Too simple to talk about?

[squarezilla]

Hey Mark,

Thats an impressive looking machine, and similar to what I had in mind.

In my minds eye, I saw it as being raised off the ground on some kind of base, very likely on wheels, so that the height of the cooking racks was right around eye level. That way, the "fire box" would be around waist level. I had planned to remove the range top entirely and replace with a flat sheet metal skin, and only the exit stack with a damper would stick up above that. I was going to reuse the oven temp controller to operate a single burner that would be mounted in the storage drawer underneath, equipped with a cast iron skillet for chips. Your control system is quite a bit more elaborate than what I had planned.

For those of you worried about electrical appliance use outdoors, the outlets on the outside of my garage are all GFI protected, and I never intended for it to be left in the yard, but rolled into storage when not in use.

I agree this is not a machine I would mount on a trailer and take to a BBQ contest, but then perhaps I haven't become enough of a purist yet. What I'm really after is the final product, so I can enjoy eating it.

This kinda reminds me of some of the woodworking forums I have been on. There are the "Norm-ites" - guys who use as many power tools as possible, even for simple tasks, and then there are the "Neanderthals" - guys who insist that REAL woodworking is done with hand tools and that somehow doing everything by hand makes the end product more authentic. And the battle rages on.

I see kinda the same rift here between folks who insist on tending a wood fire as their only heat source, and folks who are willing to use gas, or electricity, or even an electric wood pellet feed system so that some of the functions necessary for BBQ can be automated.

While I appreciate the desire in others for "hands-on craftmanship", I guess I fall more into the automation category. I'm willing to start a day ahead of time preparing a fine dinner, but I'm not willing to spend every hour from start to finish tending it. Thats just me, of course.

If I manage to come up with a suitable specimen, I will take pictures as I go through the conversion and post them here.

 

[bcfishman]

I've got it!

You could use a dryer. The exhaust vent could be where the smoke comes in and you could have the drum spinning after it hits 165 and then it would come out already pulled.

Or you could use one of the apartment style washer dryer combos with them washer on bottom and dryer on top. The washer could be the fire box and then you could have the dryer be the cooking chamber. That would actually work.

 

[richtee]

OK... but when that GFI trips..you better come up with a "deadman" circuit so ya know ya ain't smoking anymore ;{)

<PS.. I have a design already heh!>

 

[txbigred]

Here's the I built for doing sausage, it's made out of a warming oven. I have it in my garage, vented to the outside so I can use it rain or shine.

Dave

 

[emtee]

The reason for the multiple elements and controllers (other than the fact that I can) is due to keeping the chamber temperature constant and/ or cold. When chamber temperatures reach my desired level, the chips/ lumps will still have an element to keep the smoke going. By the same token, if I want to cold smoke, the chip element is far enough away to send cool smoke, and I don't run the chamber element at all. I can maintain about 90F on an average day. I am now experimenting with a few lumps of charcoal in the smoke section along with my wood chunks. I start the whole thing with the electric element and then the charcoal takes over and the temp controller shuts off the juice. Burns longer and more evenly.

Like I said, rock on with your vision.

And BTW- I have every woodworking power tool known to man... and two or three of some of them.

 

[rtom]

Make one of these
I saw this on a different site

 

[dennisdocb]

Now that is just too cool..love it

 

[squarezilla]

Is the square box on the bottom behind the lower left door the smoke/heat generator? How does it work? Is it electric? And is that an exhaust fan motor I see at the top of the cabinet connecting to the outgoing duct? Is there a need for more airflow than simple convection will provide?

 

[squarezilla]

Thanks for the explanation. I like it, it seems really well thought out. Does it work as well as it sounds like it should?