Hello all! Noobie smoker here, o as the title says I'd like to make sure I'm not wasting my time and money before I buy more material. I don't want to outgrow this thing in a year and have to try and build something bigger/better on a shoestring budget.
What I want: A shed style smoker capable of cold and hot smoking. Not being terribly knowledgeable about hot smoking, I mainly mean things like jerky, fish, bacon, and poultry which as far as I understand means my max temps would be in the low/mid 200s? It would be nice if it could do EVERYTHING including things at higher temps, but I'm fine with having to apply higher heat for things like brisket or whatever in a different way if that's too much to ask of a single smoker. I also want it to be big, as in, I could turn essentially an entire deer or other large critter into jerky in one go (piercing and hanging strips from dowels to maximize space). I also need this thing to be as cheap as is reasonably possible, considering the financial climate at the moment. I'm a carpenter, so tools and such are no worry. I also want weather to not matter, I should be using it in Colorado or the Boise Idaho area, so my plan is to make it double walled with insulation to keep things cool in summer and warm in winter.
What I have: To keep cost down, I'd like to use as many materials as I can that are already laying around, mainly a large pile of unused but weathered cedar fencing and new pine 2x4s.
My rough plan at the moment is to go with a sloped roof from front to back with tin roofing over plywood, and use the cedar fence planks for the exterior walls, I'm going to shiplap the edges and run them horizontally. The interior walls will be untreated plywood, but I'm not sure of what thickness. Ideally to keep weight and cost down, I'd like to go with 3/8" (this will get disassembled and moved with me to Idaho, hence the preference for light-ish weight). That being said, is there any reason 3/8" ply wouldn't work, other than insulation value since it's going to be double walled and insulated that way? I'm also not sure of overall dimensions, I'm thinking 3'x4'x6'ish, but want to know if I should just up it to 4'x4' to be safe? I'm going to rip my 2x4s in half and use those for framing to make material go farther, so I'll have a 1 3/4" void to insulate. That being said, I need advice on what type of insulation to use in the walls; I've seen some folks use foam board, others fiberglass, and others say rockwool. Whichever insulation I go with will be COMPLETELY sealed between the walls, I have no desire to get any particles or fumes in my food. Is a cheap foam board ok for 200 degree ranges, or should I opt for fiberglass/rockwool and thicker plywood to make this thing usable for higher heats like 300's? If higher temps are feasible, I'd be adding crete board and or tin inside for heat shielding of course. For the heat source I imagine I'll mainly be using a propane burner with cast iron wood pan, but in a worse case scenario I'm positive I could rig up a natural fire heat source, and it wouldn't be hard to have an external firebox if need be. That part I think I can figure out, it's mainly the materials and dimensions that I want to nail down before I get to nailin'! As for airflow, I was going to cut rectangular holes through the walls, and have sliding wooden doors that I can adjust as needed; I'm thinking 1 on each side at top and bottom, so 8 vents total, each vent somewhere around 3"x8" in size with metal window screening to keep the bugs out. I'll make them well enough so that I could completely seal off the ones not in use. Any help y'all can give me before I buy the plywood and start cutting would be VERY much appreciated. Thanks!
What I want: A shed style smoker capable of cold and hot smoking. Not being terribly knowledgeable about hot smoking, I mainly mean things like jerky, fish, bacon, and poultry which as far as I understand means my max temps would be in the low/mid 200s? It would be nice if it could do EVERYTHING including things at higher temps, but I'm fine with having to apply higher heat for things like brisket or whatever in a different way if that's too much to ask of a single smoker. I also want it to be big, as in, I could turn essentially an entire deer or other large critter into jerky in one go (piercing and hanging strips from dowels to maximize space). I also need this thing to be as cheap as is reasonably possible, considering the financial climate at the moment. I'm a carpenter, so tools and such are no worry. I also want weather to not matter, I should be using it in Colorado or the Boise Idaho area, so my plan is to make it double walled with insulation to keep things cool in summer and warm in winter.
What I have: To keep cost down, I'd like to use as many materials as I can that are already laying around, mainly a large pile of unused but weathered cedar fencing and new pine 2x4s.
My rough plan at the moment is to go with a sloped roof from front to back with tin roofing over plywood, and use the cedar fence planks for the exterior walls, I'm going to shiplap the edges and run them horizontally. The interior walls will be untreated plywood, but I'm not sure of what thickness. Ideally to keep weight and cost down, I'd like to go with 3/8" (this will get disassembled and moved with me to Idaho, hence the preference for light-ish weight). That being said, is there any reason 3/8" ply wouldn't work, other than insulation value since it's going to be double walled and insulated that way? I'm also not sure of overall dimensions, I'm thinking 3'x4'x6'ish, but want to know if I should just up it to 4'x4' to be safe? I'm going to rip my 2x4s in half and use those for framing to make material go farther, so I'll have a 1 3/4" void to insulate. That being said, I need advice on what type of insulation to use in the walls; I've seen some folks use foam board, others fiberglass, and others say rockwool. Whichever insulation I go with will be COMPLETELY sealed between the walls, I have no desire to get any particles or fumes in my food. Is a cheap foam board ok for 200 degree ranges, or should I opt for fiberglass/rockwool and thicker plywood to make this thing usable for higher heats like 300's? If higher temps are feasible, I'd be adding crete board and or tin inside for heat shielding of course. For the heat source I imagine I'll mainly be using a propane burner with cast iron wood pan, but in a worse case scenario I'm positive I could rig up a natural fire heat source, and it wouldn't be hard to have an external firebox if need be. That part I think I can figure out, it's mainly the materials and dimensions that I want to nail down before I get to nailin'! As for airflow, I was going to cut rectangular holes through the walls, and have sliding wooden doors that I can adjust as needed; I'm thinking 1 on each side at top and bottom, so 8 vents total, each vent somewhere around 3"x8" in size with metal window screening to keep the bugs out. I'll make them well enough so that I could completely seal off the ones not in use. Any help y'all can give me before I buy the plywood and start cutting would be VERY much appreciated. Thanks!
