Hello everyone, I'm a new member,
My name is Frank, I go by Chet, and I have been smoking venison/pork sausage for over 20 years. My old smoker, a converted refrigerator/freezer combination finally gave out to the elements so I built what I thought would be my ultimate smokehouse.
My smokehouse base is a 3 feet by 3 feet concrete slab and is 6 feet tall at the front, and 7 feet tall at the rear. It is double walled with R-13 insulation between the inside and outside walls. Outside walls are made of “SMART SIDING” and the interior with 3/8” plywood. I added a 4” smokestack with a damper and a draft on the lower part of the door for air circulation etc.
I use a main electric 1500-Watt element that I took out of my Brinkman Water Smoker, with an additional 1100-Watt hot plate for my smoke pot, a 2-quart Dutch oven with numerous holes drilled in the lid. My smokehouse probably has more electrical wiring and outlets then most summer cabins, LOL
I smoked a brisket two weeks ago and it was the best I have ever done, about 15 hours of smoke and heat that did not exceed 212 deg. F for 15 hours, that is when the internal temperature of the brisket was 185 Deg., plus a little.
My only problem was that there was no smoke ring, a very nice smoky flavor but no smoke ring. Since that time I have done more research and discovered why, but you all probably know that already.
My old smoker was used exclusively for sausage and the cure did all the deep red coloring and my hotplates generated the heat and smoke etc., I always cooked my briskets on a Hondo type smoker. By the way, my get-a-way 20 acres is in the Texas Hill Country, North of Hondo Texas and that is I do most of my smoking.
I use a JOHNSON CONTROLS A-419 temperature controller to regulate the main heat source with addition switched for interior and exterior lights, smoke pot hot plate, additional interior electric receptacle for misc. uses and exterior power receptacles for anything I want to use it for.
I also have access ports in the walls for temperature probes with my Maverick thermometers (I use corks to plug the access ports) and I added a 12” x 12” door on the bottom of one side for access to my smoke pot for adding wood chips.
I use to soak my wood chips and wrap them in foil prior to using my Dutch oven smoke pot, I read that why soak the chips as they will not burn properly until they dry out anyway (maybe that contributed to my lack of a smoke ring).
The interior has numerous levels for hanging sausage on wooden dowels, hanging turkeys in stockinet as well as a pair of oven racks for smoking ribs and brisket, and whatever else I desire.
When I was breaking in my smokehouse using heavy smoke to season the interior I smoked a few racks of babyback ribs, chicken legs and another time chicken thighs, everything was “fall of the bone” tender with a perfect smoke flavor.
I could go on for hours about my smokehouse and the many hours designing it but I don’t want to bore anybody further about my project.
I’m looking forward to low and slow smoking a 10 pound turkey next week as well as using Morton’s Tender Quick to develop a smoke ring on my future briskets, just for presentation of course.
My name is Frank, I go by Chet, and I have been smoking venison/pork sausage for over 20 years. My old smoker, a converted refrigerator/freezer combination finally gave out to the elements so I built what I thought would be my ultimate smokehouse.
My smokehouse base is a 3 feet by 3 feet concrete slab and is 6 feet tall at the front, and 7 feet tall at the rear. It is double walled with R-13 insulation between the inside and outside walls. Outside walls are made of “SMART SIDING” and the interior with 3/8” plywood. I added a 4” smokestack with a damper and a draft on the lower part of the door for air circulation etc.
I use a main electric 1500-Watt element that I took out of my Brinkman Water Smoker, with an additional 1100-Watt hot plate for my smoke pot, a 2-quart Dutch oven with numerous holes drilled in the lid. My smokehouse probably has more electrical wiring and outlets then most summer cabins, LOL
I smoked a brisket two weeks ago and it was the best I have ever done, about 15 hours of smoke and heat that did not exceed 212 deg. F for 15 hours, that is when the internal temperature of the brisket was 185 Deg., plus a little.
My only problem was that there was no smoke ring, a very nice smoky flavor but no smoke ring. Since that time I have done more research and discovered why, but you all probably know that already.
My old smoker was used exclusively for sausage and the cure did all the deep red coloring and my hotplates generated the heat and smoke etc., I always cooked my briskets on a Hondo type smoker. By the way, my get-a-way 20 acres is in the Texas Hill Country, North of Hondo Texas and that is I do most of my smoking.
I use a JOHNSON CONTROLS A-419 temperature controller to regulate the main heat source with addition switched for interior and exterior lights, smoke pot hot plate, additional interior electric receptacle for misc. uses and exterior power receptacles for anything I want to use it for.
I also have access ports in the walls for temperature probes with my Maverick thermometers (I use corks to plug the access ports) and I added a 12” x 12” door on the bottom of one side for access to my smoke pot for adding wood chips.
I use to soak my wood chips and wrap them in foil prior to using my Dutch oven smoke pot, I read that why soak the chips as they will not burn properly until they dry out anyway (maybe that contributed to my lack of a smoke ring).
The interior has numerous levels for hanging sausage on wooden dowels, hanging turkeys in stockinet as well as a pair of oven racks for smoking ribs and brisket, and whatever else I desire.
When I was breaking in my smokehouse using heavy smoke to season the interior I smoked a few racks of babyback ribs, chicken legs and another time chicken thighs, everything was “fall of the bone” tender with a perfect smoke flavor.
I could go on for hours about my smokehouse and the many hours designing it but I don’t want to bore anybody further about my project.
I’m looking forward to low and slow smoking a 10 pound turkey next week as well as using Morton’s Tender Quick to develop a smoke ring on my future briskets, just for presentation of course.
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