Smokers for a beginner? help please

[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! :lol:

[LUCKYDOG]

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/plansforsmokers/Plans_for_Smokers_Plans_for_building_your_own_cust om_smoker.htm


Wanted to make this one : http://bbq.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=bbq&cdn=food&tm=5&gps=130_10_864_369&f=00&su=p284.8.150.ip_&tt=14&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//bbq.netrelief.com/pits/metalpit/bigbaby/build_big_baby_metal_bbq_pit.shtml

http://bbq.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=bbq&cdn=food&tm=77&gps=60_1_864_369&f=00&su=p284.8.150.ip_&tt=14&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.mikesell.net/smoker/

[DevilDuck]

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.

[LUCKYDOG]

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.

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 ;):cool:

[bentalphanerd]

http://bbq.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=bbq&cdn=food&tm=77&gps=60_1_864_369&f=00&su=p284.8.150.ip_&tt=14&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.mikesell.net/smoker/

Thats an awesome looking build LUCKYDOG .. and no welding.

[LUCKYDOG]

Thats an awesome looking build LUCKYDOG .. and no welding.

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

[chuk hell]

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.

[chuk hell]

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.

[LUCKYDOG]

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.

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

[thehotpepper.com]

http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html

Trash can smokers. But make sure the can is non-galvanized.

[Sickmont]

http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html

Trash can smokers. But make sure the can is non-galvanized.

You know what's kinda funny? That the can he uses on that web page to make the smoker is galvanized! Look closely at the pics of the inside of the can and you'll see the galvanization.

[BBQ-Phil]

@ Stokerob

Did you allready found a smoker ? You can try it here http://www.bbq-scout.de/html/willkommen.html This guy sells smoker,grills,iron cooking supplies.And if you tell him you got the link from BBQ-Phil from the Capsaholics,maybee you get it cheaper.

Phil

[cheezydemon]

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.

[Txclosetgrower]

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.

I posted it :)(click here for link) (http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=2780) 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.

[Canuk Pepperhead]

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

[Canuk Pepperhead]

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

[POTAWIE]

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.

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8148/12132190886f35760d59pa3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chuk hell]

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

Congrats on the smoker too. Looks like a fine machine.

[LUCKYDOG]

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

[Canuk Pepperhead]

Potawie is your smoker the wide body or the other one..And at that price ill buy one new lol

[Canuk Pepperhead]

on second thought Im not shure its the same smoker as the one im looking at..they have some decent ones at wally mart...was looking at my options
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3342513
im looking at that one

[POTAWIE]

Did you notice there was a pepper in the wallyworld smoker pic?
It look similar to mine but I payed quite a bit more and I think mine is a bit larger. I've never seen any at walmarts around here. I got mine at HomeHardware. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it.

Ok this link doesn't work properly, go to page 15.

http://homehardware.flyerservices.com/netcatalogue/cached_pages/publication.aspx?publicationid=C46340C3-89D2-471C-96F5-5BB6FAD1C6C8&theme=2007_CAT&view=full&pagenumber=0&language=en&sid=781947834#

[POTAWIE]

Ya it is a bit larger than the walmart one.
16"W x 14"D x 34"H (7,616 cubic inches) vs 25"w x 22"D x 43.5"H

[Canuk Pepperhead]

this is the big version of it
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3342513

[POTAWIE]

I think you meant
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3342508

[Canuk Pepperhead]

lol yup my bad

[Canuk Pepperhead]

I was thinking on picking up a smoker but a thought crossed my mind...put a pan on my bbq rack where the bricquettes would go for the wood and use the top rack to put whatever I want to smoke and keep the bbq on low...would this work ?

[POTAWIE]

You can put woodchips in a tin-foil pouch with a few holes poked in on the hot side of the grill with the food on the cold side. Use a mixture of wet and dry wood chips for best results.

[Canuk Pepperhead]

ill try that this weekend for something to do lol my grills are reversable in the fact if I flip them over they sit yet another 4 inches higher and that much garther from the inital heat.

[POTAWIE]

There's a tv show filmed near Ottawa called "license to grill" where they use this technique a lot. I'm not too fond of the host Rob Rainford(sp?) but some good info. Its on the canadian Food network channel.

[LUCKYDOG]

That way works very well Potawie -- you can put the pouch virtually on the burner there is a "chip box" also I believe I saw it Wal-Mart or Home Depot some chips actually come with it. A nice smoker is the Weber Smoky Mt (Bullet) I think they ~ 35-50$ or even a kettle grill which is how I began my quest

[Scotty]

That way works very well Potawie -- you can put the pouch virtually on the burner there is a "chip box" also I believe I saw it Wal-Mart or Home Depot some chips actually come with it. A nice smoker is the Weber Smoky Mt (Bullet) I think they ~ 35-50$ or even a kettle grill which is how I began my quest

That's what I have. If you want to sleep at night when doing overnighters, then the WSM is for you. Load it full of charcoal, use the Minion method and it'll be rock steady for 8-16 hours.

It's a bit more $$$ though... about $176 shipped is the cheapest I've seen it.

[LUCKYDOG]

Doh I must have seen a knock off that cheap then --- I just looked at HD on-line anbd saw it for 200 -- I have a Char-Griller Smokin Pro with the side fire box which is about 40$ less I love it

[Scotty]

Yeah, you musta been thinking of the Brinkman vertical....also known as the ECB (el Cheapo Brinkman) DO NOT get one of those. The only thing useful on those is the larger water pan...which fits a WSM.:lol::lol::lol:

[bowhunter]

Had a Brinkman Smoking Pit fire box on side held three 20# turkeys or 5, 8# pork loins ,or 7 slabs of ribsand about 20 to 30# of chiles. Had it for about ten years payed 200.00 in 1994.2004 got Char-Griller fire box on side can hold about the same but real close on sides real wish I could find the Smoking pit again but they are cheaper made know.

Dan



LET IT BURN

[LUCKYDOG]

I like how the Char-griller has an adjustable coal tray for direct cooking as well I do a LOT of both -- I find recipes that I like then try to convert them to the grill i.e. Chicken or eggplant parmesan ---now thats a good one

[bowhunter]

Both sides can be use for direct cooking on the one I got so it becomes a part grill

Dan

LET IT BURN

[parker394]

I highly recommend a propane smoker, I love mine! :)

[LUCKYDOG]

I highly recommend a propane smoker, I love mine! :)

Blasphemy -- Burn the witch :D