Alelover's Smokehouse Build from Mostly Free Stuff (Maiden Voyage)

[dirtsailor2003]

 

. The wife may have something to say about more junk on the back porch though!

I use the tube smokers all the time, you will really like it.

I feel your pain. The wife has basically told me that if I buy buy another smoker, or gadget it better be big enough for me to sleep in! Every guy needs 8-10 outdoor cooking devices right?

 

[travisty]

Yeah! I couldn't agree more!

That one BBQ show that Bobby Flay has always makes me jealous, he's got a whole yard full of all sorts of BBQ and grilling equipment! Luckily the wife likes the idea of someday having a built in Pizza/ smoker oven out there, so I may star a project some day.

 

[alelover]

No worries Bear, Good advice is always welcome.

 

[alelover]

My wife was so happy when I got the broken fridge out of the garage. I put a smokehouse there instead now.

 

[alelover]

Got the propane hooked up and id a heat test yesterday. Threw a chunk of oak in a cast iron pan to get some smoke going and lit some pellets in the A-Maze-N. Pellets didn't burn as well with the burner going. Got an idea for that too. Still got a little leak in the door at the top left I need to fix. Had some uneveness in the wood across the top where the door meets the frame. Wooden shipping crates actually aren't perfectly square. Who knew.

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• alelover
• Dec 7, 2015

The Northern Tool burner works very well.

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• alelover
• Dec 7, 2015

Got her up to 228º in about 20 minutes. The whole outside of the smoker remained cold.

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• alelover
• Dec 7, 2015

So far so good.

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• alelover
• Dec 7, 2015

Time to find some racks and rods.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

The AMNTS works better in propane smokers. There's not enough oxygen to keep the others going. I have the 6", 12", 18" models. They work until the temp of the smoker gets above 285. Higher than that and the pellets ignite and just burn.

A mailbox mod would work for you if you didn't want to go the tune route.

 

[alelover]

I have parts to build a variable speed fan. I was thinking of blowing air through a duct with a damper of some sort. Still thinking about it.

 

[alelover]

Worked on the heat diffuser setup Saturday. Had a couple of tops I cut off of some half barrels years ago. The stainless tubes that the beer goes up are perfect. Had to extend them a little with some dowel ends that were left over.

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• alelover
• Dec 14, 2015

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• alelover
• Dec 14, 2015

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• alelover
• Dec 14, 2015

Got this air-bake 20 x 15 cooking sheet at Ollie's. They were 9.99 so I got 2. Somehow I noticed I was not charged for this one when I got home. So, more free stuff for the smoker.

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• alelover
• Dec 14, 2015

 

[cooking momma]

Awesome :)

 

[alelover]

Got this bottle opener from my wife. Got to have a bottle opener on a smoker.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

Going to do smoked sausage for the maiden voyage.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

15 pounds fit nicely.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

Smoking with apple pellets in the A-Maze-N smoker and maple I save from hole sawing the rails.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

Got great smoke and the temps stayed very steady. Did 1 hour at 125ºF, 1 1/2 hours at 155º and 1 hour at 162º.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

3 1/2 hours. Ready to go in the Ice bath. Unloading these things is way easy. Just pull the dowel out and slide them off.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

Ice water for about an hour.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

Ready for the vac sealer.

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• alelover
• Dec 30, 2015

Ate the real small one at the lower right. Best ones yet. I think I got the recipe right where I want it.

Here is the recipe.

Thanks for tuning in.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Great looking smoke!

POINTS!!!

 

[Bearcarver]

Oh Yeah!!!

This is what I've been waiting for!!

Nice Job Scott !!!  Your Maiden Voyage was a Great one!!!

-----------------

Love the Bottle opener---Now you'll always have a Bear watching over your Smokes!!

This has been an Awesome Thread !!

Bear

 

[driedstick]

Looks great - nice job!! 

A full smoker is a happy smoker 

DS
 

 

[twoalpha]

Scott

Awesome results on the build and the first smoke. 

Thanks for sharing all the info. 

Larry

 

[daveomak]

Looks awesome Scott... 

 

[chilefarmer]

Super nice smoker. Love the sausage, thanks for the method and recipe. Great post. CF

 

[JckDanls 07]

excellent build... Thumbs Up

so it only took 3 1/2 hours to get them to 153`ish ??

 

[alelover]

Thanks all. Don't know what the IT was. Just went by looks. All my other ones took 3 1/2 hours. And it was getting late. Had a couple in the back drip a tiny bit. Figured they got hot enough. I think the total cost came in under $180 so I'm quite pleased with the results. Can't wait to throw some pork bellies in there.

 

[alelover]

Built a variable speed fan today. I think the A-Maze-N needs more air flow when the smoker temp gets higher. I am going to make a couple little tweaks to it so I can also use it for a magnetic stir plate for yeast starters. Here are some pics. As you can see electronics is not my forte.

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• alelover
• Jan 10, 2016

Made some standoffs for the fan. Drilled holes in the enclosure lid to mount the fan.

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• alelover
• Jan 10, 2016

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• alelover
• Jan 10, 2016

Made a knob for the speed control.

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• alelover
• Jan 10, 2016

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• alelover
• Jan 10, 2016

About 20 bucks for it.

Here's the test.

 

[boykjo]