meat smoker

[otis whitehead]

plan on rebuildng this in a few years that thin metal will rot out fast! Propane tanks are better the BIG ones not the little hand portable ones ...same issues to thin. Have built Quite a few pits once the project is done build a big fire and burn out the smelly stuff. Plus that thin metal is a tuff one to weld without blowing big holes.....have fun and enjoy the build.

 

[ihuntbear]

do you mean rot out from the heat??I cant see it rotting out from being left outside.The tank is 1/8 " thick and with all the grease in it from drippings i would think that would work like under coating on a car.But Im only a newby at this>maybe has to do with the rubs and sauses?? I have a cheapy BBQ thats been around for about ten years with no rot yet and thats made with cheap sheet metal

 

[otis whitehead]

mostly from the heat. firebox bottom goes first. Now I know some people came make ther stuff last forever.How? I dont know. The fire box could be heat and some kind of reaction of the ash and any water that gets into it. If you keep it out of the rain and cleen out after each use it may last your lifetime. When i build a pit i use at least 3/8" plate in the bottom of the firebox and if It is going into my hands 1/2". Now that being said I lke a heavy iron Pit to hold the heat and slow the hot /cold spikes if the wind or rain comes up.

 

[Qapla]

Smokers are great and can cook a wide range of things.

You might want to also check out this forum (Q-talk - The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS.) It is one of the best for smokers.

 

[ihuntbear]

im going to line my fire box with fire brick but if this material is to thin I know where i can get some propane tanks.Ill use this one until i need to build another....wow you guys have some good info on the build and recipes.Hopefully this will be ready to use next weekend :licking::licking:

 

[Mean Jean]

If using a propane canister make sure to clean it out real well.
Some recommend you lend a soap solution for a full day.
Make sure to give it a good, hot burn out.
Failing to do so can lead to illness or death.....delicious illness or death.

 

[crash325]

The glass inside may make welding a little more difficult but not that hard.

Most hot water tanks are about .090 thick a little under 1/8" (.125). I have made 5 stoves and the smoker pictured out of them and 90+% of the welding was done with 1/8" rod.

Your smoker will most likely last almost forever. Smoker is over 4 years old and my little inside stove is on its third year. Lots of time on both of them.

I use a propane burner, mostly to get things going and as a backup if I forget to add charcoal on time. Have had good luck with ham, turkey, ribs & roasts.:licking:

 

[Car Doc]

what are you people using for recipes.Some people say to put a rub on the meat and some say inject it but no body wants to share recipes ( secret sause )

Have you seen The Smoke Ring? Its an online BBQ forum/community lots and lots of good info and probably even UDS threads galore. :thumbsup:

Btw I inject, brine, rub, cuss at you name it all makes for good Q'ue beer is also necessary!

 

[jayste]

I made one about 19-20 yrs ago out of 1/4" wall X 20" pipe. If my memory serves me right the smoke chamber is 36" long and the fire box is 18" long. Mine is horizontal and I used one piece of pipe and cut the fire box from it and dropped it where the top is a little below center of fire chamber. Mine is similar to "TheKids" smoker but without the vertical chamber. I can see where a vertical chamber or smoker would be handy as well. I fabricated a sliding shelf that the meat sits on in the chamber and I can pull it out to mess with it and then slide it back in and shut the door. Put dampers at each end as well on smoke stack. In the firebox I put in a expanded metal false bottom for the wood to sit on and the damper below it, at the end of the firebox, also serves as a clean out hole for ash. Above the fire area in the firebox I made a shelf out of expanded metal for my water tray to sit on. I'll have to round up some pics of it, seems I don't have any here on this computer. Probably the only thing I'd do differently would be to use a larger diameter piece of pipe to make it from. This would give me a little more head room in the chamber.

Looking forward to seeing pics of yours and hearing how it's working for you. :thumbsup:

 

[ihuntbear]

smoker us almost completed..i'll try to put pictures up tonight

 

[ihuntbear]

pics taken with my cell phone of the almost completed smoker

 

[ihuntbear]

sorry i forgot to say its a reverse flow.The heat and smoke goes into the smoker under the steel place at the bottom to the other end , then goes back across the grills then out the smoke stack by the fire box

 

[jayste]

Nice looking smoker. I've never seen the reverse flow method. :thumbsup:

 

[Car Doc]

Looking good! :thumbsup:

www.thebbqguru.com/products/DigiQ-DX2--(Build-your-package)-.html

Just throwing this out for your info the link is the BBQ Guru website they are real nice on a charcoal or wood smoker for keeping the temps right automatically. (as much as possible)

They use a fan to stoke the fire and meat probes to slow the fire down when the temp is getting close. I have the old pit minder which only controlled the fan and a newer DigiQ like the one in the link it does meat temp and a lot more and I like them a lot.

 

[ihuntbear]

i hated doing all the welding and grinding next to my pride and joy.I just don't know what i love most,the 76 shovel head harley or the 67 chevelle

 

[Fork14]

Another great source for smoking is the virtual weber bullet site. Tons of food ideas and very smart people to help ya.

The Virtual Weber Bullet - For the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker smoker enthusiast

 

[ihuntbear]

some poeple say the tanks i used are glass lined .the tanks seem to have some kind of sprayed on liner purple in color.i hit it with a torch but nothing happened... do i need to grind this out or do i do a burn and never look back??

 

[ihuntbear]

anybody build one out of an old hot water tank that i was talking about???????

 

[RobertBrown]

Down here the old locals smoke mullet. They use old refrigerators with will the interior plastic removed.
Smoked mullet is as good as smoked meat gets when it's done right.
Put some on your forehead, and your tongue will beat you to death trying to get to it :thumbsup:

 

[Car Doc]

Galvanized or not is what I would be concerned about more than anything.