Biggest smoker build... = success?

[smokin-aces]

Yeah they were actually less than $4. I got 20 for $64 plus I have about six 14" x 36" pieces I will use for the grill for free.

 

[smokin-aces]

I made some progress this weekend. I was able to get the pipes cut off one side of the trailer and started putting sheet metal on to fill the gap. I will post pictures once more progress has been made.

 

[truckerbob]

Angle iron is expensive, but on my last build, I used bed frames.  It's amazing how many people have them laying around, and just want to give them away.  Not thick enough to use in the firebox, but heavy enough to use in a cooking chamber!

 

[smokin-aces]

I was able to move the trailer inside this weekend and get more accomplished. I got both sides mostly sealed with new metal and a tore out the wood floor and put in a new metal floor.

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• Jan 25, 2014

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• Jan 25, 2014

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• Jan 25, 2014

 

[shrekastac]

Did you make sure to wash the old manure out or is that the secret ingredient? Lol just kidding this looks like a fun build...I envy your garage space.

 

[daveomak]

Good point Shrek...... Aces.... Check to see if you can get that cattle trailer certified for food prep for human consumption.....

I'm leaning probably not.... no way to clean the cracks and crevices from years of contamination.... Did you see the Food Service note in food safety I posted recently on how near impossible it is to clean up a food surface that has been neglected for a short period of time...

Not trying to rain on your parade.... just "maybe" save you some time and money.....


Edit to have the correct link to the safety issue

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/...mely-resistant-to-disinfectants/#.UuU5cenTk0N

One excerpt from the link

To help put the issue of biofilms into context, the study referenced two outbreaks of the Agona serotype of Salmonella where the pathogen remained in the food processing facility for 10 years “despite intensive cleaning and decommissioning of contaminated equipment.”

 

[shrekastac]

Would think with enough bleach and heat could cure anything ;) Hope everything works out for ya. The certification might be a good thing to have if you can get it to have with the trailer so you can show whomever might eat out of it that some hippy liberal went over it with a fine tooth comb and couldn't find anything.

 

[smokin-aces]

I never thought anymore about getting it certified for human consumption. I will have to research what is necessary for a smoker. All the bbq restaurants I see seem to have normal looking smokers. I will look into it. Thanks for the heads up Dave.

Shrek, I'm with you. I just figured a pressure washing with bleach water and an hour or two of 400-500°F heat/smoke would "sanitize" it.

 

[shrekastac]

Yea do you plan selling product or more for personal use? From a personal perspective I'd look at it and mistake the rust for you know what. Shouldn't be hard though.

 

[smokin-aces]

The plan is to use this for commercial use. I have a catering business and I am trying to get vending spots at festivals in this state. So I need this thing to be certified I reckon.

 

[shrekastac]

Yea to be safe

 

[smokin-aces]

I need some suggestions on insulation for this smoker.

Once I get the sides sealed and cut the doors in it, I am going to put .75" or 1" square tubing on the outside of the doors for reinforcement. Then I am going to rivet stainless steel to the outside of the square tubing. This will give me a gap between the inside wall and the stainless wall the width of the square tubing.

I would like to put insulation in this gap to keep it as efficient as possible, plus this would be safer in a commercial environment like I plan to use it for.

Any ideas for good insulation for this?

 

[smokin-aces]

Hello hello hello.... Is there any body out there... (Pink Floyd song)

But seriously, are there any suggestions for the insulation? 

 

[shrekastac]

I'm not sure what its called or where to get it but look into the loose insulation they spray in attics. If you live near a beach you could use sand but you are talking about adding some serious weight. Could mix it with perelite to lighten it up. Could also use dirt. All good insulators but weight/cost are big factors.

 

[britcan4]

Use rock wool will with stand the heat as it is made from minerals not glass or old jeans

 

[daveomak]

interesting..... Could be different where you live...


http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ents-requiring-your-smoker-to-be-nsf-approved

 

[smokin-aces]

I made some more progress this weekend. It doesn't look like much, but there was A LOT of welding involved.

I put angle iron on the floor to seal the gap between the floor and wall. Also, I was able to finish putting metal on the sides. Maybe next weekend I can start cutting the doors..

I sat a couple sheets of stainless up there to imagine what it will look like when I'm done with it. One the stainless is polished I think she'll look just fine :)

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[smokin-aces]

interesting..... Could be different where you live...


http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ents-requiring-your-smoker-to-be-nsf-approved

Dave,

I have a question you may or may not know the answer to. If the meat I cook never touches the metal rack, do I need stainless steel racks?

Everything I smoke is always in an aluminum pan until I take it off the smoker.

I agree with getting it approved, but I keep seeing guys talk about stainless meat racks. Do they sit the meat directly on the racks?

 

[shrekastac]

My 2 cents: Just be careful as temps that get too high could cause paint and other metals to release chemicals, fumes, etc. While they aren't touching the meat the fumes are just as nasty. I'm not a metallurgist so I googled it. Galvanized and zinc coating as an example in regards to welding all reference extreme caution and ventilation required. Again not an expert but would keep that away from my CC. When in doubt though I'd just look up the MSDS sheet for whatever material you are inquiring about.

 

[shrekastac]

Sorry was half asleep when I wrote that, also you might want to look into making wooden dowels routed from 2x2's and place the pans on that.