home made smoker help

[Freighter Bait]

I've got an upright commercial freezer I would like to make into a smoker. Where can I find a burner, etc.? This is a single door stainless ext. & int. with stainless racks. I've built one in the past out of an old refrigerator and hot plate which worked well. I'd like to be able to do larger pieces like turkeys and hams, so will need something a little more sophisticated I think? Thanks for any help.

[Pyramid]

My uncle has a great smoker about that size. He put a propane burner (that he got at the local dealer) down at the bottom. On top of that he put a rack that he can put a pan of chips on. About chest high he mounted a thermometer (outside, but the sending unit is inside). I think the racks are all custom made out of expanded metal.

It works like a champ, and he can regulate the heat easily with a turn of the knob.

Let us know what you end up doing.

[Abalone]

I would like to hear more info about home made smokers.

An Indian at Friendly Cove ( Ray Williams) was suppost to show me how to build one on the beach out of driftwood and split cedar but never did.

Has anyone ever done this ?

A byproduct of propane combustion is water, I don't like water on my fish during smoking. Use two or more hotplates, you can also install a thermostat in an electrical system and have better heat control. If you want to go with gas get a used wall mounted furnace, all of the temperature controls are there and you aren’t running combustion gases from the heat source onto your food.

[Freighter Bait]

Thanks for the suggestions. I know the temperature and moisture control is critical. Anybody cure their own chips?

[Popeye]

Here's a burner that I'm going to try.

http://shop.securewebs.com/ECscripts...pe=A1QN1&lc=EN

[Freighter Bait]

Just went to Bob's in Longview and picked up a Bradley smoke generator. Appears you still need the hotplate for extra heat. I'll let you know how it works when I get it all rigged. Might even start making my own sausage. :grin:

[Hell-B]

I use a hot plate in my homemade smoker (freezer). For smoke, I use a coffee can that I have drilled ventilation holes in. I found that the holes will allow the chips and chunks to completely burn up, rather than having to open the door and shake can.I fill the can about 1/3 full of hickory chips, the fill it with vine maple chunks. These are just vine maple limbs cut 1 to 2 inches long. This will produce smoke for about 10 hours straight. I know that some people only like to smoke for 2 or 3 hours, then dry, but I've been doing this for well over 20 years and am very :smile: with the finished product. Racks are just a wooden frame with 1/2" square wire stretched over. Because it handles so much fish at a time, I also built a tin drip pan under every rack. Have fun!

[Popeye]

Freighter Bait.... Please do let me know! I haven't ordered mine yet. My thoughts are that a cold smoke is supposed to be better preservation, and this unit may fit the bill by itself But, if it does need a hot plate to assist, no big rip :grin: I'm making mine out of a big stainless steel "passthru" like you find in wafer fabs. It's large enough to roll a good sized Metro rack into. I think it's going to be awesome!

[Freighter Bait]

Popeye I think it depends on what your smoking. If your just drying & smoking, do with minimal heat. Large items like summer sausage, turkeys, hams, etc. need the heat with the smoke to reach the right core temp. The Bradley won't get there alone. Ive made some awesome jerky just using a food dryer. The instructions with the Bradley suggest a smoker size of 3' x 3' x 6'. How big is your unit? Maybe you'll need two :grin: I plan on experimenting with chips/blocks instead of their wafers.

[ajfishfinder]

If you are tired of paying way to much for chips, call clark supply at 503 557-1172. He is a butcher supply outfit in clackamas, and will sell you a huge bag for a really good price. Don't know exact price since I buy them by the pallet for work. But 1 bag will last most of us weekend smokers about a year or more. He also has pre-blended spices for sausage and all sorts of meat processing items you might need.

[ 02-18-2004, 07:57 AM: Message edited by: ajfishfinder ]

[roadsend]

The gas unit I bought last fall works great on fish. It has top and side vents which allow vapor to escape. If you go with a hotplate you will still need vents to allow moisture from the fish to escape.

[Ramstrong]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jhtml?id=0005860510798a&navAction=push&navCou nt=7&indexId=&podId=0005860&catalogCode=UD&parentI d=&parentType=&rid= &_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fit em-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=search&hasJS=true

If you're looking for just an element. Cabelas has a 1,500W unit for converting a brinkman. I'm sure it'd work for custom applications as well.