BBQ / Smoker

[oldstoat]

I'm planning to build my own BBQ pit with an extra box so that I can use it as a smoker. I've seen several American based members so I'm hoping there's someone out there that may have a plan for one or instructions on the key things I need to consider (regulating the smoke flow etc.). Looking for something like the photo attached.

 

[Lippyp]

Have a look here http://metals.about.com/cs/metalworking/l/blproject_plans.htm there might be something somewhere on this site.

 

[oldstoat]

Bingo!

Thanks. I found a couple of plans on the site and I've book-marked it for future projects

Hopefully I can find what I need at the junk yard.

 

[preliator]

RE; smoker plans

Oldstoat, check this forum out they have a few around that are pretty nice http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index.php?sid=b0ec960e6dfc52af3ed175b16a12a8df . i am also bulding a smoker, it is a 30" round by 60" long rotiserrie with a rear mounted 1/4" plate steel firebox, 3" air dampers and 4" smoke stacks. just to give you an idea of its size here is an early stage picture. since then i added the firebox frame, the 2" pipe legs, the hinges for the door. while welding up the hinge unit i suffered severe flash burn to my eyes and face, poorly equipt saftey cost me a couple days of work and a trip to the hospital...... but hopefully a full recovery is in my future.
anthony

 

[oldstoat]

Thanks for the info. I'd found the Smokering site but didn't realize that they had a forum. I've got some other jobs that need doing first but I should be searching the scrap yards for suitable pieces by next week.

I hope you fully recover. At work I'd never dream of doing the job without the right PPE but too often at home I cut corners. Thanks for the wake-up call.

 

[oldstoat]

Project Started

Finally got off my backside, found a nice piece of 18" x 1/2" wall pipe and have started. To put pressure on myself I have invited all the neighbours around for a barbie next Sunday (8th Oct). If there are no pictures of satisfied guests posted by Monday 9th feel free to send abusive comments.

 

[oldstoat]

Done

For anyone remotely interested, I finalized the smoker on the weekend and the paint dried just in time to entertain on Sunday. If anyone was left in any doubt about why our American cousins smoke their food it was dispelled when they tasted it. Looking forward to trying pork ribs next.

 

[malcolm]

That looks fabulous. So you start a fire in the small box at the bottom and heat the food using the smoke? Sounds like a really neat idea and the food looks great.

Might be worth cutting another barrel up and giving it a go. Where did you end up putting the regulator?

 

[oldstoat]

Yes, you burn charcoal in the small box and throw some woodchip on top to generate 'flavoured' smoke. For a quicker BBQ you can load charcoal into the main box on one side and cook the other. Either by good planning or sheer luck the thing didn't need to be regulated very much. I put a small adjustable vent on each end just to be able to control the air flow and how fast the charcoal burnt. I was planning to put a baffle on the chimney if I didn't build up enough smoke and heat in the main box, but I didn't need this.

 

[oldstoat]

PS: A standard oil barrel would work just as well. I got my hands on some scrap 18" (1/2" wall) steel pipe which looks great but even with the heavy duty casters the thing is a b*gger to move around. I estimate it weighs +/- 250Kg.

 

[malcolm]

I think (hope) the lid for my oil barrel BBQ is still kicking around, so I could do a conversion by adding a seperate fire box. The current BBQ was an oil drum up until about an hour before we needed to use it, so the conversion will probably be similarly last minute at the start of next years BBQ season.

It'll be fun to try - we've stopped using the oil drum BBQ because it used too much charcoal, so it'd be worth experimenting with.

 

[UpNorth]

Good Job!

Ive decided on making a BBQ/Smoker for a project in shop class(on a much smaller scale), and was searching around on the internet for plans, and this one looks really nice but i was wondering if you could give me some valuble insight into the project. eg. things outlined in the plans that dont quite work, things you had trouble with and just anything else you think might help! anything at all would be much appreciated

 

[oldstoat]

Smoker Plans

I didn't have much luck finding plans on the internet but if you go to http://www.thesmokering.com/default.jsp you'll find lots of ideas and recipes. My smoker is 1m long and the box is 20cms wide. The diameter is approx 45cms - I found used water pipe from a scrap yard. The great thing about a smoker BBQ is that, although it takes a long time, there is very little to do once it's going and so plenty of time to guzzle beer.

 

[UpNorth]

Thanks

If i cant find some plans on the internet ill be able to make some up myself on autocad, im pretty handy with it so thats not a problem. i was more referring to problems you might have encountered actually assembling it- eg some tricky welds and a way to work around, or handle them properly. tips like that which might help an extremely amateur welder.

 

[UpNorth]

oh and seeing how im a student it most likely wont be beer im guzzling.. or at least thats i want them to think hehe

 

[marknotgeorge]

oh and seeing how im a student it most likely wont be beer im guzzling

That is the biggest load of horsesh*t I have ever heard!

 

[oldstoat]

BBQ Smoker

There's nothing tricky about the assembly but here's a few things to consider:

* The concept is simply that you get smoke to pass over the food at a slow cooking temperature (see the link I sent for temps and times). Therefore BIG IS GOOD because otherwise it is difficult to stop the temp rising if the food is too close to the fire
* The version I used was a Texas Smoker where you make a fire (preferably charcoal) in a separate box and allow the smoke to filter up through the cooking box. Therefore the fire box is best set a little lower
* If you get a plan, great but otherwise work our some way of regulating the air flow to the fire and the smoke through the system (see the example I posted previously)
* Also, when I cut the hole between the boxes for smoke flow I left the cut metal as a flap so I was able to bend it back in place until I found the best setting
* You need to make sure the cooking box is nicely sealed. I just welded a metal lip around the lid but you can also buy the 'rope' seals they use on ovens which would be better
* A long flue helps draw the smoke through the system as well as keep it out of your eyes. Set the outley from the main box low so that smoke need to circulate before exiting (hot air rises)
* Get a temperature gauge for the main box because cooking too quickly will not give the smoke time to give its full flavour. The regulators you make will help control the fire and smoke
* I got some heavy-duty casters for mine because you'll probably want to be able to move it by hand
* For painting I used Pot-Belly Black high temperature paint. In Australia we use a lot of pot belly stoves so this is easy to get - not sure about UK
* For the cooking grill I bought this from a BBQ shop. I also welded a second shelf grill to be able to move food around and it also works well for fish
* To allow air flow over the coals I place a loose piece of grill in the fire box so the air can get under it

I can also give you details of my home brewing and kegging system if you like. I consider this to be an integral part of the BBQ set-up.