Camping Smoker/cooker Idea?

[daddyzaring]

I was thinking of an idea for a smoker/oven for camping. Take a steal barrel, maybe 1/2 the size of a 55 gal drum (half the size, not just half of a 55 gal drum). Cut the bottom off, and weld or bolt on four short pieces of angle iron or something for legs, and a steal mesh/grate (for setting the smoking wood and/or the steam bowl/pan), cut a small section from the side of the bottom, and bilt it back on with hindges, to access the wood and water. Then do the same only taller a little further up the side, and weld or bolt in some brakets to set racks on. When you go camping and build your campfire, you just sit it down onto the fire just inside the rock ring.
You also would probaly want to make your smoke stack from the hole in the lid.
Make sense? What do you think?

 

[mballi3011]

It sound good so why don't you build it and show us all what it looks like.

 

[daddyzaring]

I am more of an ideas person (lol), besides at the present time I can't even afford an ECB.

 

[hoser]

Sounds like it would work, but maybe too well. If the cooker is directly over the fire, with no offset, I would think it'd be darned near impossible to keep the temperatures in the 220 range. Seems like it would run much hotter than that.

I sure could be wrong, but that's the way it looks to me.

 

[raceyb]

Sounds like a good idea to me. But rather then steal a drum, use a steel one instead?

 

[tn_bbq]

I think he's trying to keep his costs down.

I'm not a visual guy, but this sounds sorta like an ECB. Maybe I'm missing something.

I agree with Hoser, temperature control is going to be a challenge when it comes to low and slow smoking. As a grill, it ought to work just fine.

 

[Dutch]

Why not just build yourself an UDS. Everything is contaned in the drum. One nice feature of the UDS vs. your idea is that you can still use the UDS when the Forest Service puts a ban on open fires (such as campfires). Also with the UDS you can regulate the temps by adjusting the air intake. Those drums can get hot enough to bake in.

If you want to smoke in it, you can do it, if you want to bake in it, kick the heat up. No point in dragging extra equipment with you if you don't need too.

 

[cowgirl]

That's a good idea Dutch!

I do a lot of low and slow cooking over the campfire by using indirect heat. Your idea might work if you do not place it directly over the heat, but to the side.
Here is another option for camp cooking...
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=67303

Let us know what you come up with!

 

[tn_bbq]

When I go camping, I hardly have room for a big drum and/or smoker. When we do go camping, it's more hot flame grilling.

I did see a neat RV collapsable propane smoker. Pretty neat, but a little on the pricey side.

 

[michchef]

I smoked this pork loin over our campfire using my Graber campfire grill, an old Weber lid and my Maverick ET-72 thermo. After 3 hours over the fire, I foiled it for an hour before dinner. It was still nice and juicy and had a nice smoke ring too. I've done turkeys, chickens, ribs, steaks and burgers that way. All come out wonderfully smoky too.
I had a discussion on another forum as to whether this would be called grilling or smoking and the consensus was that because I could control the heat for long cooks and that the food ends up with a smoke ring, it's just another form of smoking. The Graber Grill raises and lowers to control the temps and the Weber lid traps the heat and smoke. And it's very portable. Plus you can still do all your normal campfire cooking on it too. It will probably hold a 10-12" cast iron skillet, but I don't think it would handle the weight of a cast iron Dutch oven.

You can see the Graber Grill and it's available options at this website:

http://www.grabergrill.com/index_files/Page332.htm

Here's some pics of my pork loin.








And here's a spatchcocked chicken I smoked the same way:

 

[oldschoolbbq]

If I understand his idea correctly, he intends to have to bottom open and set it on the side of the fire,not in the middle-yet in the containment area. This way he can scoop as much "heat" under the cooker as he needs. Very much like a side burner with embers being fed into it;very good idea,controled heat AND the pleasure of sitting around a campfire having only one fire source.
I too want to see the prototype,could be worth an investment.LOL

 

[Dutch]

I have a friend that's a vendor for Camp Chef. If you go camping and are use to taking along a two burner propane stove and find yourself needing an oven, Camp Chef has an Oven/Range unit that fits the bill. She uses one in demonstrations all the time and turns out some nice goodies.

Camp Chef Oven and Range The size of the unit is 21" X 12".

I know it defeats the idea of cooking over a wood fire or charcoal, but it's an option.