Anyone DIY meat smoker?

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Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by lole » 17 Nov 2015, 10:10 am

Assemble brain trust!

I think it's time I give a home made smoker a go.

All shapes and sizes online, they all make smoke, no idea about what makes a good smoker though or things to avoid.

Anyone done it? Pro tips?
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by lole » 17 Nov 2015, 10:15 am

Case in point :lol:

diy-meat-smoker.jpg
diy-meat-smoker.jpg (195.76 KiB) Viewed 10603 times
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Gwion » 17 Nov 2015, 10:49 am

hmmm... that's one hot smoking method!!!

Got one in the pipeline but no experience to share, sorry.

What are you wanting to smoke??
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Bark » 17 Nov 2015, 11:11 am

Erm, looks like that one's made of wood. That'd seem like an obvious pitfall to avoid :lol:

Where there's smoke there's fire ;)
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by lole » 17 Nov 2015, 11:13 am

Gwion wrote:hmmm... that's one hot smoking method!!!

Got one in the pipeline but no experience to share, sorry.

What are you wanting to smoke??


Well keep us updated :thumbsup:

Hoping for an all purpose smoker assuming that's how it works. Meat, fish, all of it.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Gwion » 17 Nov 2015, 11:48 am

It's not going to happen at my place in any hurry. Too many other things i should be doing (other than wasting time here!). Projects coming out of my ears.

From my research, a smoker is a smoker is a smoker. Once you have it built, smoke what ever you like in it. Just follow sanitary standards (keep it clean to avoid cross contamination). You will need to decide if you want to hot smoke (kinda like smokey cooking) or cold smoke (more like smokey drying/curing).

I have a cast iron tank lined up at a mates place. I plan to set it in place with a firebox beneath for hot smoking. Need to find a suitable spot to build it and make it look pretty so the Wife doesn't whinge about the ugly thing in the yard all the time... could take some time!

I've done some small scale hot smoking with fish.... yum!
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Gwion » 17 Nov 2015, 11:49 am

Bark wrote:Erm, looks like that one's made of wood. That'd seem like an obvious pitfall to avoid :lol:

Where there's smoke there's fire ;)


Haha... yep... classic! :drinks:
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Oldbloke » 17 Nov 2015, 5:26 pm

"From my research, a smoker is a smoker is a smoker. Once you have it built, smoke what ever you like in it. Just follow sanitary standards (keep it clean to avoid cross contamination). You will need to decide if you want to hot smoke (kinda like smokey cooking) or cold smoke (more like smokey drying/curing)."
Im no expert but I think that sums it up pretty well.

A couple of time I used an old webber, worked fine for me & the trout.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Title_II » 18 Nov 2015, 12:19 am

lole wrote:
Gwion wrote:hmmm... that's one hot smoking method!!!

Got one in the pipeline but no experience to share, sorry.

What are you wanting to smoke??


Well keep us updated :thumbsup:

Hoping for an all purpose smoker assuming that's how it works. Meat, fish, all of it.


You mean like ALL of it all of it? ;)
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by melanie » 19 Nov 2015, 10:24 am

Hi guys,

Dad used to have a home made wooden smoker. Judging by his one I think what has gone wrong in the photo above is the smoker cabinet is right next to the fire box. It's just sitting on the side shelf of the BBQ if that is what I think it is.

If doing it with a wood box you need a longer smoke hose separating the firebox and the cabinet so the smoke gets there but not as much heat. We didn't have ours burn down but it did need some adjustment as the hole were the smoke came into the cabinet was blackening because it was too hot.

Dad increased the distance between the two and it solved the problem.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by lole » 19 Nov 2015, 12:10 pm

Gwion wrote:From my research, a smoker is a smoker is a smoker.


I figured as much, smoke is smoke as you say. What else could it be? :lol:

But if you don't ask you don't know.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by OODAH » 20 Nov 2015, 11:12 am

A fella I know would cook his fish in a smoker, tasted so bloody good!
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Redwood » 23 Nov 2015, 10:29 am

Smoked salmon :thumbsup:
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by catman » 21 Jan 2017, 7:37 pm

Hey guys and ladies, we smoke in 44gal drum
Maybe don't look as good as the shop bought ones,
But seemingly will do a good job.cheers catman and the girl :thumbsup:
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by juststarting » 22 Jan 2017, 12:08 am

You have two options: DIY or buy. I know you said DIY, but it will most likely cost you more in effort, parts, tools and wasted food while you learn.

If you are after the end result, then you should probably buy something like Traeger Smoker or similar. It burns compressed wood pallets and has electronics to monitor temperature and keep it within required thresholds. Considering that something yummy will take you 6 hours upwards, automation helps! I have the smallest model which works great. Longest smoke I've done on it is 12 hours, worked fine. Just chuck the fuel in, turn it on and come back when it's done. Pretty much that easy. From the smoker point of view anyway, you'll still need to mop or spray or whatever else the recipe requires.

If you are dead set on building one, search for Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) instructions. Your main challange will be seal and temperature control. Temperature control in low and slow cooks with charcoal fuel is not as easy as it looks on YouTube. UDS is pretty much the defecto DIY project if you want to build one. A friend of mine built one and it's also great. But! Temperature control requires a lot more attention. It takes a lot longer to get it going, get it to the the required temperature and stabilise on that temperature/maintain that temperature for hours, it's not as easy or predictable as people make it out to be. You will need to watch it. At the end, my friend ended up building an embedded computer (connected to his smoker) connected to a small PC fan and a thermometer; which starts the fan when the temperature drops...

Which brings us to the next big expense. GOOD food thermometers. When you cook meat in the smoker or meat in general, you cook to temperature, not time. You will need a fast thermometer because last thing you want to do is open your smoker - rapid heat loss, so you want to keep that to a minimum which means a very fast meat probe ($100) . Most people who are in to this stuff also own a 'remote' thermometer. Something with 2 probes - food and internal unit temperature, then send it to receiver unit so you don't have to run back all the time to check on it.

Slight tangent, if you have an old charcoal style Webber then you already have a smoker, most people just don't know how to use it right... Watch BBQ Pit Boys (http://www.youtube.com/show/bbqpitboys) and you'll see how to use it like a smoker rather than a BBQ. And if you don't, you could still turn something with a heat source into a smoker - watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJjvKtfAJXc (or build one of this, about $50 worth of parts, most cost is in the aquarium pump on eBay).

Finally, better forums to ask this on are:
http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum
http://www.aussiepitmasters.com.au


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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by bigfellascott » 22 Jan 2017, 12:55 pm

Gut an old fridge, poke a hole in the side for the pipe to run the wood box, a few holes in the fridge so it draws, some drying racks and you are good to go, you don't need anything fancy to smoke things, the aim is to get the smoke into and round the food to preserve it, I've seen enough hillbilly shows to know simple works fine (most people who live of the land and do this regularly just use scrap wood sheeting or iron, some pipe and some sort of fire box, whether it be an old weber BBq slightly buried in the ground with the pipe attached to into running into their smoker, simple s**t to make really - the hardest part is working out what wood will give the best flavour and then where to source it from cheaply.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by juststarting » 22 Jan 2017, 3:18 pm

Not first hand experience, but have been told by few people that anything with plastic will contaminate the taste. Fridge or chamber you can seal is perfectly fine for cold smoking, but I wouldn't go that way with hot smoking.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by bigfellascott » 22 Jan 2017, 4:28 pm

juststarting wrote:Not first hand experience, but have been told by few people that anything with plastic will contaminate the taste. Fridge or chamber you can seal is perfectly fine for cold smoking, but I wouldn't go that way with hot smoking.


A smart person would remove anything that would contaminate the taste/food - hot smoking I'd use something metal like a couple off 44gal drums end to end.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by juststarting » 22 Jan 2017, 4:35 pm

I said that lol
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by bigfellascott » 22 Jan 2017, 6:33 pm

I like homemade stuff. Id rather build than buy if I can, more satisfying for me. I also like the Teepee type ones that some build, they seem to work well for diff applications (the one I saw being used was for tanning skins from memory).

You'll have to take some pics next time you smoke something in yours - would be good to see it in action.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by juststarting » 22 Jan 2017, 10:44 pm

bigfellascott wrote:I like homemade stuff. Id rather build than buy if I can, more satisfying for me. I also like the Teepee type ones that some build, they seem to work well for diff applications (the one I saw being used was for tanning skins from memory).

You'll have to take some pics next time you smoke something in yours - would be good to see it in action.


Here you go.

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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by bigfellascott » 23 Jan 2017, 5:41 am

Not bad, I'd love to see a big chunk of meat smoked - like they do in "Man v's Meat" some of that stuff looks absolutely sensational I reckon.

Well done mate, keep on a smokin! :clap:
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Oldbloke » 23 Jan 2017, 1:13 pm

I reckon an old SS beer keg would make a good one.
But for hot smoking almost any metal container with a small smoky fire & racks in side will do the job.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Gwion » 23 Jan 2017, 1:22 pm

Mate of mine has started making some awesome smokers. The tucker is pretty good too! I should get some picks to post.

Currently in the middle of doing a whole bunch of landscaping here and wondering how badly i need to incorporate the smoker i had planned.

The idea is an old cast water tank that another mate has sitting around, put racks and hangers inside, set it on a stone base so i can build a fire under it and use it as both a hot smoker and an outdoor slow roaster....... hmmmm... duck......
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by juststarting » 23 Jan 2017, 4:50 pm

bigfellascott wrote:Not bad, I'd love to see a big chunk of meat smoked - like they do in "Man v's Meat" some of that stuff looks absolutely sensational I reckon.

Well done mate, keep on a smokin! :clap:


I've done a 5kg pork shoulder recently... It's actually a lot more forgiving, than the ribs. Ribs are pretty easy to mess up. Large chunk of meat is easy. Also what you do, is pop a container with, in my case, apple juice on the bottom to keep the meat moist (lol). And catch the fat. Once it's done, you can pour the fat back in to make it a bit more juicy if need be...
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by bigfellascott » 23 Jan 2017, 5:55 pm

juststarting wrote:
bigfellascott wrote:Not bad, I'd love to see a big chunk of meat smoked - like they do in "Man v's Meat" some of that stuff looks absolutely sensational I reckon.

Well done mate, keep on a smokin! :clap:


I've done a 5kg pork shoulder recently... It's actually a lot more forgiving, than the ribs. Ribs are pretty easy to mess up. Large chunk of meat is easy. Also what you do, is pop a container with, in my case, apple juice on the bottom to keep the meat moist (lol). And catch the fat. Once it's done, you can pour the fat back in to make it a bit more juicy if need be...


Sounds good to me :drinks:
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by zobster » 23 May 2017, 10:44 am

I'm lazy, I just used my gas BBQ, had 2 outside burners on, food placed in the middle on a rack so smoke circulates. Wood chips soaked over night placed into a foil pouch with holes poked into it, placed directly onto one of the burners and you'll have a smoker. Change the pouch every hour or so, or make bigger pouches.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by scoobs » 23 May 2017, 11:15 am

Oldbloke wrote:I reckon an old SS beer keg would make a good one.
But for hot smoking almost any metal container with a small smoky fire & racks in side will do the job.

they work great. im in the process of making one or 3 at the moment
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Tiger650 » 25 Jan 2020, 9:21 am

Being an efficient chap [lazy bustard] I smoke with a off the shelf gas smoker, keep an eye on Evilbay, the medium size cabinet smokers sometimes appear new at half the $250.00 odd retail cost.
Many are badge engineered, 'zact same smoker retailed from different sources, Aldi occasionally sells them, go with the two door minimum.
Temp control was an issue, tiny adjustments of the standard rotary dial = huge temp variation, I fitted a 1/8" needle valve on low pressure [downstream] side of the pressure regulator, still sensitive but very workable, texta mark on the needle valve at 12 O'clock [smoking temp] allows correct adjustment after 180 deg dial up to get smoke happening.
I use 50/50 Redgum chips and Mesquite chips [not chunks] to reduce costs [tight lazy bustard].
Reason for chips is that the Yanks reckon most smoke is taken up early in the process, chunks smoke less for longer with diminishing returns later in the cook.
Also I riveted a piece of allot plate over one of the three vents, works for me.
Chooks are excellent after a couple of hours, I have a good chunk of topside to do today and reckon on 6 hrs @ around 120 deg C.
Often I roll the tucker in "rub" the evening prior to smoking, mine comes from USA Foods in Moorabbin but Weber Premium dealers also stock that brand.
Having a stubbie whilst running the smoker over a 6 hour cook can result in significant but temporary reduction of speech lucidity and gross motor skills LOL.
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Re: Anyone DIY meat smoker?

Post by Potatoes » 26 Jan 2020, 12:13 am

A standard 22inch weber kettle makes a good smoker if rigged right. Not strictly DIY though. I also got a pitmaster iq120 stoker which keeps the temperature at whatever i set it to. They will fith most charcoal barbies and smokers, and once you’ve used one you won’t go back. I put a brisket on for 12hours at 105C and only open the lid to add charcoal and baste the meat with a mop sauce. Favourite woods are cherry for chicken, apple or pecan for pork, and pecan for beef. If i had to make one from stratch, id get the biggest steel drum i could find. Space is a premium.
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