Need help/ideas for converting proofer cabinet to vertical pellet smoker

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

maynard rowley

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 28, 2016
26
12
I've come across what I think was on old bread proofer cabinet. I would like to convert it to a vertical pellet smoker for smoking/cooking sausages. I'm also considering adding a cold smoker to it so I can cold smoke cured sausages.

First thing I to do is insulate the cabinet to help it retain heat in cooler weather. The sides of the cabinet are bent/formed such that the door opening is a little over 2" smaller than the inside of the cabinet (there's a 1"+ bent lip on both sides). So I was thinking I'd put 1" rigid Rockwool on all interior surfaces of the cabinet. I'd cover the rockwool with a thin bent/formed plate that fits inside the door opening and with formed plates at the top and bottom. Seams would be sealed with high temp, food safe RTV. So the whole inside of the cabinet would be metal with all seams sealed with RTV.

For smoke/heat my plan is to obtain the hopper, auger and firebox assembly from a Traeger style smoker and to mount it to the side of the cabinet as close to the bottom as I can get it. Then I'll need to fabricate some kind of heat shield to go above the firebox to help disperse the heat and smoke evenly through the cabinet (looking for ideas here).

I'd also like to have some sort of removable grease tray but I'm not sure how to place that above the firebox without blocking the smoke/heat. Again, I could use some ideas.

I'm not sure where the best spot would be for vents. I'd like this thing to heat as evenly as possible. With a pellet grill hopper/auger assembly there will be a fan pushing air into the proofer so I don't think a lower vent is required (but maybe I need one for cold smoking?)

I think I have racks/trays figured out as well. There were some side panels mounted inside that had channels for trays. I think I can attach those to my new bent/formed plate that will be slipped inside. That way the trays will be nearly the same width as the door opening (a little smaller) and will be very easy to slide in and out in that opening.

Pictures of the proofer cabinet in it's current state and a few screenshots of my 3D model to help illustrate my thinking. Ideas & tips appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • 20240718_132659.jpg
    20240718_132659.jpg
    173.5 KB · Views: 42
  • 20240718_132643.jpg
    20240718_132643.jpg
    136.4 KB · Views: 39
  • 20240718_132646.jpg
    20240718_132646.jpg
    120.1 KB · Views: 37
  • 001.JPG
    001.JPG
    30.9 KB · Views: 35
  • 002.JPG
    002.JPG
    25.9 KB · Views: 34
  • 003.JPG
    003.JPG
    17.5 KB · Views: 39
You are far more ambitious on the DIY than me. I just bought an MES30 so I didn't have to build anything!..and I am an old welder and high-end metal fabricator, I have actually made stainless steel vertical smokers for commercial entrepreneurs! I've actually made my own bathroom vanities and porch light fixtures too...I got over that with age and wisdom! But my bronze and glass end tables DO live on in infamy :emoji_wink:

Not a pro at smoker building but I can tell you that in the MES30 I have, the removable drainable grease pan is actually below the firebox. The fire box has a shield above it to deflect and burn off drippings. The grease pan has a port that aligns with a port/tube at the back of the box and can drip in to a little pan that slides on to clips on the back of the unit.

That external pan doesn't see a lot of grease normally because I actually use the water pan that the unit is designed to use. It probably covers 50% of the total grate surface and catches most of the drippings.

You might consider checking out the manuals of engineered and manufactured smokers for some ideas.

Here is a manual for an MES30.
 
You are far more ambitious on the DIY than me. I just bought an MES30 so I didn't have to build anything!..and I am an old welder and high-end metal fabricator, I have actually made stainless steel vertical smokers for commercial entrepreneurs! I've actually made my own bathroom vanities and porch light fixtures too...I got over that with age and wisdom! But my bronze and glass end tables DO live on in infamy :emoji_wink:

Not a pro at smoker building but I can tell you that in the MES30 I have, the removable drainable grease pan is actually below the firebox. The fire box has a shield above it to deflect and burn off drippings. The grease pan has a port that aligns with a port/tube at the back of the box and can drip in to a little pan that slides on to clips on the back of the unit.

That external pan doesn't see a lot of grease normally because I actually use the water pan that the unit is designed to use. It probably covers 50% of the total grate surface and catches most of the drippings.

You might consider checking out the manuals of engineered and manufactured smokers for some ideas.

Here is a manual for an MES30.
Thanks for the reply! I'll check that manual for some ideas. Good tip!
 
Make sure the walls and door is double-walled like a MES, otherwise, you 'll have a lot of temp variation inside. If you were going electric, you'd need to worry about power but a pellet grill apparatus should give you plenty of heat and smoke. Set it fairly high when you're starting out, then lower down to a smoking set point once everything has stabled out.
Shelves can be pricey. I'd find a good deal, then design the shelf glides to fit them.
The pellet grill will suck in air from the hopper side, but you'll need exhaust at the top. The pellet machines move a lot of air so I think you want about 2 square inches total. But I'd consider just a 3 x 3 array of half-inch holes on the top. You can drop in bolts to plug some off if needed.
 
Make sure the walls and door is double-walled like a MES, otherwise, you 'll have a lot of temp variation inside. If you were going electric, you'd need to worry about power but a pellet grill apparatus should give you plenty of heat and smoke. Set it fairly high when you're starting out, then lower down to a smoking set point once everything has stabled out.
Shelves can be pricey. I'd find a good deal, then design the shelf glides to fit them.
The pellet grill will suck in air from the hopper side, but you'll need exhaust at the top. The pellet machines move a lot of air so I think you want about 2 square inches total. But I'd consider just a 3 x 3 array of half-inch holes on the top. You can drop in bolts to plug some off if needed.
I like your idea about adding an array of holes at the top. Should be pretty easy to put a slider plate in front of that to close them off if needed... 2 square inches of venting though? That doesn't sound like much.

I won't need to buy shelves. I'll be building them out of expanded metal that I already have. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Still collecting pieces and parts so no build photos yet. Hopefully soon.
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky