My Smokers

snagman · Post by **snagman** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 23:12

JerBear wrote:
snagman wrote: That one bottle in the photo drops the temp by 15 degrees C, and until it melts its pretty stable at that.
As I'm in the process of building my smoker and live in a warmer part of the U.S. I've been giving cooling options some thought and I like your idea of the frozen water bottles. How long do the bottles last before thawing?

Jerbear,

It all depends on the outside temperature, and how much of it is allowed into the smoker via the vents in my smoker. When I do a long smoke, that is, say four days and nights, I start with a fresh bottle in the morning if the temperature for the day is predicted to be mildly warm, max 22 C. The ice is pretty much melted in six hours. By that time the afternoon sun has lost its heat. If it remains warm, or reaches a higher temperature than predicted I put in another bottle. I always have at least two bottles in the freezer. It really is a different outcome each time. I have, at times bought a bag if ice from the suppliers, here they are sold at gas stations, and spread this into a large tray. Because the quantity is much more this way, it lasts longer. Expensive though.
Are you building a timber smoker ?
Regards

JerBear · Post by **JerBear** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 23:50

Thanks, I was thinking about setting up a draining system using bagged ice over the diffuser but I like the containment of the bottles. I'm working with my Uncle on a smoker built out of an old shipping crate, see the link for a couple pictures: More Info Here

snagman · Post by **snagman** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 00:09

JerBear wrote:Thanks, I was thinking about setting up a draining system using bagged ice over the diffuser but I like the containment of the bottles. I'm working with my Uncle on a smoker built out of an old shipping crate, see the link for a couple pictures: More Info Here

Jerbear,

I see that, it is a large smoker ! Probably will require a lot of ice to keep it cool. I am doing a smoke today, and currently it is 15 degrees with a light wind. I will do some figures for you about what the temperature movements are throughout the day, and the effect of the ice bottle in the smoker. Until the temp gets above 18 degrees inside, I won't put the bottle in because that is my target temp.
Regards

JerBear · Post by **JerBear** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 00:57

Thanks!

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 00:59

Location of the smoker will be important if you have much sunshine. Placing it in the shade of a large tree could make a big difference.

JerBear · Post by **JerBear** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 01:20

Not a lot of trees in San Diego, looking to set up a tarp on hot days.

Bubba · Post by **Bubba** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 14:15

snagman wrote:That one bottle in the photo drops the temp by 15 degrees C, and until it melts its pretty stable at that. The wood is a good insulator, I think in metal smokers unless well insulated, the result would be less. On hot days, I double/triple the bottles. The pellets burn hotter than dust, so that's another consideration too. I like your description - "reverse engineered" sort of classier than "stolen idea" !
Regards,
Gus

Sorry I missed the reply earlier Gus, I will definitely try that with the frozen water bottles. Keep a few spare in the freezer and just change them out as required.

ssorllih wrote:Location of the smoker will be important if you have much sunshine. Placing it in the shade of a large tree could make a big difference.

I tried that by placing the smoker under my porch roof but the smoke would gather under the roof, so I attached a dryer vent pipe from the smoker top outlet to divert the smoke out.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 21:16

I have a friend with a strong interest in making and smoking bacon, ham and sausage but he has no smoker. Just parts of a smoker. He needed a fire box and a platform. So I built one for him:

id a test burn with some hay:

My Smokers

I build a smoker base for a friend