New Member: Big problem: Little time.

[billmac]

My wife volunteered me to smoke beef briskets for an upcoming wedding (about 3 weeks).  I have a small Brinkman electric smoker that I have used on individual briskets with good success.  I rub the meat and let sit overnight.  Smoke the next day with about three rounds of wood, and then slice the brisket and finish off in the slow cooker until tender. 

That is my general plan for the wedding briskets as well.  Here's my problem.  I have to smoke ten full briskets at once.  So obviously I have to build a smoker.  I would love to engage in a long project to build the ultimate smokehouse, but I don't have the time or money.  What I need is to build whatever I can to hold ten briskets and hold in the smoke and heat.

I thought about using plywood, but my wife thinks the chemicals in plywood might be bad.  I have a good supply of rough aspen lumber.  More work, but doable.

I also thought about using galvanized fencing as racks for the meat.  Would that be OK?  My overall plan is to build a box about 3 ft square and perhaps 6-8 ft high, with enough fencing racks to hold the briskets.  I would use the heating element from my Brinkmann smoker to supply heat and smoke.

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

Bill

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Dont use glued together plywood. The heat you need for the briskets will leach the formaldehyde into the food. My smokehouse is OSB but i never go above 170*. Lumber will be your best bet if you have it. Is the Aspen related to the Pine? If so you may get a creosote taste. Most lumber smokehouses were built of hardwoods.  Also never use galvanize on anything where high heat will cause it to release toxins.

Hope i helped some.

 

[tjohnson]

Welcome to SMF

You may want to head on over to Rollcall and introduce yourself

WOW...Pretty Ambitious Project!!

Galvanized metal or "Zinc" in particular is not recommended, so dump the fence idea for the racks

The heating element from your Brinkman may not be large enough for a large smoker

Many guys have plywood smokers, but Rick is correct, these most likely are not used at temps high enough for Brisket.

Do a search and you'll find some posts on Plywood Smokers.

Todd

 

[billmac]

Thanks for the responses.  Any ideas for alternative racks?

Aspen is a softer hardwood.  Should be fine for a smoker.

I'm thinking of getting another heating element (possibly a hot plate coil?) to supplement the heat from my current smoker element.   I don't think I need to get the heat too high, 180-200 F.  Once they get a good smoke coat I will finish them off in the oven or slow cookers.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Yup

Todd has the scoop on the element and the Zink.

If you need to do the briskys quick it might be worth it to go get a Weber AKA WSM  while your doing your smokehouse build.

You can get aftermarket square or rectangle grill racks at wallysnotsosmart, or lowes, home peepot

Have fun with the build but just remember to think smart with the materials and the heat factor.

Ok back to my corner

 

[SmokinAl]

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

[adiochiro3]

Build yourself 2 Ugly Drum Smokers.  Quick, cheap, and really effective (don't think you could get 10 briskets (assuming they are full packers?) into one UDS, but maybe our "Ugly" members could chime in on that (as my UDS is not yet finished). 

Can't wait to see how you solve this one (and the reception Qview photos)!  Will the bride wind up with Q on her gown?!!!!

Will the newlyweds cut and feed each other Q instead of cake? 

 

[billmac]

Suppose I can get the temp up to 200F.  How long to smoke 10 average sized briskets at once?