Has Anyone Made A Smoker?

[barfridge]

You know, lower temps, woodchips and all that kind of malarkey.

Has anyone done it? More importantly do you have idiotproof plans for building one?

I saw a simple one with an inverted garbage bin, but I'm wondering what is the best heat source? I'm leaning towards an old electric frypan, or maybe hack up a jug for the element?

 

[Adamt]

Link and another link and another one!

I'm sure there's more in the Brew Food forum somewhere...

 

[barfridge]

sorry, gotta put my hand up

I did search, but all I got was posts from the member 'smoker'

 

[raven19]

barfridge - my father in law has previously built 2 smokers. The first was a bit primative from memory, but the new one looks the goods, and is a smoke & wood oven. He has essentially built a big brick structure that utilised heat bricks in the wood oven (for pizza, etc), with a smoker on top.

Unfortunately I dont have any plans, as he whipped it up between visits, and now there is just a huge brick oven in the back yard. Any bigger I swear he would need council approval...

I know he use to use a lot of sawdust, limit the oxygen (so it doesnt burn too quick) and have some kind of rack so the smoke can get all around the meat.

I shall see if I can rouse up some pics and find out how it works next time I am up there.

 

[Katherine]

this is ours......

 

[Jase71]

My parents made a smoker in the early '70's and called it Jase.

Anyone tried smoking habanero chillis ? It is a most awesome spice when ground up, and the fruity flavour really comes out. If anyone's doing this, I would happily buy some from you.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Cardboard Box smoker

A link that I posted (actually inside one of the links that adam already put up in here) - since my first try at smoking I have updated to a smoker that is effectively identical to this one except that I use teh PID controller from my brewing rig to control teh heat output accurately, I want to be able to do low temperature smoking of cured meats.

It works rather well and there is an inexhaustable supply of new smoker boxes at work in the form of the cartons the the hersbrucker hops come in

TB

 

[Kleiny]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=25976

link to toy drum smoker on this forum

good smoker made from a 44

 

[desmogod]

When you make one Barf, give me a shout, I need one of these in my life too.

 

[drsmurto]

RustyCs smoker (the first link of Adams) got a good workout at the SA xmas case swap.

Everything that came out of it was gorgeous - lamb, pork, beef, chicken, pumpkin etc etc etc

Not looking forward to the day Rusty turns up to take it away

 

[mark.farrell1]

hey guys

i to have been toying with the idea of a smoker, i found some on ebay from about $60.00 if thats any help, but it does'nt look like you can smoke large items.

happy smokin

 

[gibbocore]

i've got a cast iron skillet that i'm going to have a go as using as a smoker inside my hooded bbq, will report back with findings.

 

[OBH]

hey all. just joined up for a looksee and think ive found a new home lol.

my smoker is just a 400mm square 1.6mm black steel box, with a loose fitting lid and a fridge rack inside it.
i use a beetroot tin full of saw dust (iron bark is good) and sit it on my little gas burner at top a small primas bottle.

i make everything from prawns to rabbit to jerked anything in this little beauty.

i guess i should add shooting and fishing are top of the list after home brewing.

cheers
obh

 

[Nick JD]

I use my Weber BBQ.

Whole smoked chickens are great. You soak the chook for a day in a weak brine (1/4 cup salt), pour boiling water over the skin, then paint the sucker with honey.

25 charcoal beads and two handfuls of fallen gum branches cut into small pieces added a piece at a time (or when it stops smoking). Takes 90 minutes.

 

[browndog]

I use my Weber BBQ.

Whole smoked chickens are great. You soak the chook for a day in a weak brine (1/4 cup salt), pour boiling water over the skin, then paint the sucker with honey.

25 charcoal beads and two handfuls of fallen gum branches cut into small pieces added a piece at a time (or when it stops smoking). Takes 90 minutes.

Gum branches............ wouldn't you get a massive eucalyptus hit from that?

cheers

Browndog

 

[Nick JD]

Gum branches............ wouldn't you get a massive eucalyptus hit from that?

I think that most of the eucalyptus oil (cineole) is in the leaves. Red gum is an excellent smoker wood.

 

[browndog]

Ah OK, that makes sense. Hey Katie, what are you marinating your chicken thighs in before smoking? I am using a mix of honey and soy with a good dose of chilli powder. I'm thinking that some sort of glaze would work better with the smokey flavour.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Tony M]

Just to throw a spanner etc, I thought the surface of the meat should be free of sauces and marinades to ensure good penetration of the smoke flavour. That is how I always do it. Please correct me if I have been labouring under a misapprehension.

 

[Katherine]

Ah OK, that makes sense. Hey Katie, what are you marinating your chicken thighs in before smoking? I am using a mix of honey and soy with a good dose of chilli powder. I'm thinking that some sort of glaze would work better with the smokey flavour.

cheers

Browndog

We did not marinate those ones, they had just being brined, then smoked with hickory chips... Brining stops the meat drying out. But yes you can put your marinate in the brine and it will add flavour.

Just to throw a spanner etc, I thought the surface of the meat should be free of sauces and marinades to ensure good penetration of the smoke flavour. That is how I always do it. Please correct me if I have been labouring under a misapprehension.

As above we like the natural flavour of the smoke but you can put marinade in the brine not a problem. Just think of a bbq smokey flavour sauce! mmmmmmmm .....

Next mission on the weber will be a tiny quail... smoked quail.... mmmmmm.

 

[Katherine]

My parents made a smoker in the early '70's and called it Jase.

Anyone tried smoking habanero chillis ? It is a most awesome spice when ground up, and the fruity flavour really comes out. If anyone's doing this, I would happily buy some from you.

MMMM that is something I would like to do! We have some growing at the moment so that is worth a try... Tony would be the person for habanero's.....

We have had conversations about smoking hops to add to beer I wonder how that would work out... Though I will delay that thought until I make a great beer first!