Foam insulation question

[mikethebutcher]

Hi everyone im new to the homemade smoker and i got this sweet little commercial freezer with a insulated glass door and its got the foam insulation and im lookin to smoke on a frequent basis meats and fish mostly and use the unit to dehydrate some stuff fruits and veggies also sort of a dual purpose unit and i want to keep the insulation in the box i hear that as long as the insulation is mot exposed i shouldnt have a problem is their anyone that has the insulation in their smoker and has used it long term to know the effects i see plenty on youtube of people even using plastic fridges as smokers im looking at making it a hot smoker tops 220 degrees thanks

 

[daveomak]

Mike, evening and welcome to the forum...    I would use it for a "cold" smoker... under 70 deg and also for an aging refer.... You know like salami, pancetta type thing.... humidity control etc.... temps 45-110....    Then make a stand alone hot smoker...   multi purpose units usually don't do either well....    especially when you are talking insulations that are meant to keep food cold...  There are several build on here where folks turn freezers and fridges into aging chambers for their home made "exotic" old world european dried meats.... Pretty good stuff....  Dave

 

[mikethebutcher]

Hi Dave thanks for the advice yhis freezer i found it in manhattan on the street being thrown out i took it home had my freind at work fix the compressor problem and it worked great as a freezer only to have my wife kill it by stuffing it too tight against the evap coil Shes a good women who foesnt bug me much when i take on these endevors so i cant complain but im aldo a prepper and im going to make it a dehydrator for doing fruits veggies and alike and i agree about making a dedicated hot smoker i appreciate the advice thanks for your reply

 

[mikethebutcher]

Sorry for the misspellings i got fat fingers and im using my phone to keep up on the forum from work im not much of a blogger this is my first time so everyone please bear with me if i screw up from time to time this forum is great for beginners to learn about smokin and i luv the awesome builds i saw im not in the butcher business any more i got a better offer in manhattan doing engineer work better benefits n easier on the body but i miss cutting meat it was a great career for the 23 yrs i did it oh well im taking up too much of everyone time with the past thanks again Dave have agreat nite i will post pictures once i complete the different projects