Home-made smoker for summer sausage question

earache_my_eye · Mar 6, 2008

I found this link on here about smoker plans....HERE

I was thinking that I could build something along those lines, but insulate it with styrofoam, and line it with something like glaspar, or maybe even stainless if I want to get real fancy. Oh, and I want to make it be an electric smoker...not gas.

I guess my question is:

Is there any reason why I couldn't use it just for stuff like summer sausage and/or ring bologna since it shouldn't ever get up to the "low-n-slow" temps needed for things like ribs or brisket??

richtee · Mar 6, 2008

Why not build it to do everything/anything?
on edit: Nothing like a 70,000 BTU burner in a wood box. Yeesh.

earache_my_eye · Mar 6, 2008

I have an ancient fridge that I want to turn into a gas smoker for "hot" smokes and larger quantities. The main reason I'm thinking about the insulated box idea is for easier portability. We do most of our own deer processing in one guy's shop/garage. I figure if I get something like this together and we all get to test it out during deer season, it would be incentive to get these guys more involved with processing our deer and keep some cash in our pockets instead of the meat locker's......

richtee · Mar 6, 2008

A cold smoker perhaps...but the link shows a BIG propane burner in a wood box. An outboard smoke generation unit..OK. But no fire in a plywood box. In the words of a neighbor kid.."That ain't nuthin' but a bad idea".

Plywood itself is suspect. If ya line it with something...better. Or use hardwood stock.

earache_my_eye · Mar 6, 2008

Nah....I don't want a LP smoker.....I intend to just use a hot plate or smething like that.....I wasn't thrilled with that guy's setup.....just tossed it into my first post for vague reference.

just want something fairly light, very portable.....and cheap. If it goes to hell-in-a-handbasket, I don't wanna be out the kind of money I'd have in a Bradley or something like it.

pgeobc · Mar 6, 2008

I know you mean well, but never use anything like styrofoam in a food preparation machine. It contains organic solvents and can taint your meat.

Summer sausage can benefit greatly from cold smoking. In fact, that is exactly the way that it was done formerly. It was then brought up to temperature by some other method. If you would give your summer sausage a 3 day smoke for 6 hours each day of cold smoke, the taste would be superior. When the old-timers did this, they typically used a thin smoke and rested the sausage in the cooler over night.

Be very careful about what you use in the construction of your smoker. If you use any plastic at all, it must be food-grade plastic. Use a fibre-board type of insulation and cover with a layer of stainless, at least on the inside. Stainless on the inside and aluminum on the outside would be ok, too.

fireguy · Mar 6, 2008

If I were to build one like that, I would drop the LP burner for sure... go electric, or pipe in smoke from a box a few feet away.. or do both Smoke from the box, and sup. heat from an element...

I also get nervous when I see Ply or osb, only because I would think you would stand a chance for toxic fumes from the glues involved in those materials, penetrating the food you are smoking... Maybe line it like some others do with alum.

I have seen the insides put together with T&G 1x wood and insulated with unfaced fiberglass ins.

My 2 cents and I hope his helps

salmonclubber · Mar 6, 2008

earache

i like the looks of that smoker if you use alluminum on the bottom and a 1100 watt burner from the sausagemaker and a in line thermostat from mcmaster carr it will make a great sausage smoker the thermostat cost around $70.00 i think the burner is around $40.00 or you could rob a burner from a old electric stove i would build it and try it with out the insulation if you need to insulate you can do that later i think a hot plate its self will not get your smoker hot enough to finish the sausage and its harder to control temps with out the thermostat hope this helps

earache_my_eye · Mar 6, 2008

That's REALLY what I would like to do....have the smoke from an outside source so I could cold smoke in it if I wanted to. I was doing a little searching online and found this

Looks pretty interesting, and there's a link to the build specs for it, also.....HERE.

fireguy · Mar 6, 2008

A friend of mine Works for john deere and built his smoker completelly out of the hardwood crates the lawn tractors come in. ( torn apart and then built to resemble a outhouse). Any way it is uninsulated and about 6x4x6 ft. it looks good, not teriibly portible due to size. also at john deere he got a 5 or 6 gal steel drum their fluids come in and burnt it out, made a fire box and used 3 or 4 inch vent pipe to bring smoke into smoker. he loves it. His is large enough that he does use lp burner for sup heat. as Salmonclubber said you should be able to heat yours with el. elem., Also a thermo is a must, I know a lot of guys buy em, but if you go to a junk yard or appliance guy they usually give you part out of junk ovens for nothing(atleast around here), I just take my guy sausage and I get Thermos, racks, and burners for nothing..

Also check your local john deere dealor they just throw that stuff out... that is if that idea intrest you..

The best thing about building your own is you can try any of these great ideas an add or subtract them as you see fit. Good luck smoker

fireguy · Mar 6, 2008

Sorry didnt see that pic earlier for some reason... but it looks great. looks like they must pump the smoke in from the out side... let us know if you find anything out on that BIGRED smoker..

earache_my_eye · Mar 6, 2008

I posted a link to the website. The guy that built it made a website with pics and details of how he built it......here's the link again http://www.procast-designs.com/smoker/

fireguy · Mar 6, 2008

Sorry, was having some technical difficulties or brain fart???

That smoker looks sweeeet... you better get started and keep me informed how it works. Ive seen some smoke generators using aquarium pumps but never though much about them.

Id be curious to know if anyone here has ever used any thing along the lines of this????

travcoman45 · Mar 7, 2008

I would go with the fridge for the box, you can use 2 thermostats, one for cold smoke and the other for hot smoke. Remote mount your smoke generator, you can use 4 inch pipe for this, the longer the pipe the cooler the smoke.

I am using a hot plate to generate smoke and a dryer element to heat the box with the two thermostats controling the dryer element.

I would stay away from styrofoam or similar plastic insulating boards, they can be very nasty. Fiberglass would be better. With the rite sized element in a fridge box, don't think heating it will be a problem anyway.

earache_my_eye · Mar 7, 2008

I'm pretty sure I can get a heating element that'll do the trick.....the reason I want it insulated is that it will probably be used in December during deer season.....I really don't want to have to "push it" to get it up to temp, or to maintain temp as it will most likely be outside during it's smoking phase.

I think the fiberglass will do just fine if I can get the inside lined with stainless or aluminum. If it's really, REALLY cold outside, I could always wrap the exterior kinda like you would with a water heater. I like the idea of a smoker where the temp doesn't budge until you tell it to....no matter what the weather is like.........

minichef · Mar 7, 2008

Use fiberglass, white in color with no backing. Mine will easily get to temp when it's below zero and hold it for that matter.

vagreys · Mar 13, 2013

Earache_My_Eye said:
I found this link on here about smoker plans....HERE ...

FYI: the linked forum has evolved. The new URL is http://mathewsinc.com/forums-home/topic/smoker-plans/

Home-made smoker for summer sausage question

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