Hello from the Pacific Northwest

[fowledlife]

Hello! My name is Chandler and I'm 17. I've hunted nearly all my life and figured it was time to start learning of new ways to cook everything I hunt, and I figured you can never go wrong with using a smoker. I'm hoping to start a small smoker build this week so I can take pride in saying I built a smoker and use it, rather than being like all my friends who just go out and buy one.

 

[mneeley490]

Welcome, Chandler!

Yes, there are many options to choose from, wood, propane,charcoal, pellet, electric. It all depends on what skills you have, and how much time and effort you plan on tending to the smoker, once it's done. I'd advise you to read up on them here has much as you can before you make a decision. 

I started off with a cheapie, charcoal horizontal which required a LOT of maintenance during smokes, then ended up building my own electric from a used fridge, so I didn't have to watch it constantly. But everyone here has their favorite types.

Good luck!

Mike

 

[fowledlife]

Thank you for your reply! I was actually considering using an electric smoker so I could put some wood chips in a pan and smoke the meat. That is what my grandpa made a while back. How many watts in the electric hot plate you have for your electric smoker?

 

[mneeley490]

I've seen a lot of hot plate style smokers, but I went big and used a 1500w Brinkmann replacement element, as I had a lot of cubic footage to heat. Here is the link:   http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/115657/commercial-ss-fridge-build-my-first-try

This was a big project, and I wouldn't advise it as a first attempt. Find some sort of smaller, enclosed metal box and go from there. Look here: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/110/electric-smokers   and see what other people have done. I've seen guys make smokers from ovens, file cabinets, computer servers, and heavy-duty traffic signal boxes. It just depends on what you have around, and how much time & effort you're willing to invest. Heck, there's even a Youtube video of Alton Brown making a cold smoker with a hot plate and a cardboard box.