It took long enough, but I finally have a serious smoker. No more of those cardboard box shenanigans!1
It still looks like a half-assed high school steampunk disaster, though:
Never mind that. It works, and works reliably, and if it didn't weigh a ton, it'd be perfect. A firebox, made from food-grade aluminum2, holds a two-burner propane camp stove, each of which has its own cast-iron smoker box to hold the necessary wood chips and sawdust. The heat draws in plenty of oxygen from the apertures at the base, exiting out the duct at the top.
Then it's into the food box:
Even split into three separate pieces, this sucker's still heavy. Solid. Imposing to move in and out of the basement.
The base is where the smoke enters, and I can rig this up to include trays of ice for colder smoking, if necessary. Today, after three hours of smoking, it was a mere 150°F inside, which suggests to me that I've got good flexibility in temperature control. Come autumn, cooler temperatures will be much easier to achieve.
The central piece holds the racks for smoked items, as well as rods to hang sausages from. The whole front panel is a door that swings open, with a small window near the top to peek in. Atop that is a two-panel roof that can be opened as much as necessary to get good airflow.
Today's test run included some honey-cured bacon and a block of tofu. Really, once you've got it going, you might as well toss in what's at hand. If I'd had my act together, I'm sure I could have packed it full. Kamozawa and Talbot's Ideas in Food is full of suggestions to get things started. I'm already looking forward to smoked tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, apples, and pears, in addition to cured meats and sausages. And, undoubtedly, plenty more.
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1Actually, the cardboard box setup was pretty sweet, especially for a tiny apartment. If it weren't so finicky, and prone to waterproofing / wind resistance / flammability concerns, it might still be around.
2Read: Inexpensive sheet pans from a restaurant supply store. Trimmed, riveted together, and sealed with fireplace mortar.
2 comments:
I'm struggling to NOT post a bong joke right now...
But seriously, wow. Did you build this or buy it? If it's the former, you could consider publishing the plans, a'la AnaWhite.com
Built it, of course. Aside from a few sketches in my notebook, there aren't any plans. (Not that this is unusual.) That's one reason it weighs a ton.
Once you have the concept, there really aren't any plans necessary. Tape measure, table and/or miter saw, clamps, and hardware's about all that's necessary.
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