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dustyslaw

Newbie
Original poster
May 24, 2015
12
10
Just finished my first build of a plywood smoke house 2'x2'x4' based in North of Scotland. Now wondering how best to fire it up. Wondering if anybody could help.

Regards

Dustyslaw.
 
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Hi Dusty. Welcome to the group.

Are you looking for advice regarding a smoke generator for the smokehouse?

Post up a couple of photos and we can see if we can help.

Wade
 
Hello Dusty. Welcome to the family!   Pictures my man.  We need pictures!  As many angles as you can think of!  We can help you with this but we need to see what you have.  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
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I have now fitted a lower door and once I find a suitable ignition source for it will be placing it outside on legs and putting sarking board on the outside to protect it from the elements.
 
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Hi Dusty, welcome to the "Family"

You've picked the right site for advice, plenty of knowledge and enthusiasm on here.

Smokin Monkey [emoji]133660013031[/emoji]
 
Hello Dusty. BEAUTIFUL smoke house.  You got skills buddy.  Many folks may miss that.  That is a work of ART!  Well done!  I would think just an electric hot plate should do the job ( HIGH wattage ).  Do you know electrics?  I would say a hot plate should do the job. in that small smoke house.  YES! it will take quite a while to get up to temp but you have done such a good job on the build I don't think that time would be unreasonable.  IF you know electrics I have an idea for you.  I will not put it on the open forum but PM me.
 
Go on Danny you gotta share the ideas, you got me intrigued now. 

Ooh Sorry Dusty, welcome to the group.
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Hi Dusty - That looks great. Elegant and functional too

Are you looking to hold the smoke generator in the bottom of the smokehouse or have it separately outside. Depending on what you are intending to smoke the heat produced may have to be a consideration. I know that it is not finished yet but I cannot see any obvious flue at the top or air intake at the bottom. These are important as you need to keep a steady flow of smoke passing over the food rather than simply encasing the food in smoke. 

For something that size a pellet smoke generator should work well. Something like an AMNPS will produce good quantities of relatively cool smoke over many hours. I would recommend though that it is located outside of the main smokehouse in a fire resistant side box and the smoke piped in near the bottom - similar to the "mailbox mod" that others on here use. Keeping the generator outside the main smokehouse will also allow for the better dispersal of any combustion heat before the smoke hits the food.

The air and smoke entering at the bottom of the smokehouse would then rise up through the food and exit the flue at the top.

If you have not seen one then here is a clip of the pellet smoke generator being used in an offset smoker for cold smoking. The principle would be the same when using one with your smokehouse. You may want to skip to 6 minutes into the clip to see the smoke.



There are other generators that work with sawdust too.
 
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Nice video Wade, what would the cost be using that amount of pellets?  I thought that the moisture content of pellets was just below 10% and that should be dry enough to light, or have you left them out in the rain you naughty boy 
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I had a look at the Pro Q cold smoke  generator but I thought it was a bit small so I made my own cold smoker which was easy enough.  I use dust and it smokes for about 24 to 26 hours without overloading it. It is quite similar to the AMNPS

 
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Hello.  James my idea is to put a dimmer light switch in line with the power source to the hot plate.  You can understand why I would not explain that here.

OK folks.  Dusty wants to hot and cold smoke.  ( PM ).  So the obvious answer for cold smoke is some sort of "mailbox" mod.  Easy peasy.  He wants this to be STAND ALONE.  I suggested electric but he does not want to deal with that.  SO!  My only thought is propane.  Charcoal in a plywood smoke house does NOT fill me with confidence.  PLUS he will have to open the door too often to check the fire.  I don't see any other choice than propane.  Any ideas?  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
I see what you mean, great idea though. I thought it was just for cold smoking, being made of wood and all.  I agree with you Danny by process of elimination.
 
Hi James, good idea from Danny, BUT, please check wattage rating of dimmer switch to the wattage of the Hot Plate, could easily over load switch and set on fire

Dusty, I would go with Electric, easy to control etc, no naked flames, PM if you need any help, if not Propane next best thing.

Smokin Monkey
 
 
Nice video Wade, what would the cost be using that amount of pellets?  I thought that the moisture content of pellets was just below 10% and that should be dry enough to light, or have you left them out in the rain you naughty boy 
th_crybaby2.gif


I had a look at the Pro Q cold smoke  generator but I thought it was a bit small so I made my own cold smoker which was easy enough.  I use dust and it smokes for about 24 to 26 hours without overloading it. It is quite similar to the AMNPS
Lol - No. They stay in their plastic sacks and are in a dry garden shed/smokery. It is not the lighting that was the problem but the guaranteed continuity of burn. That is no longer a problem now though.

That generator gives me about 18 hours and so it just gets refilled night and morning of I want to smoke continuously. 

The price? Now you have made me go outside and weigh pellets... My generator full load weighs 475 g. Based upon the Hickory pellets that I buy in 60 pound lots the price per 475g load = 29p. Based on an 18 hour smoke that works out at 1.6p per hour.

Yes I agree, the ProQ is tiny and I could never get enough smoke from mine. That was why I started to try a few alternatives. I also tried the Smoke Daddy generators but since finding thw AMNPS I have needed to look no further.

Yours looks like a much more sensible size though

 
Hi Wade

Where in the UK did you get the AMNPS or did you import it  if so what where the charges?

Thanks
 
Hi guys,
Wade I have put a lower vent in the area of my smoking chamber and fitted vents to the top of my smoker the picture I put up was whilst I was in the process of building it.

My plan is to hot and cold smoke hopefully, the produce I will hopefully be smoking will vary through the seasons, mostly fish during the summer (trout,salmon, mackerel, pollock,cod, basically anything I catch I'll try). Then come the back end of the year Venison, rabbit, pheasant, partridge, ducks, possibly chicken if we have to many cockerels, also got a couple of pigs that will be slaughtered so possibility of doing pork in it too.

I think propane burner would be best don't want to be running electric across my drive way to where I'm going to finally place the smoker.


Regards

Dustyslaw
 
 
Hi Wade

Where in the UK did you get the AMNPS or did you import it  if so what where the charges?

Thanks
Hi Brian

I order them direct from Todd at Amazen Products in the USA. Even with shipping it works out very inexpensive - if you don't want the pellets included, with shipping it will be in the region of £35 and it usually arrives within 7 days. Todd is an Admin on this site and he is renowned for his exceptional customer service.

https://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=12

Wade
 
Hi Dusty

I think that you have a great cold smoker there that will smoke everything that you have mentioned above - and more. I hope that it will perform as well as you expect as a hot smoker too.

Have you smoked much fish before? If you need any advice let me know as I regularly smoke the fish for our local fishing community. I probably smoke and pack about 15 fish per week and have 6 trout in the smoker at the moment.
 
Hi Wade, I've never actually ran a smoker this is a new venture I saw a very good way of producing produce that will be slightly different to everything else.

Regards

Dusty.
 
Hi Wade, I've never actually ran a smoker this is a new venture I saw a very good way of producing produce that will be slightly different to everything else.
 
Once you get it going you will have no shortage of friends bringing they catch round for you to smoke 
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Cheese and bacon will also smoke very well in there as will things like sausage and salami. You may even want to try some country ham (Parma style ham). Once you try curing and cold smoking a few things you will get seriously hooked. 
 
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