Anyone build a custom smokehouse?

[Gunload Master]

I am thinking about building a custom smokehouse this coming spring and was wondering if anyone in here has did that before or has some ideas. I was wanting to make one a little bit bigger than a conventional OLD fridge design and use Electric power as it's much easier to control temperature. My main concern is finding an old heating element to throw in in order to heat the smokehouse, my first thought was find an old oven and take all the controls and heating element out of it and use it... Not sure if that's practical.. Ideas?

[Bullshop]

You might want to think about using two heat elements. One is to control the internal temp of the smoker. There are many smoke recipes for cold or hot smoking. Some types of smoked sausage require the meat be held at a very precise temp for a period of time. The time is determined by the internal temp of the meat. Too hot and you get a hard dry rind on the outside of your sausage and too cold and you never get to the internal temp to positively destroy bacteria.
The second element is to keep your smoke source going. For the smoke source I do not use an element but have gone to using an iron dutch oven with charcoal briquettes.
I cut my smoke wood with a skill saw to the size of the briquettes and add a few at regular intervals. Smoking meat for me is a process that get my attention for the day and not something I turn on and forget about. I do other things during the day but I keep my eyes on the smoker and monitor the temp often.
It is hard to condense many hours of experiance into a few paragraphs just the same as or teaching someone how to cast. The finer points are gained through experiance.

[waksupi]

Willy, you could build something the size of an outhouse. And for a burner, if you have a turkey cooker unit for cleaning lead, you have your burner!

[Alby]

Try this site:
http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/

She has made several smokers and has lots of great smoker and grill recipes as well. She has a smoke house on the first page. Not sure this is what you are looking for but it may help.

[Bullshop]

Waksupi is right. I have seen out house size smokers and even bigger. It really depends on what you want to do with it. If you just want to smoke a few fish then that will work. If you want to make some smoked summer sausage or thurenger or something like that you need a little better set up.
In making cured meats you have to be able to accurately control the heat. Sometimes I may make a cured sausage that is in the smoke house for 8 to 10 hours but only producing smoke for a part of that time.
You must hold a precise temp in the house until the internal temp of the meat reaches a very precise temp then quickly quench the meat to cool it quickly so it does not over cook. In smoke curring you are not cooking but curring the meat of bacteria so it will preserve longer.
Much of the meat we smoke cure we them can to extend the shelf life.

[home in oz]

I am going to have to build one out at the farm

[legend]

i have a friend that uses his elk wall tent......

[fatnhappy]

there's all kinds of info out there as to constructing smokers out of refrigerators and such. I've done it myself, it's not too complicated. This site has construction photos and sketches for smokers. I'm not sure exactly what you wish to use the smoker for, but if you're considering smoking sausage I suggest you check out Len Poli's site first.

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/


http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/

[Brl]

I've recently been bitten by the art of smoking. I love it. There's some good info here. It's got me thinking about retiring my little Brinkmann that I bought just to see if smoking was my thing. I definitely need to step up.

[Gee_Wizz01]

You also need to get a copy of Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas. This is an excellent book that gives the hows and whys of sausage making and meat curing.

G

[Old Goat Keeper]

+1 on what Gee Wizz said. Bestest book out there on sausage making and the science behind it.

Tom

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

The best setup I saw was a guy who used an old "Schwan's" delivery truck box as the smoke house. All the doors allowed for smokeing small portions or large as needed. He only cold smoked so buried wood burning fire box down the hill about 30 feet away.

Regards,
Everett

[Gunload Master]

Thanks for the help here guys, I actually ordered the book "Meat smoking and Smokehouse Design" by Stanley, Adam and Robert Marinaski. It's a pretty intense book that really gives some ins and outs of smoking. I'm still working my way through it.

I actually really like the idea of the two burners, one for smoke and one for heat. One of the reasons there too is to cold smoke Cheese. Need the smoke not the heat. I will have to do some thinking on that. I actually tried to cold smoke cheese once and it turned out like eating wood, very nasty. Turns out you have to let it sit for about 10 days to let the cheese cure correctly... It's a fun process.

[C A Plater]

I've got that book. It gave me lots of ideas for when I actually get to build one. It's on my to-do list right after a workshop, root cellar and barn. That's not too far off for me. I'm pouring the foundation for the workshop today and will have it completely up before Christmas. Root cellar will get started in spring and if luck holds, the barn in the fall.

[Gee_Wizz01]

One of the best smokers I have used was made out of an old refrigerator. It is easy to load and already has shelves installed. If you want to hang sausages you just remove the shelves and put hang sticks in. The gentleman that made the conversion just cut a couple of holes in the sides for the smoke unit and a vent in the top. He put dampers over the holes and it worked great.

G

[wilddog45]

i have a friend that uses his elk wall tent......

I used my tent one time for a smokehouse and regretted it because the smoky smell permeated the tent and never could be removed.Even pleasant smells "stink" if you are exposed to them long enough.

[waksupi]

I used my tent one time for a smokehouse and regretted it because the smoky smell permeated the tent and never could be removed.Even pleasant smells "stink" if you are exposed to them long enough.

If it is ever set up in bear country, expect company!

[starmac]

A new way to bait bears, for the guys that hunt where baiting is not allowed.