/ck/ - Food & Cooking

They work differently than just having the fire box at one end and the chimney at the other end.

>>8826463
After using the Weber Smokey Mountain the last two summers, I can see some benefits to this. I don't have any experience, so I can't officially answer your question, but let me tell you, being able to add charcoal and dispose of ash with that amount of ease would be really nice. The WSM is more of a "set it and forget it" unit. You can get really stable temperatures with practically no effort, and it will burn for 8-12 hours with no fiddling. But for long cook times, adding charcoal is a bit of a pain since the only access you have is that flimsy door. I like to use the fuse method, and I put a couple of bricks in the center so the fuse can't collapse and light the whole thing. To add more charcoal, I add it to the unlit side. It's basically like a dog running after its tail. The problem is the ash builds up and there's no way to remove it without taking the thing apart during a cook.

>>8826463
I am also keen to learn /ck/ offset smoker secrets.
If I build one should I do it from scratch? Or modify a cheap supermarket one to work properly?

These are great but the smoke is cold. You get a more smokey flavor, but it takes longer to actually cook the food.

>>8827304
>If I build one should I do it from scratch?
That, 100%.

The problem with the cheap supermarket ones is that they are made of thin shitty metal. That means two problems:
1) the thin, lightweight, construction doesn't hold heat well. That means your cooking temperatures will be harder to control.
2) the thin, lightweight metal doesn't seal at the joints well. There are gaps everywhere. Even if there weren't any gaps they day you bought it there soon will be as the thin metal distorts with heat.

Find or buy an old propane tank. There are plenty of these around because the safety certification only lasts so long. Once they are no longer in their inspection period they get junked. These make ideal smokers because the steel is thick and heavy. That makes your resulting smoker better because it will have fewer leaks and the heavy steel holds heat much better--it will keep your temps stable, even when the doors are opened and closed. Another benefit is that if your welding skills aren't very good thick metal is a lot more forgiving than thin sheet metal.

Here's one I made several years ago. It's obviously not 100% complete at this stage.

>>8827394

The main body of this pit was made from an old propane tank I got for free. The firebox was made from a piece of 20" dia x 3/8" thick steel pipe I bought from the local junkyard. Frame is 2x2x1/4" square steel tube.

>>8827402

Close-up of firebox door. The door can lift off its hinges which makes it easy to remove for cleaning.

Make sure you fab up a grate of some kind so your wood sits above the bottom of the firebox. This lets air get underneath the fire so it burns more consistently. If you leave out this grate the smoker will still work but it will be a lot harder to control temps, and it will take a lot longer to initially heat up.

>>8827413

Here's a smaller one my buddy made at the same time. This was made from a piece of pipe rather than a tank.

>>8827596

Another view. I like the nice handy size of this. Unfortunately, it didn't end up cooking very well because the hole between the firebox and the main chamber was too small. The firebox needs to be raised up a little to make the overlap area larger. Damper on the firebox door was too small too.

>>8827596
I think I'd be on the home use scale of things rather than the industrial size fuckers you posted!
Look good though mate. I am indeed....jelly.

>>8827614

Yeah, the one on the trailer was massive, I'll give you that. But the 2nd one is actually smaller than most of what you'd see for sale commercially.

I've still got this tank on hand; I haven't decided what to do with it yet. It's an in between size. Larger than >>8827596 but nowhere near as big as the trailer pit.

I've been making a lot of sausage lately so I'm thinking of making a vertical style smoker for that. The horizontal ones are best for food that will be sitting on a rack like briskets, but sausages are best smoked hung from hooks/rods; and that works better in a vertical format.

>>8827639
forgot pic

>>8827657
I love it m8.
As much as I would enjoy something like that I don't have the space or enough friends for anything remotely that big.

>>8827669

Just go for a smaller one then. I've made small "tailgate size" ones that fit into the hitch receiver on the back of a truck. Pic related isn't mine, but it shows the general idea. Of course you could put normal legs on it instead of the receiver mount.

>>8827402
Fucking props

>>8827715