What would be the best size for cardboard smoker?

[CanadaSmoker920]

I am trying to build a cold smoker with cardboard.
What would be the optimal size for it?
I see that many people use 2 x 2 x 4 ft but what if I go with 1 x 1 x 2 ft?
Would it be too small? Is there any disadvantage of having it small?

 

[thirdeye]

What are you planning on cold smoking, and what kind of smoke generator will you be using?

 

[bill1]

I think people usually design these things around a couple grill grates they already have. You need at least one to hold your meat and another to hold the soldering gun in a can or whatever is your heat and smoke source. I think the little raised cooling grids for cookies fresh out of a kitchen oven would work well here. I recall they're about 12" square or 10x16. They're not strong, but neither is the cardboard holding them and you'd rather not stick in a bunch of stuff like bricks of structural metal that's going to rob your heat during warm-up.
And like cardboard, the price is "attractive" too.
So then the idea is to pick a cardboard box just a bit larger than the grates.
Don't forget to include pictures when you get going!

 

[mike243]

Welcome aboard. Ya aint robbing heat off of any thing if your trying to cold smoke, the only limit is the smoke generator, you want it small enuff that the smoke cant heat up the items you want smoked, you do want it big enuff that your generator can make a proper amount, if I were doing it I would use a tube with pellets as no electric is needed, fill light let get going for 5 minutes or so, blow out and put it into the rig. good luck and post some pictures here as they host them, easy peasy lol

 

[mike243]

Also you can use any grill or smoker to cold smoke on without trying to build something, only need enuf room to keep the heat off the food

 

[EdP]

I’m trying this at some point.

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cold-smoker-conversion/

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

What are you planning on cold smoking, and what kind of smoke generator will you be using?

I am trying to use pellet

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

I think people usually design these things around a couple grill grates they already have. You need at least one to hold your meat and another to hold the soldering gun in a can or whatever is your heat and smoke source. I think the little raised cooling grids for cookies fresh out of a kitchen oven would work well here. I recall they're about 12" square or 10x16. They're not strong, but neither is the cardboard holding them and you'd rather not stick in a bunch of stuff like bricks of structural metal that's going to rob your heat during warm-up.
And like cardboard, the price is "attractive" too.
So then the idea is to pick a cardboard box just a bit larger than the grates.
Don't forget to include pictures when you get going!

I will!!

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

Welcome aboard. Ya aint robbing heat off of any thing if your trying to cold smoke, the only limit is the smoke generator, you want it small enuff that the smoke cant heat up the items you want smoked, you do want it big enuff that your generator can make a proper amount, if I were doing it I would use a tube with pellets as no electric is needed, fill light let get going for 5 minutes or so, blow out and put it into the rig. good luck and post some pictures here as they host them, easy peasy lol

how far does the meat have to be placed from pellet?

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

I’m trying this at some point.

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cold-smoker-conversion/

View attachment 443897

Looks pretty cool!!

 

[daveomak]

Think about a smoker at least 18 wide x 18 wide and 30" tall..... Don't forget upper and lower air vents.... ALL smokers need fresh air....

Making dust from pellets...

Mr T told me he makes dust all the time for some of his smoking needs.. He ground the pellets in a food processor or something.. I tried it and it seemed a little tough on the machine.. Pellets are HARD !!!.. So I threw them in warm HOT water.. in about 4 minutes they were falling apart... I...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Using pellets for smoke.... They can emit a lot of heat... They will raise my MES 30 about 25 deg. F... I make dust from pellets and dust raises the smoker temp <5 deg. F...
I prefer the smoke from dust for all my smokes now.... Mo betta flavor....

 

[thirdeye]

I'm with Dave, get a box with as much volume as you can because pellet generators can really kick out the smoke. I like a sawdust generator better for cheese and butter, and you can use a much smaller box. But for bacon, or cold smoking fish I use pellets.

Maybe you can locate a water heater box, or a wardrobe box from Home depot.

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

Think about a smoker at least 18 wide x 18 wide and 30" tall..... Don't forget upper and lower air vents.... ALL smokers need fresh air....

Making dust from pellets...

Mr T told me he makes dust all the time for some of his smoking needs.. He ground the pellets in a food processor or something.. I tried it and it seemed a little tough on the machine.. Pellets are HARD !!!.. So I threw them in warm HOT water.. in about 4 minutes they were falling apart... I...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Using pellets for smoke.... They can emit a lot of heat... They will raise my MES 30 about 25 deg. F... I make dust from pellets and dust raises the smoker temp <5 deg. F...
I prefer the smoke from dust for all my smokes now.... Mo betta flavor....

Thanks for the specific Size! Helped a lot!

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

I'm with Dave, get a box with as much volume as you can because pellet generators can really kick out the smoke. I like a sawdust generator better for cheese and butter, and you can use a much smaller box. But for bacon, or cold smoking fish I use pellets.

Maybe you can locate a water heater box, or a wardrobe box from Home depot.

yeah my main use for this would be fish and meat! so I guess anything smaller than 2 x 2 x 4 feet would not be suitable to use?

 

[thirdeye]

yeah my main use for this would be fish and meat! so I guess anything smaller than 2 x 2 x 4 feet would not be suitable to use?

Again, since you are using pellets, and will be cold smoking fish for Nova lox, or cold smoking bacon which will be fried later.... I think 2 X 2 X 4 would be too small. Not only to pellets produce a lot of smoke, they also produce heat. Having a lot of volume will disperse the smoke and keep it cooler.

Now, if you would be moving into hot smoking fish, or taking bacon to say 145° internal you would need to take advantage of the heat the pellets produce. I burn pellets in my My Big Chief box smoker which is 12 X 18 X 24 and use it for hot smoking fish, bacon etc., but in this smoker the pellets burn in a pan, so I control the amount of smoke. Often I'll only add 20 pellets at a time.

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

Again, since you are using pellets, and will be cold smoking fish for Nova lox, or cold smoking bacon which will be fried later.... I think 2 X 2 X 4 would be too small. Not only to pellets produce a lot of smoke, they also produce heat. Having a lot of volume will disperse the smoke and keep it cooler.

Now, if you would be moving into hot smoking fish, or taking bacon to say 145° internal you would need to take advantage of the heat the pellets produce. I burn pellets in my My Big Chief box smoker which is 12 X 18 X 24 and use it for hot smoking fish, bacon etc., but in this smoker the pellets burn in a pan, so I control the amount of smoke. Often I'll only add 20 pellets at a time.

Is your dimension in foot?? 12 foot seems massive to me.

 

[thirdeye]

Well, they don't call it a "BIG" Chief for nothing..... sorry, my dimensions are in inches.

 

[CanadaSmoker920]

View attachment 443950

Well, they don't call it a "BIG" Chief for nothing..... sorry, my dimensions are in inches.

Hahaha I thought you had the industrial size smoker.