# Sqyre's American Style Bbq Smoker...



## sqyre (9/9/09)

Hey Guys, I thought i might post a few pics of my latest Project the American style BBQ Smoker..
I originally was going to build a Cold smoker which used for preserving meats etc using smoke only with no cooking heat but i found the Slow cooking Smoker interesting so i thought i would give it a go.
I found a heap of info on this online as its Massive in the USA with them holding Huge Competions etc.etc

It basically works as a large oven but using in-direct heat from another chamber that has the fire in it...
It is a little tricky to run at first as you need to try and maintain a constant heat as the fire dies down and the new wood added flares up..

Anyhoo here is a few pics of the building Process...





Cutting the doors and welding the ends on the pipe...






Making and adding the hinges...




Making the Ashbox Door with Air inlet adjuster for Temp control...







The Fire Box Grate to support the Fire and the pull out BBQ Grill YeeHaw!!!...




All put together and a stand with wheels..



Then all painted up..






Then then the burning in / Seasoning run...






Still got a few additions to make like Handles for the doors and a Firewood holder underneath but other wise it right to use..
I will post a few pics of Test Cooking day shortly...

Sqyre....


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## warra48 (9/9/09)

Very very impressive. :super: :icon_cheers: 

Oh, to be able to weld like an expert. Unfortunately, not one of my skills.


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## Fents (9/9/09)

thats magical. ribs, ribs and more ribs. like a full slab of ribs.

watched a doco on foxtel the other night where they sent a guy to the US to compete in one of those comps...he had never cooked on one before. was pretty insightfull. apparentlly its all about the rub you choose to use 

i'll see if i can get it on youtube for ya sq's.


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## Airgead (9/9/09)

That sir, is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold.

Its pictures like that that make me wish I knew how to weld stuff together.

Cheers
Dave


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## winkle (9/9/09)

Man, case swap looks even better now!! :super:


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## sqyre (9/9/09)

And heres a few pics of the Trial Run where everything turned out AWESOME!!! :super: 
We started off the day with a lovely cut of Pork..







Then chucked in a couple of homemade Pizzas for lunch... 
MMmmmm Smokey Woodfired Pizza it was THE BEST!!!








Then left the Pork to slow cook away for the rest of the arvo...





Early in the Afternoon i decided to wrap the Pork in foil as i wanted a smokey Pork not a Bushfire in my mouth..



Unfortunatly i dont have any pics of the results carved up but it was tender... i could pretty much carve it with 2 forks..
It wasn't quite as juicey and tender as meat from a whole Pig done on the spit...but i wasn't expecting it on my first run..
I also over cooked by about and hour or so...
Total cooking time was about 8 hours at 125, i would like to go lower Temp next time and cook longer that should be real nice.....

I think nice big load of babyback ribs will be the next thing... :icon_drool2: 

Cheers, 
Sqyre :icon_cheers:


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## chappo1970 (9/9/09)

:wub: I think I need to change my pants?

Bloody hell Brucie talk about holding out on us! Err... I see you suffer the same disease as me? Over-Engineerous-Maximus. Looks like the the hinges have come off a dozer or something? How thick are the drum walls? Did you have the drum rolled or did something else get carved up?

I've been looking and contemplating making one of these for ages. Since living in YankyDoodle land I have missed how great a feed these guys make.

Tells ya what how's about I bring over 10kg of home made topside sausages, a big 8kg haunch of pork, a couple of kegs of Summer Ale and we discuss the ins and outs of the build? Problems is what will we feed the SWMBO's and kiddies?

PM sent!

Chap Chap

Edit: Speelinkz


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## sqyre (9/9/09)

Fents said:


> thats magical. ribs, ribs and more ribs. like a full slab of ribs.
> 
> watched a doco on foxtel the other night where they sent a guy to the US to compete in one of those comps...he had never cooked on one before. was pretty insightfull. apparentlly its all about the rub you choose to use
> 
> i'll see if i can get it on youtube for ya sq's.



I think Renaes Mum or Uncle might have taped that one for us.. but lets us know if it does surface on you tube.. thanks Fents

Sqyre..


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## Fents (9/9/09)

not the one i was looking for, cant find it 




still a good insight tho. i'll keep hunting.


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## raven19 (9/9/09)

Airgead said:


> That sir, is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold.



+1. Awesome rig.

I could go some ribs right about now...


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## Katherine (9/9/09)

That is so cool.


You have to smoke a chicken. Yum

I wonder what beer can smoked chicken is like!


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## browndog (9/9/09)

Love your work Brucie.... You have me wondering how I can make a pizza oven out of a 44, gonna go google it right now.

cheers

Browndog


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## porky (9/9/09)

You do top work mate. 

A thing of beauty. You are a real craftsman.

I am thinking of making one myself. 
I obtained a stand alone fire place which would make a perfect fire box, it is cast iron.
Just need to build the oven and mount all on a cart.

Cheers,
Bud


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## Katherine (9/9/09)

Makes ours look pretty sad.... but we get good results


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## TidalPete (9/9/09)

What can I say Brucie? :super: Absolutely excellent. Can't imagine the number of hours you spent planning & making that?

Eerrr, how are you going to get it to Winkles? Looks a little too big for your boot.  

TP


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## Screwtop (9/9/09)

What is it with Qld brewers and pure talent...................Farking nice Bruce.

Screwy


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## Scruffy (9/9/09)

Very nice...


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## fraser_john (9/9/09)

OMG what a thing of wonder, I miss slow smoked ribs and brisket so much.....mmmmm


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## olde (9/9/09)

For a heap of info on slow cooked seppo style bbq, go to bbq-brethren.com and read the mammoth UDS thread. Also look at http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43943, which is a more condensed how-to. Upshot is, as seriously excellent as that cooker looks, and I'm sure is, the style is also available to those with slightly less skills with metal, but who can do the basic cut and drill routine. Site's full of seppos though, so be sure to turn off your bs detectors and arrogant wanker meters before you visit. Some great info there but.
Sqyre, very nice looking job.


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## sqyre (9/9/09)

Thanks Guys, 
there are dozens of websites that show you how to build cheap basic smokers up to big arse trailer mounted jobs.
There is also Hours of Smoker building, using, etc. Video's on Youtube..

I pretty much spent about a week straight searching the net to get all the info i could before i started building...

I pretty much made it from scrap that was lying around the house except for the Grill i bought a few lengths of 8mm steel bar to fabricate it and the Fire box Grate...

I wanted to make a standard size one just to try it out and make sure i was happy with the results.. 
When i get some other projects around the house completed i will look at starting work on building its Big Brother...  

Cheers Sqyre.. :icon_cheers:


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## Fourstar (9/9/09)

sqyre said:


> Early in the Afternoon i decided to wrap the Pork in foil as i wanted a smokey Pork not a Bushfire in my mouth..
> View attachment 30686



I see some Rauch Malt coming along sometime soon!  



fraser_john said:


> OMG what a thing of wonder, I miss slow smoked ribs and brisket so much.....mmmmm



I had some slow smoked ribs here in Vietnam (in Nha Trang) at an Texas BBQ restaurant. The ribs where that well cooked the bone melted in your mouth! i watched a little doco on Discovery Food and travel about US BBQ's ( i think this might be what fents watched, all the guy wanted was a salad hahaha!) Awesome awesome bbq's. They are the masters!


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## bradsbrew (9/9/09)

Brucie that is an absolute piece of art. Man that is hot. Smokin hot... so smokin hot...... Top job man now thats a job done by a true craftsmen..

I'm now very hungry.

Brad


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## jonbob (10/9/09)

A bit off topic, but I'm mechanically illiterate, but I was hoping someone who isn't could take a quick look at these plans (which look easy enough for even me to manage) and let me know if there is anything wrong with them? 
http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html


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## AndrewQLD (10/9/09)

Jeez Sqyre, that is awesome. I've seen a few of those and always drooled about having one, yours looks like it's one of the better made ones. Your going to be cooking some really great Bbq's.

Andrew


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## sqyre (10/9/09)

jon said:


> A bit off topic, but I'm mechanically illiterate, but I was hoping someone who isn't could take a quick look at these plans (which look easy enough for even me to manage) and let me know if there is anything wrong with them?
> http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html



Looks ok in theory, Jon..
I would be very carfull using electric elements in steel bins if the bin gets hot enough it could melt the insulation... or cut into the cord where the hole for the plug is..
Probably the only other thing i can think of is the use of zinc plated or galvanised bins...at certain temps they can give of nasty fumes..

I think it would be a case of give it as try and see.. it seem to work ok for that guy..

Sqyre...


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## chappo1970 (10/9/09)

Bruce,
Did you have some plate rolled to make it? Am I right in guessing that the thickness is 3-5mm? Or is it TOP SECRET h34r: 
Chap Chap


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## sqyre (10/9/09)

Chappo said:


> Bruce,
> Did you have some plate rolled to make it? Am I right in guessing that the thickness is 3-5mm? Or is it TOP SECRET h34r:
> Chap Chap


Sorry mate i thought we were going to go through the finer points when we caught up.. (it's not looking too good for this weekend either..)
Its made from a couple of Coiled Steel casings.. its basically a rolled bit of plate thats been welded to make a pipe that protects the inside of the coil of steel during transport......
they are difficult to come by as they are from precision import coils but I managed to get my hands on a few...
And yeh its 4mm...

Sqyre..


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## chappo1970 (11/9/09)

sqyre said:


> Sorry mate i thought we were going to go through the finer points when we caught up.. (it's not looking too good for this weekend either..)
> Its made from a couple of Coiled Steel casings.. its basically a rolled bit of plate thats been welded to make a pipe that protects the inside of the coil of steel during transport......
> they are difficult to come by as they are from precision import coils but I managed to get my hands on a few...
> And yeh its 4mm...
> ...




Thanks Sqyre! Sorry to push mate.

Yeah still want to catch up for sure you slack old tart but I was just interested in costing it up a bit in my somewhat small brain. I was going to go trolling thru Underwood Demolitions and Scrap this weekend to see what they may have to suit?

Chappo


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## sqyre (11/9/09)

Chappo said:


> Thanks Sqyre! Sorry to push mate.
> 
> Yeah still want to catch up for sure you slack old tart but I was just interested in costing it up a bit in my somewhat small brain. I was going to go trolling thru Underwood Demolitions and Scrap this weekend to see what they may have to suit?
> 
> Chappo




No worries Chappo, i wont tell how much mine cost me to build...  
you would be cursing my name for ever more....

Ahhh stuff it.. why not... would you believe $100  
and $60 of that was the Hi-temp paint..
everything else was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, 
and re-using bits of old scrap from around the house...

Sqyre...


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## chappo1970 (11/9/09)

sqyre said:


> you would be cursing my name for ever more....



No your wrong Sqyre I just out and out hate you now! P.rick!

Actually good on ya $100. I'm going to go for a look see arounf the scrap places tomorrow to see what I can find that maybe able to be modified. Ones nowhere near as good or impressive as yours are going on evil bay for $2000 plus... FFS

Chappo


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## Ducatiboy stu (11/9/09)

Old hot water systems are perfect for the job, and cheap as 

MAde a couple before, you just need to weld legs on and cut out a door


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## jonbob (11/9/09)

sqyre said:


> Looks ok in theory, Jon..
> I would be very carfull using electric elements in steel bins if the bin gets hot enough it could melt the insulation... or cut into the cord where the hole for the plug is..
> Probably the only other thing i can think of is the use of zinc plated or galvanised bins...at certain temps they can give of nasty fumes..
> 
> ...


Thanks I didn't know that about the zinc plated/galvanised bins. If I get permission from SWMBO I'll give it a go and see how it all turns out


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## /// (13/9/09)

Got a 44 gallon drum part the way thru for making a smoker .... kinda started then stopped as been getting good results with the weber to be honest.

But there are 2 great books on the cooking side:

* The Barbecue Bible - Steven Raichlen
* Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces

Both have some fantastic recipes, and in particular Kirks rubs, mops and bastes. One of the best tips also is from Kirk who uses home made mustard then applies the rub, which helps to keep it on the meat and also crusts up bueatifully. (I use dijon, shop bought). Squire if you found the meat a bit dry, I am wondering if you put a baste on it?? Found this helps heaps and adds a dimension to the rub.

Raichlen also has great salads and accompaniments, the salsa cruda is awesome with any slow cooked meat, it is now a regular on the table.

Scotty


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## sqyre (13/9/09)

/// said:


> Got a 44 gallon drum part the way thru for making a smoker .... kinda started then stopped as been getting good results with the weber to be honest.
> 
> But there are 2 great books on the cooking side:
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for the Tips Scotty,
We did up some Ribs yesterday which didn't turn out too bad...
They could have been a little bit better but we worked out where we stuffed up so thats the main thing..

We are looking using a rub next time.. this time we tried a couple of different homemade sauces, Renaes Jack Daniels sauce won..

Heres a few pics ...





And after 6 hours at 100 they were falling apart.




Sqyre.. :icon_cheers:


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## Duff (13/9/09)

Sqyre,

That looks unreal, can't wait to see it in action in November.

Cheers.


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## /// (13/9/09)

Ooops, slight correction, Kirk's has the salsa cruda recipe. Both books will teach you about rubs, which work so well.

The slow cooked meat thing is a great pursuit, just about to put some chooks on and do some gardening ... life could be tougher ...

Scotty


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## Thirsty Boy (14/9/09)

jon said:


> A bit off topic, but I'm mechanically illiterate, but I was hoping someone who isn't could take a quick look at these plans (which look easy enough for even me to manage) and let me know if there is anything wrong with them?
> http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html



I made essentially that same thing out of a carboard box and a standalone electric hotplate - Ugly but works just fine.

Did you see Katie's smoker?? (last page) one of those tins with the bottom out of it, sitting on an old electric frying pan would do the trick. All the plastic melty bits are outside the hot bit then.

Mine has the whole hotplate inside the hot box.... I control the temperature via the same PID/rely that I use for my herms system. You couldn't use it as an "oven" but its fine at the low temperatures you want for smoking.

Mind you - after I saw Sqyre's work of art... I had to have a bex and a bit of a lie down. That things is cool as hell. Damn I wish I had a workshop!!


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## Katherine (14/9/09)

Thirsty Boy said:


> Mind you - after I saw Sqyre's work of art... I had to have a bex and a bit of a lie down. That things is cool as hell. Damn I wish I had a workshop!!




I want his shed!


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## Airgead (14/9/09)

Katie said:


> I want his shed!



We ALL want his shed. Get in line.


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## cubbie (14/9/09)

Not sure if this has been mentioned but a good idea is to boil your ribs in salted and sugared water before smoking.


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## Katherine (15/9/09)

No need to boil them. Just make sure you take the membrane off as it acts as a flavour barrier. Apparently rubbing in a cheap mustard before the rub is a good idea. The long smoking takes the taste of the mustard away but leaves a great [email protected]

anyhow your practice run Sqyre look mighty tasty.


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## sqyre (15/9/09)

Years ago i used to do Ribs in the Weber and would actually Cook them first in a Pressure Cooker for 20minutes then into a marinate...
This would cook and soften up the Meat real quick and also make it very juicy..
Then 30minutes in the Weber with Hickory chips and Perfecto...

A quick and easy way to make Tasty fall off the bone Ribs... :icon_cheers: 

Sqyre...


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## Katherine (16/9/09)

Have you tried the lamb riblets yet??? :icon_drool2:


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## sqyre (16/9/09)

Katie said:


> Have you tried the lamb riblets yet???



No... <_< 
Never seen them at the butchers...i'm sure they are probably difficult to come by unless you buy a lamb... :unsure: 
hmmmm.. maybe Goat Riblets???
Got a couple of them hanging a round...
We could make like Marilyn Manson and just remove a couple... h34r: 

Sqyre.. :unsure:


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## wobbly (17/9/09)

What type of wood/chips do you guys/gals use for your smoke source. 
Do you use anything other than the stuff you can buy at BBQ places etc.
I understand it would need to be dry and not contain a lot of resin (like pine) 

Cheers

Wobbly


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## sqyre (17/9/09)

wobbly said:


> What type of wood/chips do you guys/gals use for your smoke source.
> Do you use anything other than the stuff you can buy at BBQ places etc.
> I understand it would need to be dry and not contain a lot of resin (like pine)
> 
> ...



Hey Wobbly, i personally have been using some very old logs that were used as fence posts on my property...
I do need to spend some time and learn how to identify different types of wood as there is a bit of difference in smoke flavour for each..

Sqyre...


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## Gavo (17/9/09)

So my question would be is how long did the Pizza take to cook? I have the slab down for the pizza oven and this looks a treat.

Gavo.


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## sqyre (17/9/09)

Gavo said:


> So my question would be is how long did the Pizza take to cook? I have the slab down for the pizza oven and this looks a treat.
> 
> Gavo.



Gavo,
They were only thin Pizzas, about 25 minutes..

Sqyre..


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## chappo1970 (17/9/09)

Sqyre,
The next door neighbour has a pecan nut tree. Just so happens there he needs a couple of branches removed. I was thinking that I would run them thru the muncher and then dry them for smoking at the case swap. Pecan=Hickory IIRC?

Interested?

Cheers

Chappo


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## browndog (17/9/09)

All this talk about ribs reminded me about ribs that Ross made and served in what I believe was the first QLD case swap at his place back in 05, I did a search and found the recipe, I'm gonna make them this sunday, they were bloody lovely from memory





cheers

Browndog


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## Ducatiboy stu (18/9/09)

Good old Ironbark is probably the best aussie wood for smoking, and it burns hot so you get some heat...great bang-for-your-buck


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## sqyre (18/9/09)

Chappo said:


> Sqyre,
> The next door neighbour has a pecan nut tree. Just so happens there he needs a couple of branches removed. I was thinking that I would run them thru the muncher and then dry them for smoking at the case swap. Pecan=Hickory IIRC?
> 
> Interested?
> ...



We can give it a go Chappo..  
Chips may cause a lot of smoke though.. Might be better if cut into small logs.. but it may not dry in time...

Sqyre..


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## chappo1970 (18/9/09)

sqyre said:


> We can give it a go Chappo..
> Chips may cause a lot of smoke though.. Might be better if cut into small logs.. but it may not dry in time...
> 
> Sqyre..




Yeah that's why I was going to chip it up. I will put it aside as logs and I guess we'll just have to suck it and see if it dries out in time. Mind the fine weather lately may be in our favour?


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## Zizzle (21/9/09)

browndog said:


> All this talk about ribs reminded me about ribs that Ross made and served in what I believe was the first QLD case swap at his place back in 05,



Bloody hell Tony, quite the memory there mate, why haven't you killed those brain cells with beer yet?


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## browndog (21/9/09)

Zizzle said:


> Bloody hell Tony, quite the memory there mate, why haven't you killed those brain cells with beer yet?



You know the story about the slow buffalo and the fast buffalo Zizzle, my one brain cell left is extremely sharp.


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## Ducatiboy stu (21/9/09)

Tony..

I remember when I first meet you and Kiwi Greg at Rossco's for an AG demo...Them ribs where awsome....

Funny how by the end of the night, Ross had 2 pool tables , 37 Taps , 7 dart boards and a floor that seemed steeper than Mt Everest... h34r:


And that was long before Ross did his first bulk hop buy using double sealed Glad Zip-Lock bags....AHhh the memories.. :icon_cheers:


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## browndog (22/9/09)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Tony..
> 
> I remember when I first meet you and Kiwi Greg at Rossco's for an AG demo...Them ribs where awsome....
> 
> ...




Yes Stu, I remember it well, I remember standing at Ross's bar with you and Greg and there was only 4 taps then and discovering what real beer was. It was the day I discovered my true passion (exept for my wife that is)


cheers

Browndog


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## yardy (28/3/10)

sqyre said:


> Hey Guys, I thought i might post a few pics of my latest Project the American style BBQ Smoker..
> I originally was going to build a Cold smoker which used for preserving meats etc using smoke only with no cooking heat but i found the Slow cooking Smoker interesting so i thought i would give it a go.
> I found a heap of info on this online as its Massive in the USA with them holding Huge Competions etc.etc
> 
> ...



G'day Sqyre, top post, you do bloody nice work mate B)

i suppose when you build something like this, learning to cook with it is all trial & error but do you have any tips to kick off with ?

also, does having the flue cap *open* create much draw through the fire box or is all the control on the inlet at the fire-box ?

one more thing, size, i realise you have some big _dos_ at your joint and therefore end up feeding the masses, would a smoker half the size of yours be too small for just regular use do you think ?

again, nice job, i love this stuff  

cheers

Dave


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## sinkas (28/3/10)

what was the tube/drums originally, hot water tanks?


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