Ok, now that I got yer attn… Imma gonna post something here over the weekend that you are gonna wanna do and you will thank me for it if you make one up yourself. I’ve done 8 cooks on it now and it’s the BOMB.
tick tick tick…
heres one i made a few years back! had a campfire grill that slid in and out for a bottom rack and 2 pieces of rebar shoved through higher up portion with a charcoal grill grate for a top rack. made it for about $45 and worked perfect! made salmon, various fish, deer sausage, chickens, turkey pieces, various cuts of pork, … and all turned out just like a “real” smoker lol.
I made mine earlier this year and love it. My charcoal ring will hold close to 30 pounds of charcoal, so I can get a loooong burn our of it. I have made some good butts, chicken, turkey, and stuffed jalapenos on it.
15’ Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro
to see a step by step on how to make one of these, follow this link. click on photo 1 and then it is a step by step on how to build your own
http://www.pbase.com/jerrykneupper/ugly_drum_smoker
“If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel .” Benjamin Netanyahu
Ecclesiastes 10:2
GW 205
F200 Yam
Here is one made of concrete block I threw together. It eventually got transformed into a a much nicer unit in the bottom pic. Pretty self explanatory on how to build it.
It ain’t no mystery…this beer’s history!
Blue_Runner,
That is some pretty work in the bottom pic. I have researched many BBQ sites and havent’ seen one that nice. Another plug for CF.com. I love this site!!!
Regarding the design…what is the relationship between the main pit and the smaller structure on the right? It almost appears like an offset fire pit. If so, how does the smoke get across to the main pit? Must be a deep hole under all of that, huh?
Keep it Awesome!!!
■■■■■■■ thank you. That is the burn down pit. There is a rebar grate in the bottom of it. The fire is built on top of the grate. The red hot wood coals fall through the grate where the are shoveled out (flat shovel) and into the smoker. We use oak and hickory. In the first pic I was using a 55 gallon drum to accomplish the same thing. The 55 gallon drum is standard equipment around these parts (Lexington, NC) and the method itself is used by most of the BBQ locals.
It ain’t no mystery…this beer’s history!
quote:
Originally posted by Blue_Runner■■■■■■■ thank you. That is the burn down pit. There is a rebar grate in the bottom of it. The fire is built on top of the grate. The red hot wood coals fall through the grate where the are shoveled out (flat shovel) and into the smoker. We use oak and hickory. In the first pic I was using a 55 gallon drum to accomplish the same thing. The 55 gallon drum is standard equipment around these parts (Lexington, NC) and the method itself is used by most of the BBQ locals.
It ain’t no mystery…this beer’s history!
Nice. I am familiar with having a separate burn down fire, but mine is usually on the ground nearby. Yours probably doesn’t burn down as fast inside that pit – protected from the wind and all.
Regarding your cooking technique…It looks like you just have the one access hatch, albeit a large one. Do you spread your coals across the entire pit, or do you push them to the ends/corners? I use as few as possible and push them to the corners myself.
Also, DillyDally, didn’t mean to hijack your thread. Apologies.
Keep it Awesome!!!
With the cinderblock pit, did you put any insolation (ie-spray foam, fiberglass insulation, etc) in the blocks or just leave them empty with air? I wonder if adding insulation to the sides would help it hold heat better requiring less coals.
quote:Same here!!
Also, DillyDally, didn't mean to hijack your thread. Apologies.
Placing a piece of metal in front of the burn down opening allows you to dampen and control the burn. Another plus with the burn down pit is you don’t destroy your fire every time you need to shovel coals. I mostly spread the coals evenly inside the smoker. Rap - we did not fill the block with anything because it wasn’t meant to be permanent at first however the more insulation the better IMO. If I were to build another I’d fill the voids with sand. At first you have to shovel a lot of coals but once the entire structure warms up it holds heat extremely well. Once the smoker was made permanent a layer of sure wall went on underneath the stone and also the interior was parged with mortar eliminating some of the heat loss.
I have family members that build a much smaller version of this and they work great. If you’ve got cinder blocks lying around, why not??
It ain’t no mystery…this beer’s history!
B_R
Nice pit man.
The bottom pic is the snizzzz. I had one years ago out of blocks - sand for insulation and later filled with concrete. Was great for a hog - only had to add coals about every 45 min. Sucker would stay hot for 2 days after you finished.
J Ford
Smoking is adictive. My family loves venison pastrami. Our favorite. The kids hide the stuff. I have out grown my current smoker. I am building a larger one and would like to heat it with gas. Any ideas on auto burner/controls out there. I found a unit cant remember the manufacturer but was $600-$800. Was looking for something less expensive. will need two burners sytems because of dual smoking compartments. 4"WX4D"X4"H