/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>9132783
Not at all.

I build these things from scratch. Pic related. Early stages of work on a big one made out of an old propane tank.

Anyway, that small section on the right is called the firebox. See how it's located lower down than the main area? And see how the chimney is on the left side? That's what creates the draft which pulls the smoke from the fire over the meat.

That thing is a dedicated smoker which the owner has been using to grill with. I imagine it probably gave crappy results because when you put coals or wood in the main area they don't get proper airflow to them.

>>8827304
>If I build one should I do it from scratch?
That, 100%.

The problem with the cheap supermarket ones is that they are made of thin shitty metal. That means two problems:
1) the thin, lightweight, construction doesn't hold heat well. That means your cooking temperatures will be harder to control.
2) the thin, lightweight metal doesn't seal at the joints well. There are gaps everywhere. Even if there weren't any gaps they day you bought it there soon will be as the thin metal distorts with heat.

Find or buy an old propane tank. There are plenty of these around because the safety certification only lasts so long. Once they are no longer in their inspection period they get junked. These make ideal smokers because the steel is thick and heavy. That makes your resulting smoker better because it will have fewer leaks and the heavy steel holds heat much better--it will keep your temps stable, even when the doors are opened and closed. Another benefit is that if your welding skills aren't very good thick metal is a lot more forgiving than thin sheet metal.

Here's one I made several years ago. It's obviously not 100% complete at this stage.

>>7945396

This. Personally, I find them easy to build, but then again I know how to weld and I own all the tools required.

IMHO the best way to go is to use an old propane tank. These are readily available because the safety inspection only lasts so long, and once the inspection expires they are sold for scrap. They make a great smoker because the metal is so thick that it holds the heat stable so much better than thin sheet metal does.

Here's an in-progress photo of a smoker I built a few years ago. It's nowhere near done yet--still needs the firebox installed, door handles, the lips around the edges of the doors, counterweights, etc.

>>5565363
>> I'm sure you use a microwave

Nope. Homemade pit smoker. The trick is to find and old propane tank. You can buy them for scrap value and they are very thick-walled which makes for very stable temperatures. Don't you youngsters know how to weld anymore?

Here's a pic partially through construction. Doors are cut but handles and edges aren't installed yet. Firebox isn't on yet either, but at least it's on the trailer so it can be moved around.