Smokehouse construction question

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masonman1345

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Dec 7, 2010
352
43
Orangefield Texas
I'am preparing to build my first smokehouse. I want it to be 4'w x 4'L x 8'H with a one foot roof slope. I was going to build it out of sheets of plywood with a tin roof. Question, What do i need to use for the inside walls that wont contaminate my food? Tin, Wood etc. Also i was wondering if it would be a good idea to insulate the walls to hold in the heat. Thank you for your help.
 
Insulation is a good idea for temp stability.  Don't use anything galvanized in the burn or food chambers -- very toxic, esp when heated.  Ditto for treated lumber.  I would also be leery of glues in plywood products, so I guess that leaves wood planks, steel, or the like adjacent to the food.
 
I built one last year and I lined mine with tin because the wood walls were make of particle board and I didn't want that mixing in with my food. Also mine is insulated like crazy and it  holds temp no matter if it is -30 or 100 degrees out.
 
My son and I built our from 16 gage black iron(Cheep). I have been very happy with the results from it........The next one is just going to be stainless so it will last longer. I think this one is about 3-4 years old and sits out in the weather year round. I has a fine scale on the outside due to me not painting it. This was a trial and error build to see how it would turn out before I built the one from stainless, which is coming soon. 
 
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My second smokehouse was lined with the cement/fiberglass board that is about  3/8' thick. I think it is used for shower stalls. Takes a long time to warm up. Thermal mass u-know. Condensation when first starts up. Pre-heating solves that. Pro's-not much chance of catching on fire. All that said, I will not build another smokehouse out of it.
 
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