home made smoker

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spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
I recall somebody explaining a smoker made from an old tin biscuit tin like you get cheese crackers in for christmas. I think it went along the lines of putting sawdust in the bottom, then tin foil over the top, some sort of grill to hold the food to be smoked and then the lid. Bung the lot over a heat source (Barbie) and let it do its thing.
 

wanderinstar

On a new journey
Jun 14, 2005
1,346
9
71
Yorkshire/Lancs Border
IIRC there was a bloke on telly.He started a pig farm up, letting the pigs run free in a wood.He sold the pork in his own farmshop. Jamie Oliver was a mate of his.

Getting back to the point, he made a smoker out of a 45 gall drum, a length of flexible gas flue pipe and a smaller drum.

I wish I could remember his name.
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
My brother in law used an old wood fired water boiler. He chopped the top and bottom off of the boiler, which was made from very thick steel, and removed the central chimney aswell. He made it so that the top would go back on and placed rods through the top of the cylinder to hang fish and meat from.

When he used it, he set a small fire in the burner at the bottom to get the temperature up, this he could read as the old temperature guage was still fitted. When it reached a certain temp., he knew it was time to put the fish in and then he'd keep it at that heat for a little while. Once he'd left it five minutes or so, he covered the fire with sawdust and put the top of the boiler back on. This had a large butterfly valve welded to it, so after a while he opens it to let a rush of air go through and to keep the sawdust smoldering. If it fires up too much, he closes the valve off and thows a bit more saw dust on.

The fish I had from it was a freshly caught trout, and it was lovely!!
 

risby

Forager
Jun 21, 2005
213
4
dorset, uk
wanderinstar said:
IIRC there was a bloke on telly. Getting back to the point, he made a smoker out of a 45 gall drum, a length of flexible gas flue pipe and a smaller drum.
I wish I could remember his name.

That would be Jimmy Doherty who started the Essex Pig Company but I can't find anything about a smoker.

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall also made a smoker from an oil drum and there is a bit about it in The River Cottage Cookbook but more about smoking than building one I'm afraid.
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leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
yes thats jimmys farm, i live very close to it, they sell some great stuff but if you ask me its a bit expensive
leon
 

moocher

Full Member
Mar 26, 2006
642
97
49
Dorset
ive seen a few made out of those garden incineraters?.the ones that look like a little garden bin but with the small chimmney on top.but i never looked at the insides of them. :rolleyes:
 

Templar

Forager
Mar 14, 2006
226
1
48
Can Tho, Vietnam (Australian)
I have made a really good smoker by removing the top off a 44gal drum and making a rack about 3/4 the way up, for "flat" smoking things like fish and the like, then remove the rack, leaving the support cross members to "hang" larger items like hams etc.

as for the smoke source, I use either a oven tray, (not foil!!!) full of non-toxic sawdust of a pleasing scent and flavour, with a meths burner for small flavouring jobs, or a gas burner turned down low to produce smoke not flames for preserving, to get at this I cut a door down the bottom, (ala hobo stove), put a couple of hinges on there to keep it all in place, on the top I use a sheet of ply wood and a couple of bricks.
Another option for a heat source is to use an old Electric fry pan with the saw dust or some fine wood chips, again keep the heat down so as to produce smoke and not flames... :D

Karl...
 

wanderinstar

On a new journey
Jun 14, 2005
1,346
9
71
Yorkshire/Lancs Border
Thank you Risby.I think you are right about River cottage. I think the programme I was watching was where he was making a big Medieval Feast, about 13 birds, one inside each other.
 

fred gordon

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2006
2,099
19
78
Aberdeenshire
I'm looking for a design for a smoker made out of whisky barrels. I know they exist as I once spoke to someone who made one, but didn't ask for the design, too much beer as I remember! They, understandably, give a great flavour to the food! Has anyone and details? :)
 

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