- Apr 2, 2009
- 1
- 10
Hello from Charleston, SC! I have been doing a little smoking over the last year or so on a home made smoker made out of terra cotta flower pots. I have cooked ribs, boston butts and a few beer can chickens and am just trying to perfect some basic methods. I'm probably looked down upon by the majority of the purists for using my electric smoker, but I'm new at it and like the ability to walk away for a few hours to attend to the kids of do some yard work. I'm interested in dropping a few dollars for a new smoker soon. I'd like to buy one that will last me quite a while. Just thought I would talk to a few others with more experience than myself.
For those that are curious, here's a few details aboout the terra cotta smoker:
I saw it on Alton Brown's show on the food network. Basically, it is an 18 inch clay pot with another 18 inch clay pot flipped upside down so that both of their rims and touching exactly. The bottom pot is eleveated on bricks about six inches off of the ground. I have a small electric burner element in the bottom of the first pot. The cord runs out of the drainage hole and plugs into the wall. My small, iron wood chip box sits on top of the element. Just above that, I have a 12 inch grill grate that holds my water pan. At the very top of the pot I have an 18 inch grill grate that just barely fits in the pot. This is my grilling surface. The second pot is flipped upside down and placed on top. I put my meat thermometer in the drainage hole of this pot. Works pretty good. I have a few kinks to work out.
For those that are curious, here's a few details aboout the terra cotta smoker:
I saw it on Alton Brown's show on the food network. Basically, it is an 18 inch clay pot with another 18 inch clay pot flipped upside down so that both of their rims and touching exactly. The bottom pot is eleveated on bricks about six inches off of the ground. I have a small electric burner element in the bottom of the first pot. The cord runs out of the drainage hole and plugs into the wall. My small, iron wood chip box sits on top of the element. Just above that, I have a 12 inch grill grate that holds my water pan. At the very top of the pot I have an 18 inch grill grate that just barely fits in the pot. This is my grilling surface. The second pot is flipped upside down and placed on top. I put my meat thermometer in the drainage hole of this pot. Works pretty good. I have a few kinks to work out.