Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Homebuilt BBQ pit

I would *NOT* use treated wood for a smoker. Qty of wood is pretty small so use a hardwood even if you have to buy it. JMHO

GB

I was talking about the cedar fencing. I would never use the treated lumber to cook in. I'm sorry about the confusing post. I do not think that the cedar fencing is treated. That is what I was inquiring about, and the tin.

LF

Take your Weber lid with you when you pick up the drum to make sure that it will fit. I got a drum that was cleaned and steamed and I fired a hot fire in it before I used it for smoking. I also failed to mention that a I used the rounded stove pipe fixture from a barrel stove with a winter chimney cover to add water from the side, but I hardly ever used it. One year turkey breasts were cheap after Thanksgiving. I smoked 9 or 10 in one batch and we gave them to family/friends for Christmas presents. Good luck.

croldfort

I'm glad you clarified. Cedar would be great I'd think. Folks use cedar shingles to grill salmon on.



GB

I wouldn't use cedar...I would use material that could be used for smoking. I doubt you cook/smoke with cedar? So, I wouldn't make walls from it either.

Oak isn't that expensive for a project that you'll use for years if you keep it from buring down. Were it me I'd use 5/4 - 6/4 boards.

That smokering site is pretty damn cool. I like the Yoder smoker design, and that's what I was going for in the first place. I have no idea where to get 1/4" steel pipe, so I'll go with my free 55 gallon drums

http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--37486/grilling-or-smoking-wood.asp

A google search revealed a lot of sources of cedar chips for smoking.

I do believe cedar is used on occasion with fish....but, for meats I doubt it sees much use. I've never seen it used.

I've not used it myself. The conversation got me thinking and I did some research. I've got some rough sawn oak and this sounds like a great use for it.

Brother man, the rough sawn oak would be perfect IMHO.

What thickness? I would think thicker = better.

5/4 to 4/4 thick. Perfect I think. Boards are rough sawn and vary in widths, average about 2.5 to 3 inches wide.

Yea, sounds good.

Well, I havent built my smoker yet, but I did figure out how to use the vertical smoker I bought from Home Depot! I had to build a new charcoal tray for it, because the bowl they give you is not worth the ceramic paint on it. Anyway, I made up some ribs for the family on Mothers Day, and they were just phenomenal! I only used Famous Daves dry rub, and smoked then for 4-5 hours (I had a rack of spares and a rack of baby's, that's why the time difference). Best ribs I've ever had, fall off the bone tender, and packed with flavor from the smoke and rub

Now, I'm not sure that I'll build a big one, but I will need something larger for a big party, and the 4th is coming up soon. We had about 20 people here last year, and it was our first year doing a party like that here, and we are making it an annual thing now . I assume I'll be FORCED to go bigger

I was thinking about trying something like this:

Seems like a lot of work SSE??? Let us know how it works if you do end up making one

the downhome homemade smokers i've seen have been constructed of a trash can in the ground, with a smoke hole out the top with 6 inch pipe run horizontally to the bottom of an old refrigerator set on a terrance.

a hole in the bottom of fridge admits the pipe from the trash can, and a damper and exhaust in top of fridge allows airflow to emit. shelves in the old fridge are handy for holding the smoked meat.

not the prettiest sight imaginable, but practical. kinda like something in Mother Earth News way back yonder.

The first time I saw one of those was about 35yrs ago when I visited an old buddy in Iowa. They were smoking sturgeon on one just like that. That was my fist time to see those ugly and good tasting fish. The smoker worked great. Had just about fogotten Mother Earth News, thank for reminding me.

when they were first running the show out of their Hendersonvlle, NC kitchen table, they published all sorts of down to earth practical ideas on barrel stoves, cookers, meat preservation, if ya recall. it was really a good piece of work...even had sections on hunting, and making a living on a rural shoestring. good stuff.

I've had smoked sturgeon I got at a shop In Mackinaw City, Mich. They sell and smoke whatever the indians bring in and occasionally it's sturgeon. Quite a treat.

Gus---where do you live? Are you in H'ville?

David

Not mine. miles


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