Home Made Smokers

[Grizzly95]

Here is the one a buddy and I built. Here it is when I removed the old insulation.

[downyonderbbq]

Dogtuk, now Im ashamed, now Im gonna have to go buy a new smoker...............How could you do this........lol...............Good looking gear man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wea300mag]

Griizzly95, nice homebrew smoker. What is the heat source? Can you put up pics of the inside? Thanks

[dogtuk]

ok here are some links for smoker supplies

www.alliedkencosales.com

www.butcher-packer.com

www.mcmastercar.com  this one has a nice digital temp control for electric smoker 110 or 220 $60.00 item number 1760k77

www.sausagemaker.com

i will be glad to help out if i can in building a smoker

huey

[downyonderbbq]

Huey, I sent ya 4 bottles of the spice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the long waiting

[fc2038]

thanks for the websites. I think I am going to have to make me a smoker. Looks like a fun project. Looks like some tasty stuff.

[Grizzly95]

I will rec. if you use an old fridge to strip it all the way down and remove the original insulation, mine was cardboard insulated anf on the first light up the cardboard started to smolder. I found some of the assembly pics and will try to post them tonight.

[Grizzly95]

It is propane fired, used an old cook top out of a camper. Scavenged everything to make it I think we have a little over $20 in to the whole deal.

[NRA4LIFE]

+1 on the old fridge.  I got one free from my neighbor and gutted all the refrigerant lines/reservoirs.  The inside is all porcelain coated stainless steel.  Have a lot of spare sawzall blades around if you plan on cutting this stuff.  I also bought the electric heating element/control from thesausagemaker.com.  Works great.  I put it on heavy casters so I can move it from my barn to the house easily.  One precaution though on old fridges.  Mine was insulated with cardboard insulation.  Found this out the hard way and almost burned down my garage.  I replaced it with some hi temp ceramic batting.  I monitor the internal temperature of the meat and inside the smoker with 2 battery operated probe type thermometers.

I'm definitely going to try Dogtuk's buckboard bacon recipe.  That looks awesome.  Dogtuk, thanks for all the info.

[whacker1]

I will post some pictures of my Dad's which is the one I use, but will take me a few days.  Built out of Wood (Cedar primarily) (looks like an out house).  Base is covered in Fire Bricks, just like the bottom of Wood Stove.  These look nice, but you will invest some time and money in the lumber. 

If you want cold smoke, you burry a 12" - 18" Pipe in the ground and vent it up in the middle of your smoke house.  In the middle of your smoke house, you then put 4 bricks around your pipe opening and put the lid of a 55 gallon drum to use as a smoke/heat difuser (bricks hold the lid up 3 inches off the floor to let smoke escape.  The other end of your Pipe should be exposed outside, because this is your fire box.  This is the style of smoke house I like the best, because it is easier to keep the temperature down to 140 - 160 or cooler if need be.  I think these also smoke a little more evenly than hot smoke houses.

If you are smart, you will make the above with the Pipe in the ground, and a removeable fire box, so you can have cold smoke or hot smoke depending on what you are trying to accomplish for the day.  My dad and I were discussing how to go about modifying his, as he bought it in an auction.  My grandfather has the cold smoke house, and I prefer to use it, but my dad's is more convenient.

The fire in the bottom can be difficult to keep the temperature down, without venting or propping the door open.  Also difficult to do too much with pork, because of fire danger with the dripping fat.

If you want the dimensions of this one, I will have my dad measure it, because I can't remember them off hand.  Let me know.
pics to follow shortly....

There is almost 100 lbs of sausage in the smokehouse.

[woodswalker]

I have a former bakery rack that is totally enclosed with a door, its the size of a fridge....it has a TON of possibilities for shelves or rods...I just need a smoke/heat source...and I think I have them around the place from various things.  Just need to figure how to set up the temp adjust on the cheap...might use temp controlled dampers/ventilators and a constant heat/smoke source.

[whacker1]

I would like to see what the bakery rack set up looks like - the shelving and rods would be worth using with or without the enclosure.

[woodswalker]

it had POSSIBILITIES....not HAS shelving and rods...I'll have to make those

[whacker1]

I see, I thought you had both the shelving, racks and the unit itself.  I need to do more smoking, but i typically only make sausage once a year with my Dad.  Not enough time to get it all done.

[Alchase]

I have had many home made smokers from refrigerators to a framed in smoke house. It can be tedious sometimes getting them dialed in and use to how each one smokes but it sure was fun.
Now I am older and lazy so I bought a Bradley Smoker

http://bradleysmoker.eseecommerce.com/detail.php?pid=40&pageno=&maxPage=&maxRow=&category_id=2&parent_id=

Now life is easy, lol