Built My Own... w/qview

[solaryellow]

We have a couple of those nearby. I will have to swing by and check them out. Thanks for the tip!

 

[pineywoods]

Very nice looking build I sure hope you get lots of use out of it

 

[mulepackin]

Great looking build. Can't wait to see the Qview from it. Man I love homebuilts.

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

If you go with the turkey fryer be sure to get a sentry valve. It keeps the burner at a nice consistant level. On the 5 1/2 hr roast beef smoke I did my burner kept a 230* temp the whole time. I'm not sure if a PID controller does the same thing but a sentry valve is relativly cheap. Try http://www.turkey-fryers-online.com/...trol_valve.htm for info...then shop around on the web for the best price.
SOB

 

[treegje]

Very nice job looks great

 

[mulepackin]

What kind of temp range does that valve allow? It doesn't appear to be a thermocouple, so I don't think there is any cycling on and off of the burner, right?

 

[DanMcG]

Wow solar you guys did a great job on that smoker. I'd be embarrassed to post a pic of mine now.
Just thinking out loud here, but if you're putting aluminum on the walls to protect the box from the heat you might want to shim the plates away from the walls with some sort of spacer to create an air gap. That might help to keep the wood at a lower temp. just a thought.
Ok where's the q-view?

 

[solaryellow]

Post up a pic Dan. I doubt you have anything to be embarrassed about.

The aluminum is going to serve two purposes. The first is to keep any burning/smoldering wood chip/chunk embers from reaching the plywood. The second is to make clean up easier and not turning the wood into a biology experiment from any drippings. With that in mind, do you think shimming in a gap would still be a good idea?

 

[solaryellow]

Today I put more chunks into it than I normally would and found heat and smoke is indeed leaking out the doors. So I will need to come up with some type of gasket to help seal that up. The other interesting thing I saw today was that with both elements cranked all the way up it hit 180* in about 20 minutes, held there for about 10 minutes and then retreated to 140*. Outside temp was around 40* and not much in the way of wind. So a different element is definitely in store for it.

I also used a couple of probes and moved them around throughout the day looking for cold and warm spots. There wasn't much differentiation with the biggest difference I saw being 3*.

The current collection:

 

[desertlites]

nice looking smoker Joel-you will need more than a couple 1000w plates to keep temps above 150 consistant.and yes as dan said a space between the allum. and wood would help-like a double pane window thing.if not a larger elect element than a small gas burner will do the trick-even a warmer burner of a gas grill I bet.maybe it's time I make a smoke shack.

 

[solaryellow]

Thanks Bob! The guy that I stole the idea from to build this had used a gas burner so I will probably go that route instead of guessing at what element I would need. I will shim in a gap as well.

 

[DanMcG]

The shim idea was just a thought, it couldn't hurt but I'm not sure if it would be necessary.
I noticed the extension cords in your last pic, you might try using a heavier cord. I can't remember the theory behind it (Is there an electrician out there?) but the smaller the cord the more resistance and the less power(Watts) you get. If I'm right about the cord you might only be getting a fraction of the heat that the burners could put out. I run a 1100-1200 watt burner in mine and don't have a problem with maintaining a good temp. I'll have to dig it out and see what it will do, it's been a while since I've used it. but I do use a 10 gage cord.

 

[solaryellow]

I didn't think about that but you are right. Both of those extension cords were only 25ft and the burners should be drawing about 8.3a if my math is right (1000/120=8.3) from a 15a circuit. Maybe I will run by Lowes or Home Depot and grab a couple 10/3 extension cords later today.

 

[fire it up]

Great looking smoker and nice pictures of the build!

 

[blue]

Looks Great!!! That is a project that I would like to do someday soon.

 

[etcher1]

Dude that is a work of art!

 

[solaryellow]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I ran 30+ lbs of cheese through it this weekend and was very pleased. I am still trying to make up my mind about what to do for sausage. I am still leaning towards propane for sausage and electric for anything less than 140*. Being the Christmas season and all, I am having a hard time asking Mrs. Solaryellow if I can spend another $100 on a propane setup.

 

[the dude abides]

Man Solar,
Not sure how I missed this when it was fresh. But that's a sweet looking smoke shack.

for the effort and the quality build.

 

[solaryellow]

Just an update. Finally gave up on the hot plate idea and picked up a cheap fish cooker from Bass Pro Shop a couple weekends ago on the advice of Chris (scpatterson). http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st..._SearchResults My plan was to try it out last weekend but was sick so this weekend was it. The nice thing about the fish cooker (other than the cheap price) is that it has an adjustable regulator which makes it super easy to control temps. I have had no problems at all with it today. My sausages aren't done smoking so no qview just yet but I should have some later.

 

[solaryellow]

As promised, here we are with the propane setup.

Mmmmmmmmm meat.