I am new to the site. Been smoking meat in store bought smokers for several years. I was walking in the woods near my house, looking for a hickory tree and found a tank that I thought would make a nice fire box just laying in the middle of the woods. (funny story about this tank to follow!!)... Anyhow, my store bought smoker has seen better days, holes rusted through the fire box makes it hard to control the temp.... So I decided to build my own smoker.
I looked into it and have a few ideas as to what I want... (or THINK I want). I don't know what the type of smoker is called, I'm sure you seasoned SMF vets have a name for this style.
I want my fire box on the back and in the middle of the cooking chamber. It will have 2 smoke stacks (one one each end of the chamber)
Since I decided to build a smoker I started looking for the rest of the things I would need... I come across an old military trailer for next to nothing. It is VERY sturdy and constructed, for the most part, of 2" angle iron. I located several large tanks at a local salvage yard. All I needed to do was get that "firebox" out of the woods and back to my shop to work on it. When I went to retrieve the tank I discovered it was about half full of a thick sludge... I was able to drag/roll it out of the woods and back to my house. I unscrewed the lid with a pair of channel locks (about 3" diameter and course threaded). It smelled VERY flammable inside! I placed the tank on 2 cinder blocks, with the spout facing down for the sludge to ooze out. After about 2-3 weeks I scooped up alittle bit of the dirt and tested to see if it was flammable, as it still smelled like it would burn. I tried to burn it and it wouldn't light or even smoke. Soooo..... I raked a bunch of leaves and sticks into a large pile around the tank and set it ablaze! (figured it would be a good start to making sure the tank was empty and not flammable when I go to cutting on it) I was worried at first, but after about an hour of sticks and leaves burning directly under and around the tank I relaxed. I have to say, the area around my shop was clear and looked pretty good raked up!! The fire had pretty much out and was just smoldering... I was in my garage (150-200 ft away) putting my rake and stuff away..... BOOOM!!!! The tank blew up!! (not really "blew up" more like a HUGE release of pressure) It broke the cinder blocks into pieces. The tank wasn't damaged, but blew a glob of crap out onto the ground and there was now a large fire ball surrounding the tank. The stuff inside the tank was dripping out and burning and 2 days later it was still smoking!!!
I have since cut into the tank (creating the hole that will open into the cooking chamber) I will post pictures as I go along, but I would like some input on this particular design, any feedback is welcome! Thanks in advance!
Bill
I looked into it and have a few ideas as to what I want... (or THINK I want). I don't know what the type of smoker is called, I'm sure you seasoned SMF vets have a name for this style.
I want my fire box on the back and in the middle of the cooking chamber. It will have 2 smoke stacks (one one each end of the chamber)
Since I decided to build a smoker I started looking for the rest of the things I would need... I come across an old military trailer for next to nothing. It is VERY sturdy and constructed, for the most part, of 2" angle iron. I located several large tanks at a local salvage yard. All I needed to do was get that "firebox" out of the woods and back to my shop to work on it. When I went to retrieve the tank I discovered it was about half full of a thick sludge... I was able to drag/roll it out of the woods and back to my house. I unscrewed the lid with a pair of channel locks (about 3" diameter and course threaded). It smelled VERY flammable inside! I placed the tank on 2 cinder blocks, with the spout facing down for the sludge to ooze out. After about 2-3 weeks I scooped up alittle bit of the dirt and tested to see if it was flammable, as it still smelled like it would burn. I tried to burn it and it wouldn't light or even smoke. Soooo..... I raked a bunch of leaves and sticks into a large pile around the tank and set it ablaze! (figured it would be a good start to making sure the tank was empty and not flammable when I go to cutting on it) I was worried at first, but after about an hour of sticks and leaves burning directly under and around the tank I relaxed. I have to say, the area around my shop was clear and looked pretty good raked up!! The fire had pretty much out and was just smoldering... I was in my garage (150-200 ft away) putting my rake and stuff away..... BOOOM!!!! The tank blew up!! (not really "blew up" more like a HUGE release of pressure) It broke the cinder blocks into pieces. The tank wasn't damaged, but blew a glob of crap out onto the ground and there was now a large fire ball surrounding the tank. The stuff inside the tank was dripping out and burning and 2 days later it was still smoking!!!
I have since cut into the tank (creating the hole that will open into the cooking chamber) I will post pictures as I go along, but I would like some input on this particular design, any feedback is welcome! Thanks in advance!
Bill
