Home Built Electric with Pictures

[builder59]

Are you happy with the results of electric heat. I also have some questions regarding the multiple boxes on you final picture. I understand the Bradley for your smoking source but what are the other two boxes for. Maybe a cold smoke first then into your main box for your heated smoke products? I also am thinking the fan is to distribute the heat source so you don't get any hot spots. I have also looked into your source for your temp control. They have a programmable assembled unit for the bradley. I was considering that for use on two 1250 watt finned heat elements sold by Grainger. Do you think that will work. It is not a elaborate as your setup. I really need the ability to control my temps and times so this would be a great option.

Thank you,
Ron

 

[bigbaldbbq]

That is a freaking sweet setup there!!

 

[fishawn]

I think I got "smoker envy"

 

[azrocker]

Nice!

 

[walleye1]

Hi Ron

Overall I'm very happy with it. I've done loads of sausage as large as 80 lbs in it. Of course with that much in there it does take a little longer but it gets the job done.

In the final photo with the door open on my big smoker, the smoker that is beside it is a Bradley. I have built a metal box (it's black and located below it on the floor) that I have the smoke generator mounted to. I've done this for two reasons, the first is to be capable of cold smoking under 80 degrees and the second is to remove any possibility of a grease fire as I have this setup in my heated garage. The furthest box to the left (sort of on a shelf) is an 80L Cabelas Commercial Dehydrator. Usually when I make jerky I apply smoke in the smoker then move it over to the dehydrator to finish.

To answer your question regarding the prebuilt Auber PID goes I would need to know if the elements you are using are 120v or 240v. The prebuilt units are very popular by many people with electric smokers providing it will work for your setup. In my setup it wouldn't because I had to supply 2 separate power supplies (1 for each 120v element) so I needed one PID to run two separate SSRs.

The fan does help circulate the heat to limit hot spots as you indicated. Also, for some finned strip heaters there has to be an air flow so that they don't over heat.

Mike

 

[jackhammer]

Awesome job, nicest I've seen so far with all the research I've been doing. I know enough about electricity to be dangerous. I haven't made up my mind as to what I want to build next. My first smoke house was made of wood with propane heat. My current is a 3 door freezer that I stripped and have 3 natural gas burners running it.

I'm real interested in going with electric so I can program it and run times at certain temps, turn it off with an inside meat temp gage or a moisture meter of some sort. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks, Jack