BBQ Smoker

#1
Anyone built a smoker?? I got this old 100gal Quincy air Tank and I am turning it into an offset indirect smoker. I should be able to smoke a small complete hog in this when its done. It's about ready for the sandblaster and I"ll then start fabbin it up. Low and Slo" Texas Style:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 

buckeye

Well-Known Member
#2
I had a 55 gallon hot water heater liner when I lived in Tx.
That thing could cook some meat let me tell ya.
I would have some type of way to adjust the amout of air entering.
On mine, there were revolving doors on each end. I could close one end completly closed, put the meat or whatever at that end,away from the heat, and open the opposite so the smoke would circulate then exit out one of the massive 6 inch smoke stacks.
I miss that thing for sure. I cooked tons of meat and chicken on that thing.
 
#3
I had a 55 gallon hot water heater liner when I lived in Tx.
That thing could cook some meat let me tell ya.
I would have some type of way to adjust the amout of air entering.
On mine, there were revolving doors on each end. I could close one end completly closed, put the meat or whatever at that end,away from the heat, and open the opposite so the smoke would circulate then exit out one of the massive 6 inch smoke stacks.
I miss that thing for sure. I cooked tons of meat and chicken on that thing.
I got a couple ideas for this I found online. I figure I'll put a big damper on the inlet side and one on a exhaust stack. It'll be I hope" wood only with a firebox on the cut out end. This should be a cool family thing..
 
#5
I built a smoker out of an old terra cotta planter I had. I got the idea from an episode of "Good Eats" on Food Network. I searched for a terra cotta top like he used but couldn't find one. I wasn't sure what I was going to do for a top and then I looked at my Webber grill and sure enough, it fit like a glove. I use a small heating element in the bottom and set my wood chips in a pie plate on top of that. I keep an old pan full of water on a level above the the heat and wood chips, and place the meat on a grill at the very top. Works like a charm.

 

oldfatguy

Active Member
#9
I use a 20 lb smoker from the sausage maker. It's good for slow smoking sausage or ribs. The key is low temperatures of about 160 degrees. the style smoker depends on the type of cooking you want to do.
 

Smallbore

Active Member
#10
BBQ 101

First off Congratulations on building you own BBQ Smoker ! What I`m going to show you is from years of smoker building, Competition cooking, and Catering. Here are some tips you may have never heard about, or even thought about.
In 2001 when I was cooking at the BBQ World Championship in San Diego California Someone asked “What is the best BBQ Smoker” Simple answer is.... One that you can keep precise control of your temperature with. It could be a $100.00 rig or a $10,000.00 rig, does not matter as long as you can keep your temps between 225 and 250 degrees. At the World Cook Off there were teams from Germany, France, England, Australia, etc... But there was this one team from Estonia that used a chunk of tree trunk about 30" diameter and 24" tall for their smoker. A 20" hole carved out of the center and lined with several layers of foil to hold the coals. A Weber 22" rack went on top of the tree trunk and a Weber Dome to cover the rack. I cant recall how they placed, but they turned out a pretty good product. Point to all this is a good cook can use just about anything, but a great rig makes for a better cook.

Here are some of the secretes to building a superior smoker:
Sorry for some of the bad photos, but I posted these on a BBQ web site in 2001 from a 1 megapixel camera. That site has been inactive for years now but was able to retrieve these a couple of years ago. The finished rig photos I shot 2 years ago.





FIRST, The Door:
Do you use the metal after you cut the tank or make a flat door ? Most people use the curved metal from the cut. However a flat door design enables you to use racks longer than the diameter of your tank.




SECOND, Grease Trap:
It is a lot of extra work, but building a troff at the bottom of your tank traps grease and can be filled up with water, which creates steam during the cook for extra moister. If you do this, make sure you tack in a couple of temporary struts across the center of the tank until the troff is welded in place. Otherwise you can loose shape on your tank.

THIRD, Ball Valve:
Troff or not, you have to put in a ball valve. After I have finished a job, I run down to the steam clean, scrap off the crusties, open the valves, and blast everything out. Only way to go !




FORTH, Fire Box and lighting it up.
As you can see I installed a propane burner in the side of my firebox.... Put in your logs, Light the burner, close the door, and your good to go in 20 minutes without chemicals. Turn off the burner and your cook`n !




FIREBOX CONSTRUCTION:
I always use 2 layers of 1/4" steel with 1-1/2" I.D. between the plates. Then fill the walls with 2" thick Mineral Wool. This keeps the heat where it belongs... IN THE FIREBOX ! Mineral Wool is used in all commercial stoves and ovens. Many times people have asked me how come I use hardly any wood ? They notice I use one third the wood they use.
The extra work makes a big difference. Plus... It is much safer as you can actually touch the outside of the firebox without getting burned. Inside the firebox I angle the roof to divert heat from the door. Lower on the door side and angle it up toward the tank. For Doors I use either 3/8" or ½" thick material. The firebox on this rig weighs 325 lbs. If you do make an insulated firebox, be sure to drill some holes through the plate that caps off the mineral wool between the walls, otherwise it will build pressure in the walls and explode !




FIFTH, Tuning Plates:
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ! Remember what I said in the beginning ? Tuning a pit is a “make it or brake it” proposition. Without a way to direct your heat, it will just enter the tank and rush to the top. THIS IS NOT GOOD. You want even heat from side to side and front to back. You want to start your plate (closest to the firebox) about a ½" above the top of the firebox opening. Dave Klose in Texas uses bolts to clamp the plates down, but just letting them lay on the rail is fine.. You stay cleaner as you don’t have to stick you head in there to unbolt them for cleaning. Just reach in and pull them out. In this rig my first plate is ½" thick and welded in place. I have 4 others after that one which are all 1/4" thick. The spacing is 1/16" between the first one 1/8" on the second, and just keep adding about a 1/16" with each one. If I fill the troff with water, once Im at cooking temp I can keep the temps between the top and bottom racks within 5 or 6 degrees. There is no way you will ever do that with out the plates. When I get to a job, first thing I do is pull out the bottom rack, adjust the plates, slide the rack back in and start the fire. Believe me, this is much better than dealing with bolts after the cook.




SIXTH, exhaust:
This is usually where first time builders make their biggest mistake. When it comes to exhaust pipe, Bigger is Better ! Don’t waste your time with small pipe. You want to create air flow. Without good flow it will choke and make excess smoke.... Just what you don’t want. On this rig as you see I used two 6" diameter pipes.




Well... This is the Nuts & Bolts of this deal... The more you are willing to do now, the bigger the pay off later. Ohhh.. For what ever its worth... The upright box on the end I can either cook at 225 plus or dial it down to 120-130 for holding. The grill on the far side I use for grilling vegetables, carne asada, etc... and the 2 burner stove I use to heat my beans or general cooking. This rig I designed and built for my catering. I have 2 Southern Pride SC-200 commercial smokers I use to precook the pork shoulders and Brisket overnight, then hot-box the meat to the job and cook the fast cook meats (5 hours or less) on location with this rig... Ribs, Tri-Tip, Chicken, etc.....
Anybody that was at Funday in Camarillo last year ate food cooked on this unit.

Anyway... That’s my 2 cents worth (more like 10 dollars) but hopefully you will find something useful in my ranting.

GOOD LUCK ! and Happy Cooking !




 
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Smallbore

Active Member
#12
:thumbsup:This is really neat. Is this yours????Nice work

Yes this is my keeper... I have built and sold many pits in the past but this one I built just for me to use. It was completed in 2001, and has probably traveled 25,000 miles through the years. Nothing has ever worn out or broke. Just like a Timex watch.... keeps on ticking.
:smile:
 
#14
Finally got this done except the cart to mount it on. I got an old 0 radius mower for a buggie to build it from. I seasoned burned it today for the first time using charcoal and oak logs. The entire chamber was wiped with Crisco/Lard for a burn in. I am able to control the temps from 175 to 425 fairly well. I'm ready to go back to mini's after this one. It weighs around 600lb's and my back is shot. This has been a ton of work:grind:
 

buckeye

Well-Known Member
#15
Holy crap Walt, that thing is awsome. That's some serious cooking right there.
I don't have enough friends for that kind of surface. :laugh:
 
#18
Big Guy Smoker sure looks great

I have a large pile of dried and wet Apple wood waiting for that baby , Also some wet Mulberry , Apricot , Plum , Cherry , Pear and Maple ..... bring it on by and we will have a BIG BBQ . :laugh:

Babyback Ribs will be on the modified Brinkman here by 10am today :thumbsup:
And a few pieces of smoked fresh side pork for the cooks to sample while cooking
 
#20
Thanks for the replys. We have a yearly fall family gathering and we all eat and drink waaay to much:wink: My goal is to "correctly" smoke an entire hog into pulled pork on wood. Done many on a spit but this is a different class and really an art. We shall see..Walt
 
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