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Post Pics of your Smokers!!

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 00:18
by JerBear
I'm hoping to build my first smoker in about 3 weeks and am looking to poach some ideas. I've looked at a lot of stuff online but I prefer to look at real-word applications so care to show what you've built or purchased?

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 02:37
by uwanna61
Jerbear
This is my smoker that I built about 5 years ago. It has had several upgrades from day one, as you can see from the photos. I started out with the conventional smokers that one would find in the retail stores, but I just wasn`t happy with the size. I wanted something I could hang a 20" - 27" salami in without having it hang directly over the heat source. So this is what I came up with.
I bought a 5000 BTU burner from http://www.sausagemaker.com/49203mountingkit.aspx The controls, blower, switch`s and gadgets came from the shop I work at. The inside, I lined with 1/2" foam board and flashing to insulate the cabinet. The burner box is lined with ½" foam insulation and 1/16th stainless to protect the interior from the heat. I have had this smoker up at 200 degrees without any issues. During the winter months when the temps are cold outside, I can switch the burner over (using the second coil) to 220v setting and the smoker will heat up to 165 within 15 - 30 minutes, depending how cold the outside temps are. Summer months would be the opposite, at 110v setting running one coil.
Well that`s it for now.
Chow
Wally
First test run.
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Time for a few upgrades (my brother helping out with upgrades)
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Another test after the upgrade
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Final upgrade with variable speed control for blower speed and new temperature controller.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 03:37
by JerBear
wow....That looks waaay more complex that I was imagining. One of the things I was looking at doing was a heat source removed from the main unit with the smoke plumbed in. What's the lowest temp you can maintain? I was hoping to get my cool enough to smoke some cheese.

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 06:22
by JerBear
Wally, forgot to ask. What are the interior dimensions?

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 06:40
by Chuckwagon
Hi Jer,
One of the coolest guys I ever met online was named Trosky. He was active throughout the first year of our site then suddenly went offline. I sure miss him. I`ve written to him by email several times but have received no answer. I sure hope nothing has happened to him. Anyway, he built one of the most robust smokers I`ve ever seen. This one would survive one of Toolhawk`s winters! You can check it out at this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... sc&start=0

After you check out his smoker, click on another link to see his "ride" .... A wooden Harley! Yup! Seeing is believing: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4864

Last but not least, Stan Marianski has a dynamite book out on the subject. Full of ideas, photos, technical info, recipes, charts, brining tables, smoking know-how, fish-birds-wild game smoking, and all sort of other info. It`s called "Meat Smoking And Smokehouse Design"... by Stan, Adam, and Robert Marianski, and it`s available at Bookmagic.com You can even see an online preview of the book.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 07:21
by JerBear
Actually I have the book but I always like to solicite information from those in the trenches as it were. In fact, with the exception of the fish book I have all the Marianski books.

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 07:32
by Chuckwagon
He and Adam have a brand-new one out called, "Making Healthy Sausages". There's all sorts of info for people who can't eat all the salt and fat in regular sausage. He addresses many ways to eat healthier sausages - something we all seem to think about as we get older.

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 07:51
by JerBear
Interesting....but I think I'm going to have to boycott that book as it offends me. Actualy, you have a point but I'm going to keep my head in the sand as long as humanly possible. That is until Friday when my annual labs come back and I get hollered at by my M.D.

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 22:44
by uwanna61
Jer
No problem with cold smoking, obviously I will cold smoke during cooler weather like when the temps are around 60 degrees.
The dimensions are 72" H x 25.75"W x 25.75 D. My future plans are to build a red brick smoker with a separate heat and smoker box, maybe next spring, we will see if it will fit into the budget for next year.
Chow
Wally

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 22:56
by JerBear
That's about the same dimensions that I was tentatively planning for my smoker and wasn't sure that it was going to be big enough. Looking at your photos it looks about perfect. This is what I was talking about when I mentioned seeking the advice of people doin' it daily.

Thanks Wally!

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 01:02
by Bubba
Hi Wally,

Your plan with building a smoker with separate heat and smoker box is what I have in mind here as well. I'd like to mount mine on wheels though, and have the smoker box a separate attachment.
At the rate I'm going now with all projects to do around the house I will probably only have mine complete by early next year.
The smoker you have now also looks very neatly built!

Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 08:39
by tacklebox
Hot smokers
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Home built smoker for cheese, sausage and jerky
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 20:18
by JerBear
Can you provide some more details on the red unit. What are your electronics, is that one of the hardwood puck burners on the side?

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 07:33
by tacklebox
JerBear wrote:Can you provide some more details on the red unit. What are your electronics, is that one of the hardwood puck burners on the side?
The main body is a 17gal(IMP) drum. The lid is off of a Weber Smokey Joe grill, as are the grates. The smoke generator is an aluminum tube which I machined myself. The generator uses wood pellets as fuel, using a soldering iron (new) for ignition and an aquarium air pump for air. I have a 1000W electric burner inside the drum for heating, which is controlled by a standard Omron PID controller in conjunction with a type 'J' thermocouple. (I do fire the burner with a solid state relay to save wear and tear on the controller switch) I am by no means an electrician, but I know enough to get me in trouble :mrgreen:

Thermocouple and pizza pan diffuser
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Two of four grates
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Control Box
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Intake holes for drafting
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Air pump, smoke generator, soldering iron
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Inside of smoke generator
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Pellets for fuel
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Loading with cheese
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Jerky
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 08:02
by Chuckwagon
Joe, my good man...
That's incredible!
You've got some wheels turnin' upstairs buddy!