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larryC
Super Nomad
Posts: 1495
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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Fish/meat smoker
I want to make a smoker, and I want it to have slide in racks and a separate fire box from where the meat and fish are being smoked. Anyone have pics
or plans for a smoker? I am thinking something like a 55 gallon drum size that I could smoke a turkey or 2 if I wanted.
Larry
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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Bwana_John
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| Quote: |
I want to make a smoker, and I want it to have slide in racks and a separate fire box
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I have seen old refrigerators used quite well as indirect smokers.
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Oggie
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Larry,
Here is a link:http://youtu.be/xHJlBLYGNcs
A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.
Knights of Pythagoras
Funny how falling feels like flying
for a little while - Bad Blake
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MMc
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Here are a couple of ideas.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/95411/custom-smoker-build...
There are many forums on smokers and smoking.
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
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Location: Kansas Prairies
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Frig is the best answer..#We built 2 of them, one had an electric heater and the other one was indirect...fire pit down hill, flue underground to
bottom of frig..small adjustable vent on top of fridge to create a draw..good luck have fun
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Pompano
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larryC, how mobile do you need it to be? Here's another thought for you.
I have a hunting buddy who's pretty handy with metal fabrication...his hobby is restoring old John Deere tractors (and other makes, too). Many years
ago, he and I made a very efficient portable smoker which we have used for countless cookouts with pheasants, turkeys, geese, ducks, venison, elk,
moose...you name it, we've smoked and barbequed it. We can do about a dozen big turkeys at a time.
Best part for us, we could trailer it to wherever we wanted...family reunions, harvest roundups, fairs, rodeos, Sturgis Rally, etc. Tows nice behind
my pickup. We use charcoal rather then gas.
We knew what we wanted and just built it...was good hard fun. Our cost was low because we mostly just used what we had laying around the ranch.
And...it was a long time ago...1978. Present retail prices will run the bill up there a ways, I'm afraid.
Improvising from your own thoughts are always the best....or as you may have already done, just google for a world of plans to get you started.
You'll soon see where to begin.
here's an example
http://bbq.about.com/od/customsmokers/a/aa052904a.htm
Nothing wrong with making a nice frig-smoker either...done a couple over the years and put them to very good use. Kind of hard to move these days,
though. Be careful with those if you have kids around a lot. I used an old Servel fridge as a smoker for many years at Coyote Bay. Found it at the
Conception Bay-Posada dump and 'recycled' it. Hah! I got even with many barracuda by smoking 'em.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
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The old frig-smoker works great. You can add more racks to increase smoking capacity. Have had 'em with indirect heat, but by far the easiest way to
go is to use a couple of electric hot plates inside the refrigerator.
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
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Location: Kansas Prairies
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Ditto that..our electric one got used WAY more than the indirect one
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durrelllrobert
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| Quote: | Originally posted by chuckie
Frig is the best answer..#We built 2 of them, one had an electric heater and the other one was indirect...fire pit down hill, flue underground to
bottom of frig..small adjustable vent on top of fridge to create a draw..good luck have fun |
When I lived at Half Moon Bay and was catching a lot of salmon I also built one using an old, all metal refrg with a plastic 3" gate valve on the top
to regulate the exhaust. For the wood burning fire box a used a 55 gal drum split lengthwise and then hinged together. This was connected to the
bottom of the frig with a 5" diam. stove pipe/ elbow that was 6 ft. long to assure a cold smoke. With 4 shelves in the frig I could smoke 8 large
salmon fillets at a time in about 4 hours.
Bob Durrell
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monoloco
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I have a friend in Punta Chivato that has one made out of plywood, with chicken wire racks that he has been using for 25 years. I have eaten a lot of
great smoked fish from that smoker. It can be disassembled and laid flat. The main thing you want is a lot of racks and a way to make smoke without
the smoker becoming too hot inside.
[Edited on 11-19-2013 by monoloco]
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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mulegemichael
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i made one out of a commercial stainless steel fridge back in the mid eighties...fired it with a little pan of charcoal briquets with a chunk of alder
on top..could put about 100 lbs of salmon in it at a time...then...my bride bought me a digital mastercraft stainless smoker last year and i've never
looked back...even has a remote control so i can set the heat from my barka lounger!...just finished a full load of coho yesterday and we're canning
them up today...i can hear the hissing of the pressure cooker from my office...nothing like slow smoked salmon!
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6082
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: Kansas Prairies
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Bring some
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larryC
Super Nomad
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Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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Lots of good ideas, thank you. I need to keep this smoker kinda portable. I'm thinking of a drum mounted on a metal frame with wheels. Something I can
wheel around and put away when I am gone. Electric is not an option 'cause I am off grid. My solar system is robust but there are limits. I am leaning
towards propane as a heat source and maybe a cast iron fry pan to hold some mesquite chunks over the burner. I enjoy metal fabrication and I have a
pretty good selection of tools down here to choose from, mig welder, plasma cutter, etc.
I see some plans using a 55 gallon drum where the fire box is under the drum and I see others where the fire box is at one end of the drum. I could
build either one but which one is better? I am guessing that the one with the fire box on the bottom would be more like a smoker/BBQ cooker and may be
hotter than I would want for a smoker. Any thoughts?
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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Bwana_John
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Posts: 289
Registered: 10-17-2007
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I knew a packer in the Sierra Nevada who had a set of panniers for his mule that made into a very nice indirect smoker.
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MMc
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Registered: 6-29-2011
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Propane is the way to go, a cast iron pan over a burner are great. A side box will give you heat and smoke. If you go with fire box on one end make
sure the chimney is at the other.
Also look at a reverse flow. They give a great smoke.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/76817/new-build-trailer-m...
You can figure it out from here.
I smoked on a Webber for years everybody enjoyed it. A gas powered is much easier to control. Temp should be at the cooking level not the top of the
smoker.
I find mesquite way to harsh to use. Your mileage may very
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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captkw
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smokers
there are two basic types of smokers..direct hot and indirect aka "cold" smokers which are by nature rather large systems......
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vandenberg
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Years ago I made one out of a kitchen cabinet.
Couple of holes drilled on the top sides and using a simple hotplate.
Worked especially good for smaller fish, like trout, kokanee and steelhead.
Almost any enclosed item can be made into a smoker.
Takes a little imagination.
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Bob53
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Registered: 2-24-2014
Location: Fallbrook, CA & Bahia de los Angeles
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Hi Larry, I have sheet metal fabrication shop in Escondido. I would be willing to help with your project if you haven't already finished it. I too am
wanting to build a smoker. We could make two.
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churro
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I have a smoker with a water pan. There is a pan at the bottom of the unit you can put beer or fruit juice between the coal and the meat, it gives the
meat extra flavor and the meat stays moist... I like the wet smoker much more than the dry smoker... If I were building a smoker, i would put a water
pan in it.
[Edited on 2-27-2014 by churro]
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rts551
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We have used old friges....but it is harder to find the old metal ones...and I don't think a plastic one would be ideal, even if "cold" smoking.
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