Old Admiral fridge build

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okieoutlaw

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 4, 2015
20
13
SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA
I have found this old early 50's Admiral frige along with a kelvinator too that a buddy is building..both for free btw..lol i have been using a offset wood smoker for years now and i started reading this forum but wasnt a member and i seen everyones cool fridges and freezer cookers and when i stumbled on to this free deal this was my (and my buddys) chance to build one of our own...i have this one torn down now and fixin to tear the (blue) plastic facing off and sheet metal it back,the door is metal so i dont hav to skin it , i tested it using the heat plate yesterday and i think im going to use the electric-smoke generator method like some guys have used..ive got a 220v oven that ill be using thermostat and parts from along the way..this is gonna be a part time project plus ill be helping my buddy with his too, he's not much of a internet guy so i may sneek pics of his as we build it too..ill still be lurking around and getting tips from you guys too...later ..Steve


 
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Welcome to the forum.  The search bar at the top of the page is a great resource for everything smoke.  Feel free to use it, post any questions you may have and someone will be along to help you.

I'll be watching for your posts as your build comes along.

Richard
 
Well ive been working on my smoke generator for my box and i think its gonna work pretty good,i found some nice caps for the top and bottom and i think ill have it wrapped up, the weather has been cold and nasty here so i havnt had alot of time to work on my fridge much but ive been rounding up parts when i can, i got a 1650 watt element from a kitchen top grill that will fit nice in my box. ill be ordering this controller   WS-1510ELPM  soon and putting the stack and shelves in and getting the flashing put on around the door. Its getting there just slower than id like with the weather and all. hope its done before summer anyways...lol

 
looking good so far.

If your going to go with and Auberins controller defintiely worht the few extra $$ and getting the duel probe, http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=381 . No point limiting yourself. The duel probes takes all the guess work out of everything. 

With the one your looking at ordering you have no way to monitor the internal temp of food while cooking nor can you set the smoker to ramp up or ramp down the temp depending on the set target internal temp like you can with the dual probe. I am on my second build and am using he dual again. It make smoking everything idiot proof..\
 
i would actually suggest an AMNPS and/or an AMNTS in a mail box mod. i made a smoke gen almost identical yo yours. smoked well, but couldnt get the hours out of it for an overnight smoke and it creosoted inside quite badly. especially the venturi. needed to be burnt out and cleaned every few smokes.

when it got gummy inside the sawdust or chips did not always fall down and heek burning nicely. for the couple $$$$ you can get a top drawer smoke gen and are off to the races.link to my build ....  http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/151047/coldspot-freezer-build

GOOD LUCK

Goliath
 
Thanks Goliath, ive seen the creosote problems with these types of smokers, mine is already pretty nasty in the top just testing it a few hours and since i put this one together ive figured out how to choke it down alot to burn slower, because these types really do make too much smoke IMO for like a 8-10 hour smoke. I dont ever smoke overnight mostly start early daytime cooking and i may go with a AMNPS or AMNTS later but i was gonna try one of these first and see if i could regulate the smoke output to make my chips to last a lil bit longer..for me i think its still better than tending to a fire box 
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well ive had a little time to work on my frige i got the controller in last week and wired my burner and tested it,an got the door face flashed in and the smoke gen put on..i still need to round up some racks and put some air vents in the bottom and put my stack on. Ill slowly get it ready and post some pics..thanks you guys for your help...Steve


 
yea wolfman i did go dual probe, hell whats 20 sumpthin bucks difference from the single to the dual probe anyways...lol i even talked my buddy into the dual i think he hasnt ordered his yet we'll see..I cooked on my ole offset last weekend and the whole time i was lookin at this frige thinkin how nice it would be not havin to tend this firebox and watch the temps...lol
 
That Auber is realy nice, you can program up to 6 steps in your cooking process, thats great for doing smething like jerky or snack sticks. For regular smoking like butts set the first step for the temp you want your smoker, it will run at that temp till you get to the meat temp you program into it, then you can have it turn off or just drop the chamber temp down to a holding temp. You will not regret the extra $20.
Keep Smokin!!!
Wolf
 
working on my exhaust and intake pipe today and maybe cutting down some oven racks..lookin kinda rainy today not sure how much ill get done..
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got my adjustable shelf brackets in and got my smoke stack in and damper in the pipe..is a earlier pic just showing the pipe runnin to the outside, ill show some of the inside and outside later when the weather lets up..

 
well i caught a couple of nice days and fired up my frige for the first time and it worked perfect. I just need to learn to keep the door closed and let it cook...lol. my ribs and pork tenderloins and chicken beast came out great.. the smoke generator worked great i used a mix of apple and cherry chips and boy did that smoke smell amazing and everything tasted great. i cant wait to get another nice day to fire it up again.. i just wanted to thank all you guys for your help, this forum is great and im still learning stuff from here..
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i havnt posted in awhile ive smoked so much meat thru this thing (hot and cold) and it works great, i did do some mods since i built it i added a AMNPS box (ammo box) to it so i could burn pellets. The smoke generator worked great but it didnt have the overall burn time as the AMNPS. I also added casters which makes it so much easier to move around..i vented the smoke stack outside my shop too, it makes it nice in bad weather..
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