First of all I would like to welcome myself to the SMF. Excited to explore the many areas on here.
I'm not new to smoking but when I first started I did not have the luxury of all the forums now days to answer the many questions I had. I started my smoking by using a 55 upright drum. Worked great and had many modification over the years. I have been out of smoking for a few years and just recently came across a hospital blanket warmer for my next project. It's a smaller unit and measures 30"Tx28"Wx16"D inside. Now the conversion begins. I've stripped it down and removed the 350 watt element from it due to being undersized. In my 55 gal drum I used a 500 watt hot plate element for heating the cast iron pan for the chips. I added a oven broiler element for extra heat. Worked great but lacked insulation for cold weather smoking. I'm excited to see major improvement in the insulated blanket warmer.
Here are some of my questions as of now
.
1. I have calculated the Sq. inches and from some of the electric units I have estimated I will need about a 750 watt element to have enough heat to get up to at least 250 degrees. Keep in mind I do 16-20 lb. turkeys. Do you feel this will be enough? I will still be using the hot plate element along with the new 750 watt element. I plan on using a dual stage temperature controller. I may also use a device like the A-Maze-N-Pellet smoke generator so the 500 watt element may not be used during that smoking time.
2. Venting - My barrel had enough openings so I didn't need additional venting. (I used a weber grill cover for the top on the barrel). The blanket warmer being a completely sealed unit will need vents. What do you feel I need size wise for the top and bottom.
3. I have read a few posts that the top vent be placed in the back of the top so you can use the top as a work surface and also avoid moisture from dripping down the top vent and on to the meat. Any feelings on this?
4. I would like to seal the inside where the double wall is to keep moisture and smoke from entering the insulation. Any problems using high temp silicon caulk inside the smoker?
That's all for now. If you have any other pointers before I start the project please let me know.
Thanks for your help.
Happy Smoking.
I'm not new to smoking but when I first started I did not have the luxury of all the forums now days to answer the many questions I had. I started my smoking by using a 55 upright drum. Worked great and had many modification over the years. I have been out of smoking for a few years and just recently came across a hospital blanket warmer for my next project. It's a smaller unit and measures 30"Tx28"Wx16"D inside. Now the conversion begins. I've stripped it down and removed the 350 watt element from it due to being undersized. In my 55 gal drum I used a 500 watt hot plate element for heating the cast iron pan for the chips. I added a oven broiler element for extra heat. Worked great but lacked insulation for cold weather smoking. I'm excited to see major improvement in the insulated blanket warmer.
Here are some of my questions as of now
.
1. I have calculated the Sq. inches and from some of the electric units I have estimated I will need about a 750 watt element to have enough heat to get up to at least 250 degrees. Keep in mind I do 16-20 lb. turkeys. Do you feel this will be enough? I will still be using the hot plate element along with the new 750 watt element. I plan on using a dual stage temperature controller. I may also use a device like the A-Maze-N-Pellet smoke generator so the 500 watt element may not be used during that smoking time.
2. Venting - My barrel had enough openings so I didn't need additional venting. (I used a weber grill cover for the top on the barrel). The blanket warmer being a completely sealed unit will need vents. What do you feel I need size wise for the top and bottom.
3. I have read a few posts that the top vent be placed in the back of the top so you can use the top as a work surface and also avoid moisture from dripping down the top vent and on to the meat. Any feelings on this?
4. I would like to seal the inside where the double wall is to keep moisture and smoke from entering the insulation. Any problems using high temp silicon caulk inside the smoker?
That's all for now. If you have any other pointers before I start the project please let me know.
Thanks for your help.
Happy Smoking.
