New to the site, not to smoking!

[michael11122233]

Since I was about 7 (I'm 34 now) I've been using my dad's hand-welded, cast iron smoker and I've finally decided to build my own smoker since I live about 5 hours from him and I want brisket more often than I see the man!  I've started looking at building a smoker out of wood, probably 3' wide by 4' tall, and running a pipe from the bottom to a fire box off the side of the main smoker.  I'm looking for some tips/advice.  First off I'm planning on using 2"x12"s for the side/top/bottom, making one of the faces a hinged door, and I've got questions about whether I'll need to do some sort of metal liner on the inside of the wooden smoke box.  My concern is that I've never cooked inside a wooden structure so I'm not sure about whether I'll need to worry about moisture inside damaging the wood/causing bacteria or mold growth.  I live in South Carolina so humidity is a source of moisture, along with weather (this will remain outside), and whatever drippings/spills may happen inside during use.  I'm building this out of wood to minimize spending, and obviously doing a metal liner will be more expensive but I also don't want to waste my time building something that won't last longer than a year or two.  I plan on purchasing pressure-treated lumber and then doing some sort of water seal/stain on the outside to protect it from the weather and make it look decent without having chemicals in the wood on the inside of the smoke box.  In summary, here's a list of my questions I'm hoping that someone more experienced with wood smokers can answer:

Do I need a metal liner inside the wooden smoke box?  If yes, what type of metal would you recommend?

What's a good material to use as a seal on the inside edge of the door?  High temp rubber?

What type of wood do you recommend I use to build the smoke box?

How would you recommend I go about buying/building a fire box?  I've got a buddy that can weld, so should we build it or is there a relatively cheap option you can buy (mine would ideally be a cube, not round, smoke box)?

Any other awesome tips I might not have considered?

Thanks everyone, I look forward to reading your responses and as soon as my wife lets me build this puppy I'll be sure to post pictures of the project/finished product.

Michael B.
Aiken, SC

 

[anglerman]

As far as experience with my own build I have none, but following builds over the years on Facebook and forums.

1. Don't use pressure treated lumber, even if you clean on sealing it I wouldn't risk chemicals leaching out.

2. PTL is super wet so even if I didn't contain chemicals it's going to dry out and large gaps will form. Example decking for a wood deck installed tight together within a year has 1/8-1/4" gaps. PT 2x would do the same as decking treated lumber does some crazy stuff as it dries.

3. My first suggestion would be cedar (weather and insect resistant) second choice 1x-pine.

4. A metal liner would not be required as long as your keeping the temps at a low and slow temp.

5. If a detached firebox is the route you pick use 1/4" steel cube would be fine, size I'm not sure about but there is such a thing as to small and to large. You could also do electric and place it dirctly in the bottom of the smoker.

6. Sealing to door can be achieved by using either of these option my first choice being the felt stick on tape.

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• anglerman
• Aug 16, 2017

IMG_8203.PNG

• anglerman
• Aug 16, 2017

7. All this said and this is my opinion only if your looking to save money and builtd your own by no means if this a cheap option. Of course building your own can be rewarding but you could probable buy a smoker for less money that would work for your needs.

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome to SMF!

There are a lot of talented builders on here to help you with your project.

Al

 

[michael11122233]

I appreciate the insight SmokinAl!  I wasn't aware that PTL is wet, so yeah that'd definitely cause issues once it dried out and gaps appeared.  I'm cautious about going with cedar - I've been told by others that a cedar smoke box will impart flavor into the meat and that wouldn't be ideal.  I'm starting to lean toward oak - something pretty neutral so that if flavor is imparted into the meat it's nothing overpowering.  I usually smoke meat around 220-225F, but I would expect spikes around 250-275F.  Fire isn't my concern for having a metal liner, it's more my worry about moisture/mold growth in between smoking sessions if the interior is just bare wood in such a humid environment.  Either way I appreciate your reply, like I said if nothing else the info about PTL just saved me a lot of headache!

 

[anglerman]

Here's one posted on this site years ago, looks pretty slick

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/130460/cedar-smokehouse-construction/0_60

 

[michael11122233]

Man that is awesome.  So cedar won't change the flavor of the meat?  Like I said in my OP I'm used to using a metal smoker so this is a new concern for me.

 

[anglerman]

My guess is no, but I don't have first hand experience. Here's another thread from this sight

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/156871/cedar-vs-pine-smokehouse/0_60

 

[anglerman]

Another good post, tons of info on this site

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/94537/what-type-plywood-for-a-smoke-house/0_60