Heat source questions for new smokehouse build.

[smokincold]

I'm looking to build a smokehouse similar to this one. I'm shooting for interior dimensions of 36" wide, 30" deep, and 4-5' high. The walls would have 1.5" foam board insulation with concrete board on the inside sides and bottom (30" high) and plywood at the top. Floor and ceiling would also be insulated.

I'm in Minnesota and smoke year round. I want to be able to do both hot and cold smoking. I do bacon, sausage, snack sticks, but also like to do hot smoking as well. For cold smoking I'll use an AMPS for smoke source. For heat, I have questions.

I'm looking for input/ideas on heat sources. I'm coming from a modified Bradley with a PID. I really like the temp control of the PID. Do you think 2 900W heating elements would be enough to heat it? 2 Elements would draw about 15amps. The smokehouse would be about 50-60 feet from the nearest outlet. Is that too much for a good extension cord?

I could use a propane burner, definitely easier. What are people using for propane temp control. I want to be able to set a temp and walk away for a couple of hours. I'll have remote thermometers, so I can monitor it.

Thanks in advance for you suggestions!

 

[Winterrider]

I use one of these in my 3x3x7

Bayou Classic 22-In High Pressure Bayou Cooker : BBQGuys

This Bayou Classic Banjo Cooker features 10 inch cast iron burner, heavy duty welded steel frame with 22 inch cooking surface, 48 inch thermoplastic hose with 30 PSI present propane regulator and brass control valve, and hose guard. This Bayou Classic outdoor cooker is capable of supporting up...

www.bbqguys.com

Do you have access to 220v ? Single burner would be a good option like oven burner.

 

[smokincold]

I use one of these in my 3x3x7

Bayou Classic 22-In High Pressure Bayou Cooker : BBQGuys

This Bayou Classic Banjo Cooker features 10 inch cast iron burner, heavy duty welded steel frame with 22 inch cooking surface, 48 inch thermoplastic hose with 30 PSI present propane regulator and brass control valve, and hose guard. This Bayou Classic outdoor cooker is capable of supporting up...

www.bbqguys.com

Do you have access to 220v ? Single burner would be a good option like oven burner.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, I don't have 220v near where the smokehouse is going.
I've looked at the propane burners, and they look like they would work. Is there a way to use a temp controller/PID with propane? I'd be open to that. I'm really focused on temp control.

 

[Winterrider]

I just slide cooker under 1/4" plate. Put dust right on top of plate. Can hang about 100#

 

[Winterrider]

Not sure of a PID for propane, others may have ideas.
Burner like this with an Auber PID may be the ticket. tallbm is our wiring guro, may chime in.

Avantco 177PW50CKREL Heating Element - 120V, 1500W

Keep your cooker working properly by replacing a damaged or malfunctioning element with this Avantco 177PW50CKREL heating element! This element heats the interior of your cooker to ensure the proper temperatures for cooking. 120V, 1500W.<br><br> <b><u>Overall Dimensions:</b></u><br> Length...

www.webstaurantstore.com

 

[tallbm]

I'm looking to build a smokehouse similar to this one. I'm shooting for interior dimensions of 36" wide, 30" deep, and 4-5' high. The walls would have 1.5" foam board insulation with concrete board on the inside sides and bottom (30" high) and plywood at the top. Floor and ceiling would also be insulated.

I'm in Minnesota and smoke year round. I want to be able to do both hot and cold smoking. I do bacon, sausage, snack sticks, but also like to do hot smoking as well. For cold smoking I'll use an AMPS for smoke source. For heat, I have questions.

I'm looking for input/ideas on heat sources. I'm coming from a modified Bradley with a PID. I really like the temp control of the PID. Do you think 2 900W heating elements would be enough to heat it? 2 Elements would draw about 15amps. The smokehouse would be about 50-60 feet from the nearest outlet. Is that too much for a good extension cord?

I could use a propane burner, definitely easier. What are people using for propane temp control. I want to be able to set a temp and walk away for a couple of hours. I'll have remote thermometers, so I can monitor it.

Thanks in advance for you suggestions!

Hi there and welcome!

I'm gonna throw some numbers out here.

An MES40 has internal dimensions of 43.5 inch High x 20.25 inch Wide x 13inch Deep (11,451.375 cubic inches) and runs a 1,200W element.

Your smoker would be between 51,840 (4ft tall) to 64,800 (5ft tall) cubic inches.

So using the MES 40 as a reference point, it heats 9.5428 cubic inches for every 1 watt of element.

Using the MES40 info, to heat 51,840 cubic inches you would have 5,432.36 watts of element to heat at the same ratio and ball park of performance.

Now, lets say we go in reverse and you have 1,800 watts of element going, that means you could go (1,800 watts x 9.5428 cubic inch/watt ) 17,177.04 cubic inches of volume.

Getting the cube root of 17,177.04 cubic inches gives you 25.8 inches tall/deep/wide that you could heat to try and get same performance of an MES 40. You could go 13 inches deep x 36.35 inches high x 36.35 inches wide.
Or any combination HxWxD that = 17,177.04 cubic inches.

Pulling 1800watts would be 15 amps and could/should pop a 15amp breaker. This is also assuming the only thing on this breaker is the smoker and no other outlets with devices plugged into the circuit for that breaker. So that's a whole can of worms to address as well.

Now you could still heat more volume at slower rates but I have nothing (or didnt look up anything) to reference to tell you what your performance might be in comparison.


So all I've done so far is throw you a bunch of stuff to digest.

Let me give a ballpark suggestion for you to mull over and verify (don't take my word, double check me for sure)
A 1400w element, 11.7amps (easy to obtain since masterbuilt analogs use these), at MES40 wannabe performance of 9.5428 cubic inch per watt.
Means you can roughly get same performance for an MES40 doing up to 13,359.92 cubic inches.

Good Internal Dimensions would be something like:
40.48 in Tall x 22in Wide x 15in Deep = 13,358.4 cubic inches

Now the final thing is you probably want to replicate the 2 inches of insulation all around that the MES40 does. Well I think it's 2 inches all around.

I hope this info helps :D

 

[Cajun Smokes]

Hi there and welcome!

I'm gonna throw some numbers out here.

An MES40 has internal dimensions of 43.5 inch High x 20.25 inch Wide x 13inch Deep (11,451.375 cubic inches) and runs a 1,200W element.

Your smoker would be between 51,840 (4ft tall) to 64,800 (5ft tall) cubic inches.

So using the MES 40 as a reference point, it heats 9.5428 cubic inches for every 1 watt of element.

Using the MES40 info, to heat 51,840 cubic inches you would have 5,432.36 watts of element to heat at the same ratio and ball park of performance.

Now, lets say we go in reverse and you have 1,800 watts of element going, that means you could go (1,800 watts x 9.5428 cubic inch/watt ) 17,177.04 cubic inches of volume.

Getting the cube root of 17,177.04 cubic inches gives you 25.8 inches tall/deep/wide that you could heat to try and get same performance of an MES 40. You could go 13 inches deep x 36.35 inches high x 36.35 inches wide.
Or any combination HxWxD that = 17,177.04 cubic inches.

Pulling 1800watts would be 15 amps and could/should pop a 15amp breaker. This is also assuming the only thing on this breaker is the smoker and no other outlets with devices plugged into the circuit for that breaker. So that's a whole can of worms to address as well.

Now you could still heat more volume at slower rates but I have nothing (or didnt look up anything) to reference to tell you what your performance might be in comparison.


So all I've done so far is throw you a bunch of stuff to digest.

Let me give a ballpark suggestion for you to mull over and verify (don't take my word, double check me for sure)
A 1400w element, 11.7amps (easy to obtain since masterbuilt analogs use these), at MES40 wannabe performance of 9.5428 cubic inch per watt.
Means you can roughly get same performance for an MES40 doing up to 13,359.92 cubic inches.

Good Internal Dimensions would be something like:
40.48 in Tall x 22in Wide x 15in Deep = 13,358.4 cubic inches

Now the final thing is you probably want to replicate the 2 inches of insulation all around that the MES40 does. Well I think it's 2 inches all around.

I hope this info helps :D

You are quite informed in this area of figuring the heat. Thank you for sick a detailed explanation

 

[tallbm]

You are quite informed in this area of figuring the heat. Thank you for sick a detailed explanation

I do what I can. Just be sure and double check all the numbers and such if you are going to apply it. I'm definitely capable of messing up a calculation or misstating something :D

 

[smokincold]

Thanks for all the feedback and the super awesome detail on electric heating. As much as I want to use electric, I'm seeing a few challenges:
- I would have to run an extension cord 50-75 feet across the yard, and in the winter that would be a pain with snow.
- The thought of blowing a breaker mid-smoke in the winter is less than exciting
- Long recovery times when I open the door to check on it.

I'm thinking of using a propane burner w/pilot light and gas solenoid to work with a PID. I'm sure it will take a bit of figuring out, but I think it might be the path of least resistance at this point.

Any words of wisdom with that approach? Thanks again for all the great feedback! This group is awesome!

 

[Cajun Smokes]

I do what I can. Just be sure and double check all the numbers and such if you are going to apply it. I'm definitely capable of messing up a calculation or misstating something :D

Yes sir,
I believe my typo "sick" was supposed to be "such"

 

[tallbm]

Thanks for all the feedback and the super awesome detail on electric heating. As much as I want to use electric, I'm seeing a few challenges:
- I would have to run an extension cord 50-75 feet across the yard, and in the winter that would be a pain with snow.
- The thought of blowing a breaker mid-smoke in the winter is less than exciting
- Long recovery times when I open the door to check on it.

I'm thinking of using a propane burner w/pilot light and gas solenoid to work with a PID. I'm sure it will take a bit of figuring out, but I think it might be the path of least resistance at this point.

Any words of wisdom with that approach? Thanks again for all the great feedback! This group is awesome!

Yeah propane may be better.
I don't know about using a PID with a propane setup, I'm way less knowledgeable here BUT I have read about guys saying to use a needle valve which I think helps dial in the propane output to make it more easily controlable for temps. BUT PLEASE double check me on this hahaha.
As for controlling that I don't know, maybe a gas person can chime in or maybe the needle valve with a traditional dial type controller does the job well but is not automated.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks for all the feedback and the super awesome detail on electric heating. As much as I want to use electric, I'm seeing a few challenges:
- I would have to run an extension cord 50-75 feet across the yard, and in the winter that would be a pain with snow.
- The thought of blowing a breaker mid-smoke in the winter is less than exciting
- Long recovery times when I open the door to check on it.

I'm thinking of using a propane burner w/pilot light and gas solenoid to work with a PID. I'm sure it will take a bit of figuring out, but I think it might be the path of least resistance at this point.

Any words of wisdom with that approach? Thanks again for all the great feedback! This group is awesome!

I have a 3x3x7’ smokehouse. I use propane it just makes sense. But if I were to give advice, I would say give Tejas Smokers a call. It’s what they do and they can help you build a burner system for your needs. I will leave a link at the bottom.

As for myself, I run a standard turkey fryer burner for heat and have no complaints, but if you want set and forget ( where most problems occur in smoking or bbq) then by all means pursue that. Cooking is an art which takes dedication, the idea that you can set, forget and produce top quality product is ridiculous. But carry on. Here is the link.

These guys will set you up for propane. Safety and all.

https://tejassmokers.com/

 

[smokincold]

Thanks SmokingEdge! I will definitely call Tejas Smokers, I've looked at their stuff before.
I'm not a competition cook, and perfect isn't the enemy of good here. My first 15+ years of smoking was an old offset wood burner, no automation but made some really great meat.

I'm not looking for set it an forget it as much as I'm looking to incorporate multiple hobbies, and want to have automation and instrumentation included with the build. More because I can, and the DIY part of it than anything. Admittedly, it's nice not to have to walk across the yard in the snow to check temp. If I can adjust it, why not.

 

[smokincold]

Thanks for all the help on my build - Pics are coming as my wife has been taking them along the way.

Follow up question on venting. I'm looking at using 4x10 registers on the side wall for venting vs a 6" pipe out the top. I was planning on 1 register low for intake and one at the top for exhaust. Should they both be on the same side? Is one top vent enough?

Thanks again for everyone's help!