Heat source for 6x6 smokehouse

[scarroll26]

Afternoon SMF members,

I'm looking at upgrading my smoking abilities from a MES 40 to a 6'x6' smokehouse. I've searched this website thoroughly and have gained a ton of information. I've finally settled on a size (6x6) and type (board and batten). I have been weighing my options on a heat source lately and I would like some of your guys valued input.

This smokehouse will be used primarily for making sausage during the winter months. I would like to maintain a temp around 185 - 200 degrees.

• I have an old wood heater that I can use to pipe in heat / smoke, but I'm curious if this would be my best option. If I go this route, the intake into the smoke house would be about 5' high? would this matter (heat distribution)? I've read that its best to have the heat source piped in through the floor and coming up in the middle of the smokehouse? Is this correct? The smokehouse would be vented with a 6" chimney that I have for the wood heater. I would also put floor vents in as well. But, I'm not sure this would be necessary with the board and batten design. Any thoughts or experience to share regarding this?
• I've also considered placing a small fire pit within the smokehouse. This is the way my father-in-law fueled his smokehouse for years before his passing, However, In order to stoke the fire, you have to open the door which in return lets out a ton of heat and smoke. I'm sure this could get frustrating after awhile. One way to help would be to utilize a split door design to aid in stoking the fire while letting a minimum of heat out.
• Last but not least, I could use a burner and cast iron pot. I'm just curious if this fuel source would be sufficient for a larger size smoke house. If so, what do you guys recommend as for as BTU and size? I know, I would definitely want a flame sensor on the burner. Do you guys have any suggestions on a burner type or design?

Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated..

thanks,
Shane

 

[daveomak]

Board and batten will be tough to keep the temp up... For that size smoker you will also need a heat diffuser and thermal mass... The below picture fits the bill for both....

....

 

[scarroll26]

Dave, Just to get a little clarity, I would need to heat the rock (lava rock) which is piled on top of the expanded metal with my heat source. That way, I would get equal heat distribution and temps throughout my smokehouse?

If board and batten isn't the proper design, what do you recommend? I've thought about nailing the 1x10s with no spacing between them. I've also considered tong and grove boards..

Thanks for the advice Mr Dave! I've followed your responses on many post throughout this board. I consider you a smokehouse expert..

 

[daveomak]

That rock is river rock... smoke and heat pass through it for uniform heat and smoke distribution...
Archery Rob used this method in a smokehouse he built.. The pictures are from his smokehouse... Board and batten has a lot of air leaks... Makes it difficult to control heat... Board and batten is perfect for a cold smoker... Temps below 90 F... Maybe smokes up to 150 F with constant monitoring and really good fire control..
6X6 is pretty big... that would hold about 500#'s of meat.. or more..
What are your plans for meats to smoke...

 

[daveomak]

For fire control, there are many options.... Below is a sketch of some options using a detached firebox...

 

[scarroll26]

Dave, thanks so much for your insight and wisdom. I've been really thinking about the board and batten design and the smoking process all together. I have some old tin that I can line the inside of the smoke house with. This would help hold the heat inside and make regulating temps a little easier. I've thought about using tin on the outside, but my wife is pretty adamant that the smokehouse be appealing to the eye.

I've been making sausage now for the past few years on my MES 40. I've always started out around 130 degrees for an hour before adding smoke. I would bump the temp afterwards every hour for 10 degrees while adding smoke. I've continued this process until I reached an internal temp of 155 degrees. After that, I would throw the sausage in an ice bath and hang to bloom.

Maybe I should consider Cold Smoking the sausage...
Just for clarity.... I always use a cure in my sausage recipes. If I cold smoked the sausage around 80 degrees for six hours or to the desired smoke flavor. As long as the sausage was cooked to an internal temp of 165 degrees before consumption, this risk of botulism or someone getting sick would be eliminated. I just want some clarification regarding this.. Cold smoking kind of scares me in a way. I'd hate for a loved one to become sick or ill from something I made.

I would like to have a bigger smokehouse to do larger quantities at one time. My buddies and I enjoy making sausage together, but using a MES 40 and MES 30 takes us a tremendous amount of time. Throughout the year, we harvest a lot of wild pigs and deer. Not only from hunting, but from trapping as well. I'd also like to have the option of smoking turkeys or hams for the holidays.

thanks for all your insight.. I'm sure some of the questions I ask are pretty dumb or basic, but I would rather ask than assume.

Shane Carroll

 

[daveomak]

Cold smoking sausage would work... I would cold smoke around <50-55 F... Below the temp where bacteria really starts to flourish... Be sure the casing has had a chance to dry so smoke doesn't get wet with condensate... Condensate and smoke tastes bad... Ashtray bad.... It's the smoke condensing in the moisture... Acid rain type stuff..,. The sausage should be above smoker/ambient temp to stop condensation.... Then it can be cooked in a water bath or steamed or frozen for later use... Be sure to mark it as NEEDS COOKING so no one eats raw meats...
When cooked, I like to use the pasteurization tables to cook it so there's no fat out....
If you have a sous vide cooker, Baldwin's tables are the ones to use..

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html