My old freezer pics , help needed please

[backwoods151]

I built this old freezer smoker with my father about 15 years ago, he’s since passed so it’s got a lot of meaning to me. When i built this new home I made sure the garage door was 8’ So i could roll the smoker out and not have to take the chimney off lol...anyways I made 70 pounds of venison summer sausage like i do every fall for the hunting season. I went to smoke it last weekend and my smoker wouldn’t light !! I’ve had the “AfterburnerC” in it since day one and it’s been great. I tried blowing it out and it still won’t work. So i went old school since i had To smoke the meat that day, i got some lump charcoal going in a charcoal basket i had and was able to figure out how to keep the temp where i needed it to be. It Turned out to be the most flavorful summer sausage I’ve ever made!!! Excellent flavor!
Any ideas from y’all going forward? I was thinking about putting an electric element in the bottom hooked to controller, i get my smoke from the A-Mazen pellet tray smoker which i like a lot. I don’t think I’m going back to propane , with 3 kids in sports and a crazy work schedule i need more of a set it and forget it...but the lump charcoal worked in a pinch!
Thanks guys

 

[slapaho_injun]

Venison sausage looks great. Do you cook in your smoker, completely? We smoke everything for a while, then we cook it to temp in an outdoor pot of water.


I can't get past the awesomeness of just using hickory wood for my entire smoke. It isn't that much extra work with my independent firebox & insulated old fridge (newly converted to a smoker this spring)

I use a 13.25" cast iron pan, set in a raised grate in the firebox, for my old fire. The cooking chamber is connected by a 6" metal stovepipe so the CC never sees actual fire. All the heat and smoke but no fire so I shouldn't burn out the old fridge, ever.

 

[WaterRat]

Check the regulator end. We once had bees build a tiny nest inside the orifice and clogged it all up - no flow, no fire, that was a cold night in the camper during a late fall hunting trip. Aside from that you could just replace the reg and hose, no reason the burner itself shouldn't light if it's getting gas and isn't rusted out.

Nice pile of sausage, looks good!

 

[backwoods151]

Slapaho_injo. Thanks Man! Yeah i smoked my summer sausage to 152 and then rinse on saw horses with a hose then they bloom for a few hours and get nice and dark, i don’t mind the wrinkles But when i smoke kielbasa or ring bologna i always pull them off and finish them in a outdoor hot water bath and they plump up full really nice! I like that idea of a fire box outside the smoker, not sure i could make that work with my cart it’s mounted on. What temp can you get it to with that set up? I don’t go over 200 by any means so that’s pretty easy to get right ?

Water rat. Thanks I’ll check that out for sure

 

[slapaho_injun]

I smoke
-fish between 145-190
-pork & beef 225
-chicken 240

My smoker will do it all with ease. I know from the first fire, this thing will get as hot as 400 if the fire is big enough below. I’ve only done it once to set the smoker up before I put meat in it. I run hickory and it takes very little wood to smoke a pile in there. I think I used 4 split 12” pieces for my last rib smoke- 6 hrs

My stepdad has one of these and his is 30 yrs old, lots of smoking ! He has had it rebuilt several times because he keeps burning it out , he was impressed with the way we did mine. His also is not insulated , mine is with the rock wool stuff.