Can you use Galvinized metal inside your smoker?

[ddave]

Now THAT is good advice.

Dave

 

[mgnorcal]

A search of this site with the term "galvanized" yields dozens of threads.
Here are 2 of them.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ght=galvanized

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ght=galvanized

The ol' search button can be useful.

Responses to this question run the gamut, but I'd say you're not real technical and don't understand the danger from the Zinc and how to avoid it, then use something other than galvanized.

Having said that, hysteria against galvanized is not entirely warranted IMHO.

 

[rhino70]

I have heard many things about galvanized stuff, and have read a lot about it in the process of building my new smoker, and I guess my advice would be not to risk it. If you go to any steel shop, they would probably sell you some scrap pieces that would work fine for dirt cheap. I made a smoke daddy type smoke generator out of raw steel, and I bought a piece of 4" pipe, several sections of 1" pipe, and a 3'x4' sheet of steel for under $20. That is pretty cheap for piece of mind.

I also considered that i will be serving food to my 3 year old, whose little body can take much less of any chemical contamination than an adult could. Even though it probably would never happen, I'd feel pretty awful if i made my kid or anyone else sick because i didn't want to spend the extra dough to do it right.

building a smoker is a lot of fun, and you are going to have to spend some money to build it anyway. why not kick a few more dollars in and do it right. Actually, even buying sheets of aluminum isn't really going to be that expensive if you buy scraps and cut ends from a metal shop.

Good luck with the build

 

[pantherfan83]

It might take 20 years for your issues to show up. Someone could say that they smoke 2 packs a day and they haven't had any issues, but that doesn't mean that they won't.

 

[ddave]

Exactly!!

It doesn't happen immediately.

Dave

 

[jirodriguez]

Once the inside of you smoker is seasoned (per the above method), the seasoning is what coats everything and keeps it from rusting. I have cast iron grates in Oregon - rain capitol of the nation (except for So. Cal this week

), and my grates hold up with no issues. I just lightly hit them with a grill brush after each smoke to clean them, but not hard enough to remove the seasoning.

 

[pittocarrillo]

How bout if I use galvanized metal to build the frame
Legs. And smoker support
Can I use that?