"Mini Smokehouse" (gathering parts)

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JckDanls 07

Legendary Pitmaster
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SMF Premier Member
Sep 10, 2011
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Tampa area, Florida.
OK... So after attending the N. FL. Gathering and getting smacked upside the head with sausage making... I want to make a "Mini" version of the smokehouse that a few members helped build for Jerry ...

I'm thinking 3'(w)x2'(d)x3'(t)... the frame made with 2x2's and just skin the outside with 1/4' hardy board (cement board)... I want to keep it as light as possible so it's somewhat portable... that's why no cement board liner on the inside of the frame.... here in Fl. I don't have to worry about cold ambient temps so no need to insulate... gonna make the pipe burner with 1" pipe... cut slits with sawzall about 1.5" apart... thinking 10 cuts will be good.... I was thinking this for the regulator, If the hole is small enough (1/16th or so) at the end of the hose...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203009...rizontal1-3-_-NA-_-203009031-_-N#.UWsY2rUsnIE

thinking about a 2"x4" intake vent below the door (w/damper) and a 4" exhaust vent out the top....

That's a couple of my thoughts so far... need some of y'all's thought's on my thinking....
 
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Sounds good so far Keith, but what do i know? I'll be following this to learn something for my build. I'm curious about the hose/regulator also.
 
If anybody stops in Home Depot before I get there.... would/could ya look at that regulator/hose deal and see what kind of hole is in the end of the hose....
 
Keith, the description says the fitting is 1/8" male pipe thread. I'm assuming they mean NPT (National Pipe Thread) which is measured by the inside diameter of the pipe so the hole in that fitting would be 1/8". But you know what happens when we assume!
 
That looks like an orifice installed in the fitting. Probably have to just look at the hose at HD and see if it has an orifice. I wish you had posted this yesterday, I went to HD yesterday evening.
 
I know...I went friday night .. never thought to look at the end of the hose... Joe told me this is what we need...
 
ok Dave... I just picked this up today... has brass needle valve and orifice...

got my 1" pipe from work and cut the slits in it for the burner.... picked up black iron end caps for it...

Joe, (hopefully he reads this)... what size vent holes (and placement) for the venturi, will I need to drill in one of the end caps ? I'm thinking 1/4" holes (2) across the top half and then the tap a hole in the bottom half for the orifice ?
 
The one Joe built for Jerry had the hose tapped in the center of the cap and four 1/4" holes around it. Joe told me 1/4" was the perfect size.
 
you guys know wayyy more then i do about all this but i want to watch this come to life. so i'm watching:) Good luck keith! maybe we can make us some sausage at the south florida gathering?!
 
Keith, morning..... Think about the exhaust on the side walls so condensate doesn't drip on the food.....  You won't need a stack.... the smoker body acts as the stack....    
Btu's / Orifice size
http://www.hvacredu.net/gas-codes/module2/Gas Orifice Capacity Chart.pdf



Dave

Thanks for the heads up Dave... even tho I don't have a clue what any of it means.. LOL... but I do appreciate it...
you guys know wayyy more then i do about all this but i want to watch this come to life. so i'm watching:) Good luck keith! maybe we can make us some sausage at the south florida gathering?!

for sure Doug... trying to get it up and running before going to TN.... probably gonna have to try and stuff with my grinder as I don't have a dedicated stuffer... (yet)
 
for sure Doug... trying to get it up and running before going to TN.... probably gonna have to try and stuff with my grinder as I don't have a dedicated stuffer... (yet)
that's my next investment...because of what i have read on here, having a dedicated stuffer is ideal. But it's looking like prices around around 3-400 bucks for a good grider and good stuffer :/
 
ok.. so I made the pipe burner.. end cap has 4, 1/4" air holes... 10 slits (think they are to deep) made with sawzall...


Can't get it down to a nice blue flame...If I get it down half way decent it goes out...

this is low


and this is Hi


It's a little windy so that doesn't help any... Don't know If I need to make slits smaller or a different orifice (don't know where to get them) ... any help would be appreciated
 
Yellow flame means it's not getting enough oxygen in the air/fuel mix.  You need more air and I think those 4 holes are not providing enough.  Another clue is it goes out when you turn it down low.  You need to make those holes bigger or even make it like a kidney bean stuffer plate for a meat grinder by joining two holes together (see photo below).  You will probably need a flat plate "air shutter" that you can adjust the amount of air flow with.  (see the other photos below).  You can try to just add more holes first, but you can also get too much air in the mix as well.  An adjustable air shutter will cover all the ground between the two extremes.

You will still have a slight yellow tip on nice blue flames when you get the mix right (mostly dust and other stuff in the air burning off with the gas).  But the photos you posted show a oxygen starved flame (which will give off soot & carbon monoxide if it's bad enough, a really oxygen starved flame is so sooty you can see it coming off the flames).

Left image is an oxygen starved flame.  As oxygen is added, the right flame is properly balanced mix (the purple color is a camera artifact, ignore it)


Kidney grinder plate...


Gas burner with air shutter in place to adjust air flow and flame


Flat air shutter example (if you stay with the nipple cap, you may have to round it over to fit the contour of the cap but you could make one from scrap sheet metal).  They usually include a spring that helps keep tension on the air shutter to hold it in place but still allow you to hand turn it to adjust the air flow.


How the whole thing works...

 
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Great info Dave!

When I was kind of helping Joe make the burner for Jerry the first time we fired it up the flame was too yellow and Joe drilled the holes a little bigger and then it worked good. So what Dave just said about not enough O2 makes perfect sense.
 
welp... now I've gone and done it.. was messing around with it this morning and stripped the threads out on the orifice.... back to the drawing board now... looking around for a new orifice...
 
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