Tips on building a small wooden cold smoker

[brandnwng]

Hey everyone I've been reading these forums for awhile and decided it was time to sign up! I'm new getting into the smoking (meat) world and wanted to pick your brains. I'm wanting to build a small cold smoker in my backyard, not too big just big enough to do a couple of small pork belly slabs for bacon and maybe some fish down the line. I want to use wood and was thinking of using a small weber kettle grill as a heat source. So I just have a few questions about what materials I should use. I've cured bacon before and tried to hot smoke on a larger weber kettle grill, but I want to start cold smoking instead. 

1. What wood would be sufficient to build the box? And what minimum size should it be?

2. How should I heat the wood? Electric pan? charcoal? Or just wood? 

3. How should I connect the heat source to the box? As in could PVC work, or a metal pipe, or i was even thinking a Dryer exhaust pipe. 

I will take any input I can get!

 

[phil allen]

Check out the smoke house build forum, you will find plenty of info in there. Check out my thread on the wooden smoke house I'm currently building. Also do some searches for "AMAZIN pellet smoker" and "mailbox mod".

 

[phil allen]

Link to my thread

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/235736/smoke-house-and-shelter-build

 

[brandnwng]

Phil thanks for the response, I checked it out and think I'm going to go with the mailbox mod! excited to get things going on my first smoker!

 

[JckDanls 07]

for true cold smoking... you could just use a BIG cardboard box... with cold smoking there is very little heat ...

 

[chef jimmyj]

 A 3-4' Cube, with one side removable, would give plenty of space for hanging Bacon or Sausage on wooden dowels. If you plan on doing Fish, search out a source of 4 or more wire racks and build to their dimensions. Add some Vent holes at the top and a single hole near the bottom, opposite side for the Dryer Vent, or other from the Mailbox and you are off and running. For cold smoke, Plywood, OSB, T1-11 or any wood you can source other than Treated Wood, should be fine...JJ