Patience....

[POP A SMOKE]

.. grasshoppa. Go find something to smoke.

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Temp and humidity control on it's maiden voyage. Temp target of 38*.. Humidity target of 60*

Defrost cycle hit at 3:30 today.. once I switch to dry cure it won't need the defrost

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please delete

 

[POP A SMOKE]

I took over a corner of the wife's grocery board..

 

[SonnyE]

WOW! :eek::D

 

[POP A SMOKE]

WOW! :eek::D

A man gotta eat!!!

 

[oddegan]

Would you post your build please? Components and such. I need one of these. The one on Sausagemaker is to pricey for me.

 

[SmokinAl]

Looks like a great setup!
Al

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Would you post your build please? Components and such. I need one of these. The one on Sausagemaker is to pricey for me.

Not a problem..

Beverage Cooler - $75 scratch and dent off Amazon

Inkbird Temp Controller - $15

Humidity Controller - $25

UV-C Light - $30

USB Fan - $12


Humidifier - $38

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HMD8PAY/?tag=smokingmeatforums-20

USB fan plugs into UV-C Light. Light is powered from an 18/2 cable from the controller box and is the only power source entering fridge and enters via small drilled hole in top. Thermocouples and humidity sensor also enter via another small drilled through top.

Humidifier is externally mounted and hosed into back of unit via shelf above compressor area. This configuration maximizes all interior space for meat aging/curing with no components or wiring utlizing any space beyond the top 5 inches of the cabinet where the cold air plenum enters the chamber. All the shelves are wire racks and are adjustable. I placed the top shelf at 5" from top to hold downward facing fan and UV-C light. It also provides a top rack to hang sausage from.

I bought this particular cooler after researching different setups and it satisfied my requirements:

Glass Door
Wire Rack Shelves
Externally mounted thermostat
Mid 30* capable
Cheap

The rewire for controls are simplistic and I am quite pleased with the layout whereas I can load about 40 pounds of various cuts into this thing for aging and curing. The aftermarket controllers are rock solid and I even bought a wireless humidity/temp sensor from Accurite to add to my existing weather station setup. I put the sensor inside the cabinet and now I have 24/7 updates directly to my phone with historical graphs. The sensor was another $12, so well worth the money.

I will add a few pics below with explanations on what you are seeing.


Overall system as it sits today.

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Controllers and top shelf

5" of clearance.

Holds USB fan pointing downwards and powered through the UV-C light mounted on the right wall above shelf

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Look all the way into the back right corner and you will see a 3/4" liquid tite elbow that I picked up from Home Depot for a couple bucks. This is the inlet from the externally mounted humidifier. I drilled into the rear shel over the compressor to allow this piping entrance.

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Externally mounted Humidifier with built in local control for mist volume. I picked up some plastic hose to take mist from humidifier into the cabinet for humidity control. The Humidity controller turns this unit on and off based on range (Upper/Lower) and I control the velocity amount via the front face control.

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Testing both temp and humidity

 

[redheelerdog]

Nice rig, good job on the build. Have fun with that baby!

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Wiring for unit.
Thermostat is mounted on back of unit.
The only wiring change to the fridge was to remove the black and red wire from thermostat and move to the cooling relay contact on the new Temp controller

 

[HalfSmoked]

Awesome home making rig. Lot of thought you put into this before build I'm sure.

Warren

 

[POP A SMOKE]

Awesome home making rig. Lot of thought you put into this before build I'm sure.

Warren

I probably made it a bit harder than it needed because I wanted to dry age at 38* and 65% humidity and then switch over to dry cure at 55*... it really isn't designed to push down into the mid thirties in as it is not factory designed with a defroster. I am manually defrosting with a heat gun every week or so at this point but I have an idea or two how to fix that. It's no issue at 55* since the dew point is raised above freezing.

 

[johnnyb54]

Beautifully done! Can’t wait to see pics of your finished cured and dried meat.

 

[oddegan]

That is awesome. Thanks.

 

[Rings Я Us]

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/03/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-dry-aging-beef-at-home.html

• Time. Patience, little grasshopper. You will be rewarded with the steak of your dreams for your patience.

Article explains all you need is a fan and a fridge.

Nice set up.. good thread.