Need Advice

[bekellog81]

I want to start off by saying that this site is a wonderful resource for smoking. I need some advice, I currently have a modified ECB vertical smoker. It workes great, but I want to be able to cook larger pieces of meat. I want to build one out of a Barrel of some kind. I need advice on where to start. Should I build a horizontal one or a vertical? I need help!!!

 

[bigdaddyviking67]

Well first do some backwards planning, in other words determine what types of larger meats and how much you will want to smoke, take into consideration the different ways to position meat on a smoker (i.e. I have converted an old refrigerator into a smoker that has more vertical area for smoking versus horizontal area. My rack dimensions are 18 inches wide by 15 deep and can hold 1 to 8 of them. I also can hang meats from the top of the smoker in smoke nets or bags. It also can use charcoal or electricity; it also is capable of smoking at very low temperatures (Cold Smoking) by using a Bradley smoke generator which is perfect for fish, cheese, jerky, and peanuts what ever requires low temps. There are pics of it here http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=106 So do some brain storming on what types of meat you might want to smoke in the future and research how to properly smoke the items and consider the volume of space required for different types and cuts of meat. This should get your wheels turning and give you an idea of the type you want to build.

 

[bekellog81]

Thanks for the advice bigdaddyviking. I will put some thought into it. What I am sort of looking for is a good all purpose barrel smoker, or something of that nature. I just need a little help deciding what to do. ANY advice is greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[salmonclubber]

hello bekellog

go to www.thesmokering.com in the top left corner is a box listed are some topics one of them is build your own smoker click on it then go to build your own metal smoker it brings up some plans on how to build a barrel smoker it looks like a nice unit hope this helps
salmonclubber

 

[bekellog81]

This weekend I went to my friends farm and he suggested that maybe we could build a smoker out of an old water heater. I know that they are not very wide in diameter, but they are made of heaver metal than a barrel. I was thinking that this would hold heat in better? What do you all think?? I still am up in the air about what style it could or should be.