Newbie from MN

[jvaughn71]

Hello,
I'm from southeastern MN and I'm looking for information and/or ideas on building a smoker for sausage making. I recently shot and butchered my first deer and now my plan is to convert my packages of ugly trimmings into lovely delicious sausages and snack sticks for me and my family to enjoy. The problem is I've never smoked anything and I don't have a smoker. I do however have a nice 35 gallon drum that I believe is just itching to become a smoker. If there's anyone with any advise or ideas, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[jrod62]

Welcome to SMF :welcome1:

 

[rbranstner]

Welcome to the forum. Build a UDS out of that drum. There are tons of posts on here with directions on how to make one.

 

[mossymo]

Glad you joined us jvaughn71! :welcome1:

 

[rtbbq2]

welcome to SMF...UDS ( ugly drum smoker) should be a fun project for you....

....Do a search on here for Ugly Drum Smokers and lots of threads/ideas will pop up.....Lots of luck....

 

[zahlgren]

 

[s2k9k]

to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 40,000 members and over 800,000 posts so you should be able to find almost anything you want to know. Remember the search bar at the top can be your best friend for finding answers fast!

Would you do us a favor and update your profile to include your location, Thanks!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more!

 

[jvaughn71]

Thanks for the nice welcome,
I am planning on building some sort of uds but I don't have the details worked out yet. My drum is sealed on the top and bottom so I was thinking of cutting a door in the side and still using it vertically. Once i cut the door, im not sure of how to seal it adequately. Also, I think an electric smoker would be easier and more convenient but I'm not sure what element to use that would be capable of reaching/maintaining temps during MN winters. My other thought was maybe I could build a smoker that would allow me to switch between electric or gas when needed. If anyone has any suggestions or other ideas, please let me know.

 

[mossymo]

Can always do a fridge smoker... find an old one with a metal interior or a retired commercial type fridge.