process is that it really only works for people with, like, jobs... i'm not kidding when i say the cost of that little grill would be more than i spend on growing the peppers altogether.
i'll see if i can download that show, sounds like it could be helpful (i do have several months to figure this out...)
 
Where in Canada? I have a smaller smoker you could have N/C, as I'm replacing it with an Outlaw Griller.

I know the odds are slim that you are near Newmarket, Ontario...but just in case...
 
GB - I didnt know if you had a job or not, sorry. maybe do some extra sweet talking to your parents for some extra cash :lol:
the one you linked to from home depot I wouldnt buy, but thats just me.

those bullet shaped grill/smokers (that I linked to) are nice. I did the same thing that hot canuk is doing. I gave away my older one since I bought a 7 in 1 bullet grill/smoker w/gas option (just wished I bought the SS model instead) they're big enough to smoke a decent size turkey in them, heck 2 if you want :lol:

you can buy those cheap bullet shaped grill/smokers pretty much anywhere, like gander mountain, fleet farm,walmart or some other places. I only linked to home depot because for a quick search thats the only place I found that showed them online to show you what style I'm talking about, & they're around that price where ever you buy them.
 
hc: i'm close-ish to newmarket (depends what you consider close...) I'm in peterborough (i go to trent...) and reading week is totally coming up!

ch: ya, i wouldn't have bought that grill either (another reason to make my own...) i just wanted to show you what my cheapest retail option was. Generally i like student life but when i finally do get a job i'm sure i'll never look back, the no-money thing really gets annoying sometimes.
 
Bullet frills are nice but not cheap.... You can even buy something larger than a smoky joe from chargrill that is much larger. I started with that honestly and cost me 30$US I became real familiar with drip pans and indirect cooking. I was able to do Butts, Briskets and 3 racks of baby backs on it. I did put a little button thermometer closer to grill level but you'll get a good feel for it
 
Canuk Pepperhead said:
I was looking at one at wallymart that was gas but feom all the reading I have been doing I found a nice one at lowes..Problem is they still havnt built a lowes yet the next city over..Mind toy I found the equivalent at Home depo I think ill pick up this spring

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber of course the side box is extra and it looks like the price has gone up since I looked last
Click to expand...

They have a cheaper version at home hardware or Canadian tire. Probably not as good but works good for me
 
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