Easy Smoke BBQ smoker

[nbjeeptj]

Ok this plan started with me wanting a cookshack or a smokintex or something in that style.  So after pricing them I decided that I could have more fun building one styled after them.  I used a cookshack years agao at my father in laws restraunt and this is where  I learned to cook BBQ.  I have never had a smoker at the house so before I got into a old school smoker I needed to do it set it and forget it style.  My plan  was to source and electric element of some sort to use as the heat source, a thermostat from and old oven and build the rest.  What I had trouble finding was a heating element that would work for my application.  This is where the easy smoke came from while helping my daughter with her easy bake oven I thought why not use 500Watt halogen lamps for the heat source. With that thought the build began.

I built this first  304 stainless now to build the rest around this.

 

 

[nbjeeptj]

next step was to build a frame based on the size of grate I made for the frame and inside walls it will be carbon steel 18 gage cold rolled for the walls 16 gage hot rolled for the frame exterior not yet decided

 

[nbjeeptj]

next to skin the interior and install the sloping floor for drainage

and this brings me to where I am now starting on the box to house the lamps

 

[nbjeeptj]

Ok now you are up to speed with my build and I need some help.  A few questions I have so far are:

Does this need any make up air holes it will have a vent hole in the top but what about air holes in the bottom?

What if any thing to seal the door opening?

What type of insulation are you guys using for the walls?

 

[adiochiro3]

I've never heard of anyone using those bulbs as a heat source.  Any chance of juices dripping on the bulbs and blowing them up?  Could be a glass or chemical hazard.

You should provide a lower vent hole for air intake for smoke production. 

The best insulation out there is foam; however, many around here use fiberglass bat.  I believe the right kind of foam is fire resistent (closed cell, I think?).

You can seal the door with oven rope from an appliance store.

Good luck!

 

[nbjeeptj]

Thanks for the info.  The plan to keep the lamps dry is they will have a roof over them to run drippings off.  Here is the begining of the box to house the lamps, wood chip pan

 

[arnie]

Ok now you are up to speed with my build and I need some help.  A few questions I have so far are:

Does this need any make up air holes it will have a vent hole in the top but what about air holes in the bottom?

What if any thing to seal the door opening?

What type of insulation are you guys using for the walls?

A 1/2" - 3/4" grease drain hole in the bottom should provide enough make up air for 2 3/8" -1/2" vent holes on the top.

If a overlap lip seal isn't tight enough an oven seal would work

High temp fiberglass such as that used on an oven would be good for this application

Good luck, keep us posted   

 

 

[mballi3011]

I'm like with the good doc. I have never seen a smoker that used light bulbs for a heat source either. Now I have used those type of lamps to light up a whole room and they do get really hot but enough is the question. Heck give it a shot for I have been wrong a number of times.

 

[nbjeeptj]

Ok now you are up to speed with my build and I need some help.  A few questions I have so far are:

Does this need any make up air holes it will have a vent hole in the top but what about air holes in the bottom?

What if any thing to seal the door opening?

What type of insulation are you guys using for the walls?

A 1/2" - 3/4" grease drain hole in the bottom should provide enough make up air for 2 3/8" -1/2" vent holes on the top.

If a overlap lip seal isn't tight enough an oven seal would work

High temp fiberglass such as that used on an oven would be good for this application

Good luck, keep us posted   

 

Thanks for the info any chance you could post up an example or explain what you mean by overlap lip seal I looked today at my stove, and see no good way to install the oven seal in my design plan however I an not apposed to doing the door a different way.  I just sure hope my idea works I have a lot of time in the build with no good way to convert it to something else without a complete rebuild. .
 

 

[arnie]

After you insulate the box install the outer skin running it long enough in the front for the door to be recessed inside of it. Install the hinges tight and add a couple of latches to pull the door tight when it is closed. There may be a little smoke leakage at first, but if the surfaces are smooth and everything is square it should self seal in short order. heres what one looks like

http://store.cookshack.com/popup.aspx?src=images/product/large/115_1_.jpg

 

[nbjeeptj]

cool I will have to modify what I have for a door frame but I think it will look and work better that way.  Here is the way the box for lamps and chips turned out

 

[arnie]

Looking good! Keep us posted. I have a friend thinking about the same project

 

[nbjeeptj]

 any thoughts to how a hinge like this would work?   

 

[arnie]

Those are inside hinges. I doubt they will hold up to any type of heat.

Stay simple. Weld on a couple of common everyday 3” hinge.

Hide them under the outer skin

Just my 2¢

 

[beer-b-q]

I see a possible design flaw in your quest for a better mousetrap.

How do you plan on regulating the temperature using light bulbs? 

They are either on or off.

You can find decent electric elements here.

http://www.drillspot.com/hvacr/heating-equipment/finned-and-strip-heaters/

These hinges would probably be more durable.

http://www.kck.com/bbq_hinge_smoker_pit_grill_wood_stove_4.html

 

[nbjeeptj]

I plan to use a thermostat from a potato warmer that was in my father in laws restraunt.  A heating element controled by a thermosat is also either on or off ( when it gets to the set temp it will cut off the element and as the temp falls off it will cut it back on) so hopefully this will be no diferent but it is all just a fun experiment.  I like the hinges that looks like a nice hinge design for this application.  Thanks

 

[arnie]

Check this out it is about a rebuild, you may find a couple of ideas on it http://www.pikespeakbbq.com/SmokerRebuild/Smoker.htm

 

[nbjeeptj]

I like it, who would have thought after 30 years they still build them the same way.  I have started making some progress on mine again.  I got real busy at work after christmas but I am back on it,  hope to have the door on this weekend.  will post up progress picks as it happens

 

[nbjeeptj]

Made some progress and some smoke.  Hung the door I went with the internal hinges so I will have to see what happens.  Took aprox 20 min to get to 230deg inside that is with out insulation or the outer skin. 

 

 

[tjohnson]

Cool Build!

Todd