In a couple of threads I have mentioned my homemade smoker and have shown some pics of it. Here is how I built it.

My last homemade smoker lasted 15 years. It was a converted chest freezer I tipped on its side and it worked great for hot smoking but eventually rusted through because of the heat and moisture and salt inherent to the smoking process.

Being that I like to build things, I began building a new smoker from scratch. I searched online for big electric smokers to get a feel for what�s available and to find something to pattern mine after (never been ashamed to steal a good idea) Most of the smokers were too small for what I want but none of the big commercial units allowed for cold smoking. Part of the reason I want a new smoker is so I can smoke things like cheese, nuts, lox and other things that are cold smoked. Also the big commercial units cost around $4,000. I think the price is fair considering what you get but I would rather make my own.

This is an example of what out there and the size of the smoker I want to make

http://www.cookshack.com/store/Smokers_3/SmartSmoker-Model-SM160

I like it but it cant be used to cold smoke and it has too few racks. My smoker will sit outside year round so it has to be weatherproof. Since most of the meat smoking I do is in the winter in temps below freezing, I will insulate the smoker with 1 � thick foam board. I will use treated lumber for the legs since its going to sit outside year round. I will make it for hot smoking but will build a cold smoking adapter. I want ten racks and the extra height for smoking hot sticks and bacon sides. The inside smoking area I�m shooting for is 25� wide, 20� deep and 48� tall and will be lined with aliminum. Its going to have dual exhaust, and T-111 exterior siding and will be about 7 feet tall. The inner walls are going to be � inch thick plywood.

THe plan is to build the smoker from wood and line it with metal.


The back wall



Fast forward to the completion of the structure. The upper opening is the smoking chamber. The lower is where the electric heating elements and pan filled with wood will go. each compartment will have its own door so I can add wood and adjust the heat without opening the upper area and letting all the heat out. The recessed areas are 1 � inches deep and will be filled with pink foam board (R-7.5).







Here is the inner ceiling. I�m using 3 inch galvanized for the smoke stacks. I cut and bent tabs all the way around to attach it to the wood and to have a good seal.



Testing to see if it fits.



The space between the inner ceiling and the outer roof will be filled with insulation board. This was to test the fit to make sure I had the smoke stack holes in the right place.



I don�t have a sheet metal break for making the bends in the aluminum lining so I improvised.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_8.jpg[/img]

The floor piece being tested for proper fit. My plan is to wrap all the exposed wood with aluminum. I will use aluminum nails to hold the aluminum lining in place to avoid rust.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_7.jpg[/img]

The racks for smoking will be supported by 3/4 inch poplar dowels. They will be supported by the hard maple strips on each side. I drilled a 7/8 inch hole about halfway through the maple and then split each one on my table saw. Each strip will be able to support 5 dowels.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_9.jpg[/img]

Once I finish lining the entire inside with aluminum, I will attach the maple rack supports.

The entire inside is wrapped in aluminum and the maple rack supports are installed. It was a bigger pain in the butt than I thought it would be.

With the interior done I focused on the outside. First the insulation. R 7.5 Pink foam board 1 1/2 thick.



I caulked around the smoke stacks before insulating. I don�t want any leaks.



Then the roof went on and more caulk.



Next was the fascia and some paint.



Then some tar paper.



Then the metal roof and drip edge and some white silicone caulk over the aluminum nail heads to prevent any leaks.

Normally drip edge goes on before the tar paper and is covered by asphalt shingles that cover the nails holding the drip edge. The thin metal is not as robust as shingles so I used the drip edge to hold the thin roof metal down and to cover all the nails holding it in place. I put a large bead of silicone under each piece of drip edge before nailing it in place.



[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_995.jpg[/img]

Since I don�t want rain and snow getting into the smoke stacks and since I cant find any caps for 3 inch ducting I made some from galvanized sheet.



The rolled it and riveted the joint.



Since I also can't find inline butterfly dampers for 3 inch ducting, I made my own from brass threaded rod and stainless hardware (no rust). It was pretty much a huge pain in the butt but it worked out ok.









[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_9993.jpg[/img]

I started cutting the pieces of siding and painting the exterior corner trim. I hope to get that installed tomorrow so I can make the doors.

Then the siding on and the corner trim went on.







Time to build a door. The face of the door will be two layers. 1. is half inch plywood and 2. is the same T-111 siding I've been using. It will also be insulated framed with 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 lumber.



Then another layer pf plywood to support the metal lining.



I start the aluminum at the bottom and overlap all the joints like shingles on a roof so no moisture can get to the wood.



Then the sides.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/smoker_99991.jpg[/img]

Then the face. (all metal is held in place with aluminum nails)

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/smoker_99992.jpg[/img]

The top piece is the same as the bottom except it laps over all the other pieces.

With the top door completed, I began the bottom door. This is where I will load wood chips and adjust the heat without opening the big door and losing all the heat I built up. In order to have proper venting and air flow to the smoke stacks, I need a fresh air intake. I need to prevent unwanted intruders from entering the smoker (mice, wasps, etc) so I folded over the edges of metal window screen material and screwed to the inside face of the door and I added a set of hinges.



The front of the door as a floor register vent that I can open and close to adjust the air flow. The white metal around the outside edge of the door is aluminum angle use for suspended ceilings. It was just the right size and color and material for this job. It covers the cut edge of the siding and the edge of the aluminum I wrapped the door with.



Both doors get a weather-strip seal all around.



To make moving the smoker easier, I added steel casters. I don�t want rubber casters that will take a flat spot after sitting plus the hard rubber caster will eventually rot from exposure to the outside.



Then it was time to hang the doors.





Just for grins (and because I would not be able to see myself) I set the timer on the camera and placed it inside the smoker to see how the door fits and looks from the inside. All seems well.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/smoker_99998.jpg[/img]

Now I will add a side table, door latches and build the cold smoking adaptor box. This project seems to be never ending.

I added over-center catches to draw the door tight against the seal. The upper door gets two and the lower door gets one.





Then drilled a hole for a heat probe. I will have one in the door and another digital remote version.





Then I fired it up using two electric hot plates rated for 1000 watts each. I put a rack in to support the probe.





The temp in my garage was 55F. It took over an hour to heat the inside to over 200F.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_999997.jpg[/img]

Then I took the legs off my propane turkey cooker and placed it inside to see how propane would fair.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_999998.jpg[/img]

And placed a heavy cast iron griddle used on Scout outings over the flame to act as a dissipater.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_999999.jpg[/img]

In two minutes I was over 230F and I kept having to turn the burner down till it was just a faint flicker of a flame. This is no longer an electric smoker project. It is now a propane smoker project. This burner is rated at 45,000 BTU. I will shop for a lower rated burner and make accommodations for the hose to leave the smoker.

After learning of a product called the �A-maze-n-smoker � I have also scrapped the idea of an external smoke box and flexible dryer vent hose to deliver smoke for cold smoking things like cheese. After reading about the product, I made a few of my own. It�s a perforated metal box that is 6 x 6 inches with a maze if metal strips that is filled with sawdust and let to smolder in the smoke house without generating heat. It�s a freaking awesome thing.

Here are the parts I cut out before assembly. I used aluminum.



Then after cutting and bending.



Then riveted together.



The rivets act as legs to space it away from whatever it sits on so air can flow under it.



Then I filled it with sawdust and lit each end through the hole I cut. The store bought version claims it will smoke for 8 hours if lit on only one end. I lit mine on both ends just to see how it would work. It produced a lot of smoke. I lit it at 5:30 pm.



Here it is at 6:30



7:30

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_9999997.jpg[/img]

8:30

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_9999998.jpg[/img]

When it was burned out, I knocked it upside down and rinsed it with water.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_9999999.jpg[/img]
I�m really impressed by this thing. He sells it for $32. I will make a few more for myself. If you�re in the market for a very cool cold smoking, smoke generator, I would highly recommend checking his product out.

Im adding a side table to the smoker because when I carry racks of things to smoke, out to smoker, I need my hands free to open the door. The table will make it easier. I want the table removable without tools so I can store it inside the smoker when I�m not using it. Because I�m working on the outside of the smoker and it�s a nice day, I bought several varieties of local made cheese to cold smoke (it was 55 degrees this afternoon)

But first I needed some sawdust. I cut down a sugar maple 2 years ago so I passed a piece of it through my table saw until I had enough sawdust to smoke the cheese.



Then filled the smoke pan.



I took a big pan of ice out to the smoker about an hour before I wanted to use it. Since this is essentially a big, insulated cooler, the ice dropped the temp inside from 55 to 44. Then I cut the cheese. I�m smoking Cheddar, Swiss, Pepper Jack, String cheese and Cheese curds.




Then into the smoker with the sawdust pan.




While working on the side table I peeked at the one hour mark. I can't believe how much smoke that little pan makes. That thing rocks!



As I said, I want to remove the table without tools so I used a Dremmel tool to key-hole-slot the tops of all 4 holes.



Then screwed in large screws but left them sticking out a little more than the thickness of the bracket.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_99999997.jpg[/img]

But enough about the table, its two hours later and the cheese is done. I emptied the sawdust pan to keep from choking and let the smoke clear.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_99999998.jpg[/img]

The almost finished product.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_99999999.jpg[/img]

I bagged it all separately and then placed all the bags in another gallon sized bag and put it in the fridge where it will sit for two weeks and we will enjoy it around Easter time. Why? Everything I have read about smoking cheese says that if you try to eat the cheese right out of the smoker, it will taste like licking the bottom of an ash tray (I can only imagine what that would taste like) so the cheese has to mellow and absorb the smoke before it can be enjoyed������������ But being impatient, I sampled one of the cheese curds. Yup, ash tray, all the way. It was awful. If I had not read up on the subject, I would have thrown the whole lot in the trash, thinking I had done something wrong. It pays to study.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_999999991.jpg[/img]

Back to working on the side table. I want a table that is easy to clean and removable without tools. I made a wooden frame that sits on the two shelf brackets and then covered it with plywood. Then I wraped it in aluminum. This is a heavier gauge than I used inside the smoker so it was a bit harder to bend.



The sheetmetal edge was a bit too sharp for my tastes so I put an edge of aluminum strip that is an 1/8 x 1 1/2. I held it in place with stainless steel screws since it will be exposed to salt and the elements.







When not in use, it fits nicely in the smoker.



I was able to find a propane burner that I think will work well for this project. It has 3 separate burner rings with adjustable settings. I found it at Northern tool for $40. I hope to have it in a few days.



When I was going to use electric heat, I was content with the aluminum over wood smoke/heat chamber. Now that I will have open flame, (and the potential for flare ups) I have decided to line the lower chamber with ceramic tile. The biggest consideration is the temperature extremes. This smoker could be -10F one day and with me using it, 225F the next day. Because of this, I can�t line the chamber with ceramic using conventional methods. I have to allow for a large amount of thermal expansion. To account for this, I will loosely hold the tiles in place with a roofing product that is used for soffit and fascia. The Home Depot carries it under the name of �J� channel. Its made of aluminum. I will screw it to the side walls of the smoker.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_999999997.jpg[/img]

I used 12 inch by 12 inch tiles (.57 cents each). The tiles on the floor will not be in �j� channel and will be allowed to float.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_999999999.jpg[/img]

Completed. This might be overkill but I think its cheap insurance against burning this thing to the ground.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_999999998.jpg[/img]

I was going to use 16 inch tile so I bought a sample (.77 cents each) but ended up using the 12 inch. I will place the large 16 inch directly under the burner.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_9999999991.jpg[/img]

Lining the door with ceramic proved to be a bigger challenge due to the air vent. I used an abrasive cut-off blade in my 7 inch circular saw to cut the openings.



They will also be held in place with �J� channel.



The ceramic lined bottom chamber.



Once the burner arrives and I figure out where to run the propane line, I will have to cut a hole in a tile and the side of the smoker for the line to exit the smoker.

While I�m waiting, I painted a sign. My Son named my first smoker �Old Smokey� and insisted I paint a crescent moon on the door. I can think of no reason to break with tradition so this smoke will be dubbed �Old Smokey II� and also bear the crescent moon. While taking pictures, a neighbor stopped over to ask how I got a permit to put an outhouse on my property? After a bit of explaining, he understood.

Here is what �Old Smokey II� looks like so far.







[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/smoker_9999999996.jpg[/img]

Now I'm just waiting on the UPS delivery man and the burner.

The propane burner arrived. It�s a heavy and durable piece of equipment. The only mod I made was cutting 2 inches off of the legs to lower it. Then I went and got some iron pipe and fitting so I don�t have to have any rubber regulator line inside the heat of the smoker.



Then a notch in a tile and a hole drilled through the side wall.



I�ve got gas.



I lit the smallest burner ring and let it burn to see how hot I could get it at its max setting. I brought the inside temp to 270F which is way hotter that anything I will be needing but I wanted to test out the door seal gasket and see if the whole thing would take the heat. Each burner is adjustable so I will be able to tweak the heat as I like and have extra to spare for when it below zero outside.


It was 39 degrees one afternoon during the project so I took advantage and cold smoked some cheese, olives and salt.

I Had some out of town guests. Some from upstate and one from Alabama and my Boy home from college so I fired up the smoker with some big ole hickory chunks.













Living the high life.

Things quieted down enough and I have a free weekend so I ordered a 60 pound case of boneless pork picnic shoulders. (What the hell happened to meat prices?? What I used to buy at .88 cents a pound was $1.60 a pound >:( ) anyway, I took 30 pounds of venison out of the freezer so I could make a 60 pound batch of breakfast sausage. Then I cut up a few of the pork shoulders into small pieces for grinding.



Then ground them together.



Our family likes the Hi Mountain brand of breakfast sausage seasoning so I got a few boxes. I mixed it with a quart of cold water and 4 tablesthingys of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat.



Then I grind it again through a smaller plate.



Then I convert the grinder into a stuffer and bulk pack it.



In order to continue pork-a-palooza, I saved 15 pounds of butts for the smoker tomorrow. It will spend the day in the new smoker.

[/QUOTE]

Since the trees have already budded out and I know some of the apple trees at the back of ourproperty need trimming, I killed two birds with one stone.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/pork1.jpg[/img]

There is a soon-to-be Bacon palooza pictorial coming at some point and I plan to use apple wood so it will be ready when the time comes. This is more than enough for today.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/pork2.jpg[/img]

Then all the butts get a rub down

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/pork3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/pork4.jpg[/img]

Then into the new smoker for the day.





The half way point.



Pulling pork is a perpetual pain in the posterior and something I wanted to speed up so I went to Ace hardware and bought a cast iron floor drain (like you probably have in your basement floor) a few 3/8 bolts and nuts and a 12 inch long bolt to make the perfect pork puller.






I invited the folks from Youtube over to have some pork and to video the perfect pork puller in action. The pork is only minutes out of the smoker and very hot. You will notice the steam. The Youtube folks were nice and all but they sure can eat. Click below to watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqHytg7Rk2U


I only pulled two of the butts, the other 3 will be vacuum sealed and frozen for another day. Then I added just a splash of BBQ sauce to the two I pulled and mixed it tp.



Add some beans, potato salad, a bun and a big frosty beverage and call it day.

[img]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/212007154/sausage/pork93.jpg[/img]

AWESOME and perhaps one of the best start-to-finish posts that I've read to date.

Thanks for sharing and your attention to detail.

You deserve the title DIY Smoker/Cooker!

David

This weekend Im making 25 pounds of smoked Snack sticks with cheese and jalepeno peppers.

WHEW !!!!!

I'm exhausted


Denny.

And hungry.
Looks great. Like David said, great start to finish photo and narration.

Outstanding step-by-step presentation and instructions. Very innovative and efficient.

Thanks for your "creation."

L.W.

Retired? I am ddaammnn handy with my hands and tools but have zero time to work such a fine project. I am envious though my pending retirement will close that. Beautiful work.

You are a very talented and creative designer/craftsman, great job with the photo progression too!

Awesome smoker, now I got the "meat sweats"

holeeeee....

I would echo those comments! The standard of work looks exceptional.

For us less talented, an old/scrap stainless steel commercial fridge or freezer makes an excellent starting point, although probably would not look near as good as the O/P's.

Correct and my prior smoker was a repurposed steel lined chest freezer and it served me well. This is not a high tech craft. Smoking Is an old craft.

Man, that is an awesome build!! I would never have the patience to do that.

My build went something like this.

1. Drive to store and buy BGE.

2. Repeat step one four more times.

Mike

LOL at The green egg thingy. They are cute. I will give you that.

That is a fantastic build and thread! I read it and drooled over the pics while I was sitting here eating my crappy lunch.

Awesome thread and build! I wish I had the time to put together a smoker like that.

I like your style.. Your posts are great.

I don't consider my BGE a dedicated smoker, its too small but they do a lot of things well. Cute... Come on...

Do you get a creosote flavor when you let the saw dust smolder? I smoke on multiple platforms, none like your setup but I have found when things smolder instead of cleanly burn I get a creosote flavor. Just wondering if you notice the same.

I'm not sure what creosote tastes like, but if you over smoke you will get a nasty metallic taste. I've used sawdust and it works fine so long as you don't over do it.

Lets be honest. Its a grill. Thats about it. Hard to take a green egg seriously. I look at the prices of the BGE and just shake my damn head.



No, you get a thin blue to blue/white smoke with no creosote flavor. I was really impressed with it.

DIY, that is a very well crafted and thoughout project. I have a couple of comments that are based on my years of smoking. 1) Smoke is a carcinogen and IMO should be used only as a condiment meaning avoid smoking to the point of having any black on the product. 2) I'm a cold smoker only. In my smoker, on the lower rack, I use furnace filters to catch the heavy black particles of the smoke leaving the lighter smoke, to flavor the product. 3)I do not know where you live but I have found that smoking at temps below freezing condensation is hard to control especially on metal surfaces. I lined my smoker with hardiboard. The lining is for fire control. Years ago I had a smoker burn and it was a classic creosote stack fire and burned hot and fast. Only loss was the old crappy smoker and a 50 lbs of beautiful king salmon. With your previous smoking experience you probably know all of this. Great looking smoker. Thanks for sharing, smoking is fun. pak

Thanks its always good to hear the finer points and yes I smoke nearly year round but smoke the most in colder weather (I live in WI so cold weather is all I get) thats why I lined the interior with aluminum. I am from the school of thought that less is more in regards to smoke. People tend to over smoke (too much smoke, not too long in the smoker) their foods. I learned long ago that a little smoke goes a long way and a thin blue ot blue/white smoke is plenty unless I am smoking summer sausage where the outer casing is peeled and thrown away before eating. Getting through that fiberious casing means more smoke is needed. Whole meats and fish need only a little smoke for the flavor otherwise it tends to get bitter and overpowering. The bitter comes from the ashy soot (even if its too slight to actually see on the meat)

You were on a roll until you slipped this in....with this crowd.

Ya don't call a BGE a "grill" at the alter of the BGE!!!

LMAO!

Nice smoker, BTW. Need to figure a way to get some sockeyes to you to smoke for me.

Im (almost) famous for calling a spade a spade. Im plain spoken. Its an overpriced grill. Honesty should be a laudable trait.

Now that is an awesome post!!

That's where you're 100% wrong. Again, I admire your work but anything you can do with that outhouse I can do and MORE with the BGE.

And don't even get me started on the use of propane, which would eliminate you from the real pit masters of competition.

HeHeHeHeHe!


.... this will get interesting

Pretty sure DIYguy can put more chitt in his than you can.

Left yerself open fer dat.

Denny.

LOL. I dont recall ever stating I have any desire to enter a pit masters competition. That is a straw argument you invented (no doubt for theatrics) As to you being able to do anything with an egg I can do with my smokehouse is interesting. Can you show me the pictures of 6, 15 pound sides of bacon hanging in your grill? How about 50 pounds of summer sausage sticks hanging in your grill or 50 pounds of 28 inch long hot sticks hanging in your grill? You said you can do all of that AND MORE so I look forward to the pictures you are about to post.

That must be one huge grill. Can I ask what you paid for it? I know what I paid form my smoker. I would be interested in hearing what your huge grill cost (as well as all the required accessories.)

I know right? Shear volume alone says enough not to mention the hanging headroom for long sausages, bacon sides, summer as well as the 10 tier racks. Why he hopes to manufacture a competition between his grill and my smoker after reading through my smoker build seems odd but this is the interweb and contests for who has the biggest weiner abound. I think its funny.

Of course he can but whoever said I only had one ceramic cooker? For me. this is not about quantities or making quota but rather a single finished product. But hey if you want to go with quantities I can fit a fair amount of pig or whatever in a dozen or so ceramic cookers. And through creative means can actually stack the pig pretty high.

Why does cooker costs matter or have to do with anything it? I certainly never mentioned nor defended costs.

Also, not looking for an argument and I certainly didn't fire the first stone. Rather just threw the rock back over over the fence with a value added little message/challenge to your "BGE only being a grill" claim. I never said I could fit as much into ONE BGE as you can your shrimp shack. So, move off quantities and focus on the menu and I will start cooking tomorrow. But be prepared to receive a retaliation menu.

Oh. and if you do want to focus on quantities I am up for the Pepsi challenge but my investment in the number of cookers is not relevant. It's a choice. Happy to crank all 12 up and match your yield.

Easy there big fella.



Wait a minute!!! An eggstacker the newest eggcessery !!!!

Denny.

David,First butt on my medium later this week after brining and injection. Wish me luck. Gonna try some new slaw for sammies as well. yum!!

Denny

troublemaker!!

Am I invited for the newbie!? I may just come btw.

BTW I'll have to look up just how much cooking space the new EggZilla offers up. I understand it's pretty dramatic and just might rival some of these stick and/or propane uprights. Also, I hear Primo is coming out with a 4-6 foot oval with hydros.

Butt marinated in 'shine. your call.

Denny

some of these bad boys are pretty big btw. I saw one at the Hyatt in Hawaii that was 9 feet tall and had hydraulics for hinges.

Who is the blonde?

Next time I am 'back east' there will be an inspection tour!



You egg-worshiper!!!

I'm pretty confident in stating that the EGG will produce a much more succulent yard bird compared from the pics of DIY's overly smoked bird that come outta The Outhouse

For sausages and cheese ... Ya

For fine dining ... Nay


Just my .02

I�ll ask again since you have tucked tail and run from the questions. As to you being able to do anything with an egg I can do with my smokehouse is interesting. Can you show me the pictures of 6, 15 pound sides of bacon hanging in your grill? How about 50 pounds of summer sausage sticks hanging in your grill or 50 pounds of 28 inch long hot sticks hanging in your grill? You said you can do all of that AND MORE so I look forward to the pictures you are about to post.

And yes cost is relevant. If you need to buy 12 of those overpriced grills (and none of them will let you provide us with pictures of 6, 15 pound sides of bacon hanging or 50 pounds of summer sausage sticks hanging or 50 pounds of 28 inch long hot sticks hanging in your grill) then I understand your desire to want to shy away from talk of price/value. LOL Your claim was you could do anything my smoker could do and more. I will wait for the pictures of your claim.

Mine is a smoker. I do not claim it to be anything but a smoker even if I can use it for cooking. I did not construct it to be anything but a smoker. I built it with height/headroom and capacity as primary criteria. Yours is a grill/cooker that will produce smoke but wont allow you to hang the meaty delights or capacity of my single unit (causing you to WAY over spend to try to stay on par).

I live in the frozen North and my home came with an oven so I have no reason to go outside and shovel a path to my smoker to bake breads and pies. Mine is a smoker and its menu is vast and appropriate for the design intent which is cold and hot smoking and all at a unit cost far far less than your grill. (I have a grill as well)

Let's talk smoking in large quantities







... welcome to my smoke shack

Yes, that is a smoker. That is not an overpriced grill. In comparison to my family up north. Mine is very small scale. Their smokehouses are just that, multiple free standing buildings dedicated to vast quantities of smoked delights. No Quiche or bread or pies or pizza or foil pans of veggies in oil will be found in our smokers. Like me, they operate smokers to smoke stuff and like me they also own grills and ovens for "cooking".

Who's next ?

Batter up,...........

HEEEELLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOO out there in eggville.


And by default I declare the winner to beeeeeee,.......


Denny.

Yes, the passionate hoard of big green avocado owners must once again try to tell us why spending what they did on a grill provides them with moral superiority. It�s a fine grill (even if way overpriced). It will cook and grill some good eats and if your house does not have an oven/range and if you don�t already own a grill, then I suppose it is a must have.

But I needed a dedicated smoker so I built a smoker, not an oven or grill or a �cooker� ???? Im seeing the big green avocado owners are a passionate and emotional lot that seem to want to justify over paying for a grill in an almost type of religion or cultish fashion. Its funny as hell.

Tread lightly friend. I own a bBGE as well.

I'm just not an armband wearing goose stepping fanatical member of the BGE bund,yet.

Like I said, I have no issue with the grill/oven/cooker itself. (aside from them charging far more for such a device than it warrants) Im just enjoying the cultish overzealousness that you correctly label �an armband wearing goose stepping fanatical BGE bund� and their lame attempts to brand it a smoker. A Bundt cake and pie oven yes, a burger and weeny grill, yes, a cooktop surface to heat all manner of hipster foods. Sure Still waiting on the pics I asked for when I was told the Eggy thing can do everything my smoker does �AND MORE� LOL FAIL!

Just keeping it real. Your going to have to get an umbrella because its raining cold hard facts up in here.

Plus its a rainy Friday and I like to tweek cultists.

Tomorrow I will be SMOKING 30 pounds of LONG sausage in my SMOKER.

DIY-

Do you have an estimate of time invested in that build? Looks like more than a weekend!

It was a father/son design build experience that did not �cost� time but actually �Enhanced� time or added value rather than detract value. Its sort of like being given a gift of time. My son (when he was much younger) came up with the idea of the crescent moon on old Smokey #1 and he thought it fitting to again place a crescent moon on Old Smokey #2. If I could do it over again, I only wish it would have taken more time to build.

Imagine an artist completing a work and being asked �how long did that take?� His answer should be �Who the hell cares? I enjoyed every minute of it.� One thing my projects and hobbies NEVER include is a time clock.

Im often asked when I complete a project �how long did that take?� as if time spent is a proper unit of measure when these activates add so much joy to one�s life. The joy is in the doing. If you were granted a wish to resurrect a lost loved one for only a limited time and then when they left you , it would surely be an odd question for somebody to ask, �How long did that take?� The answer would be, �Not long enough�. We had a hell of a fun time crafting this thing together. So my answer is �not long enough�

Well I'll be a sumbitch! I have never even dreamt about something like that! What a strange but GREAT idea! lol

I'm waiting for this sentence:

"Oh yeah??! Well can your smoker/cooker/grill thingy accomodate 6 - 300 lb hogs, 2 dozen chickens, 15 - turkeys, 35 - pork butts and an 800 lb steer??"

Mine Can


.... and then some

I didn't "tuck tail and run" from anything. In fact I believe I was the first one to compliment your build and the next thing we know you're trashing BGE cookers. I believe the word was cute or pretty.

PM your number and let's hash it out brother. Unless, of course you're "tucking tail." Like I said you built a really great cooker but anything you can do I can equal and more. Given equal cooking surface/space of course.

And if you're close let's do a cook off.
David

BTW I did not obtain 12 BGE's as well as other cookers just to make bacon and my do more comment was not meant to imply yield. But if I have to bring them all to equal your DIY yield in the Pepsi bacon challenge I can.

Sorry if I offended anybody. That was not my intent!

Give it up Hoop, cause you won't win this one. DIY is a very talented sausage maker and meat processor, but when it comes to bbq, not so much. The dried out chicken and ribs in his own pictures prove that. Then there's the pork butt slathered in yellow mustard next to a bottle of Famous Dave's rub that is telling in itself.

I can't smoke that much sausage in my eggs and I don't want to. If I wanted to do that I would have bought a Cookshack or another that was up to the task. Fact is, after about half a log of summer sausage I've had my fill for the year. Just not my thing.

Talking $hit about other guys equipment gets you nowhere because almost every time those guys will beat you. StanV and Sean cook on stick burners and have shown some photos that make me envious. We're talking about two different things here. Smoking vs. bbq. DIY built one helluva a smoker fueled by propane and sawdust, but there is no way it can compete cooking bbq against lump charcoal or hardwood.

I'm sure everyone was wanting a pissing contest from me over BGE's. Ain't gonna happen. DIY seems to be bothered by the cost of the BGE. Yeah they're expensive, but WGAS? If you can afford them fine, if not that's fine too, I"ll be the first to high five you if you out cook me on a WSM.

Cheers,

Mike

Yeah! What he said!

Talk about some grill/smoker envy with a bunch of grown ass men wondering whose smoked more sausages

Why does this happen?--A person uses his God given talents and builds a useful product, and along comes an ASSH--- and buys a GRILL and says he can do what he knows he cannot. Why are there so many IGNORANT people in this world.

Green grills are what they are- a grill and nothing more period.

I have a large and mini egg. For my needs and sizes of the crowds at my shin digs, they work fine. I can smoke a pork shoulder or a trimmed brisket and the BGE can hold a steady temp for a long time. If I want to smoke a full packer or multiple shoulders (or most of what DYI mentions), its limited. I use my BGE all the time but its not a high volume food maker.

I'm building an UDS (ugly drum smoker). I'm starting with a 16 gallon version to get my feet wet and than I plan on building a 55 gallon version so I'll be able to smoke a little more meat at a time.

I don't get my panties in a wad because someone thinks my cooker is overpriced. I've said it before but I like my BGE a lot but my Weber with a Smokenator isn't too far behind.

Can we mix this in with the cop bashing thread ?

That way nobody will go hungry.

Denny.

How did your butt turn out Denny?

I'll say it again. I did not start chit nor did I cast the first stone and was the first to pay my respects to this gentleman's work. So if you're directing that at me you're 100% ignorant wrong.

???? I only use dust for cold smoking and no propane for cold smoking. I only use large chunk hardwood (Hickory, maple, apple, Pecan, etc) for hot smoking. The same hardwowod BBQ'rs use. Most of it I cut myself from local trees (except pecan)It then turns to charcoal while I use it. Heat is heat and is used to turn wood into smoke and the chuncks into char'd coal.

Here is a five gallon bucket for today's burnnt offerings. Hickory, Apple and a little pecan. Soon to become char'd coals.

Can't we all just get along ? JEEEZZ !

There's that "competition" thing again. I dont recall every saying I competed, or had a desire to compete in BBQ cook offs. I use my smoker to feed my famly fine meats and sausages and cheeses and all manner of fine dining as well as for large events. Ive never considered "competition" even though I do what they do while they are competing (ie produce some damn fine dinning) with a combination BBQ and long sausage smoker. Today I am smoking 30 pounds of 66 inch long snack sticks in 21 mm casings to evaluate a new product line from Frisco spices. They are hanging in the smoker right now and they smell freaking awsome. I mixed them with high temp cheese (cheddar) and dried and minced Jalepeno. The only competition will be bewen me and my boys to see who can eat the most.

Thats why I built this smoker/BBQ with my son. The joy is in the doing. (and eating) Later I may fire up the Grill for steaks and burgers. I have a Weber and a Charbroil gas (I dont have an egg grill)

Yeah DIYguy, I used to be a KCBS judge and can turn out some decent vittles when I put my mind to it and take my time which isn't very often because I cook for just me and the dog.

If I ever entered a comp they'd laugh me off the property


Denny.

I did my part earlier Denny. If that's not good enough then to hell with it.

Wasn't directed at you David. Just a heads up to us all. Love of food is universal and the equipment and methods are widely varied. What's tasty to one of us may make another gag.

Usually the bickering is reserved for the dickheads up in kiddieland http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/forums/21/1/Hunter_s_Campfire and at times I are one of them dickheads.

My meat is better than your meat! You poopy heads!




I kid. I am envious of all of you guys that can turn out some fine eating whatever the means. I do pretty well myself on my charbroil charcoal grill but nothing like what you guys are putting out.

The responses to this thread say alot about 24hr. I'm guessing the same guys giving you crap for building your own smoker, while buying their oven from a store probably get 99.9% of their meat the same way(from a store). Thanks for the extremely detailed build details, with that information even a dumbass could build a real smoker, and haul their outdoor oven to the local dump. I'm not much for pictures, but I'll do a butchering thread next round.

I dont let the eggers get me down. They are entertaining. I think they sometimes try too hard though.

Pot�Kettle

This whole thread was entertaining in the same way that chic fight that was posted in the campfire was "entertaining". You know the video, the one where one redneck chic hits the other redneck chic in the head with a shovel

I didnt smack them upside the head so hard as the gal in that video. I sorta just picked them up and dropped them on their heads. Big difference. It was all in good fun.

Awesome thread. I like to see someone else that knows how to make things happen!

I wish I had time to post some of my projects. This smoker is a great one!