Converting Double Door Warmer to a Smoker

[nwi1]

I have a large (2 door), stainless steel warmer that I am converting to a Smoker. I am looking for info. on the best way to convert it. I need to know the proper type of heat (i.e. electric element, propane, hot plate, etc.), how to properly vent it (i.e. vent high or low, do I need a fan?), etc.

I have tried putting a propane burner inside, but due to venting issues, the flame goes out. I've trien single and double burner electric hot plates, but they don't get the heat up high enough - likely due to the space needed to heat.

If someone could help me or point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.....

 

[kookie]

If you could post a pic of the warmer, that would help and also post the l x w x h x d. As for which heat source to use that is mainly up to you, I mean which you would like to use more then anything. Post somemore info. and I sure someone will be able to help you out. Also check the post, there are lot of posts on making smokers here.

Kookie

 

[kookie]

Also forgot to mention it, but you should head over to the roll call section and say hi and let everyone know you.

Kookie

 

[vulcan75001]

NWi1
Welcome...
Here is a link that will give you some gas heating ideas...
http://www.gassmoker.com/
need a little more info about warmer you are converting...
vent smoke high...add vents low to help control proper air flow thru unit..
Gas and charcoal need air for proper combustion..
Stop by roll call and tell us a little more about yourself..get a proper welcome..

 

[nwi1]

Thanx for the quick response. Here are a couple picture links to my smoker:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture009.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture010.jpg

 

[zapper]

I am so jealous that I hate you!

.


I have been hoping to come across something like this on a demo job or the likes. Nice looking box! Great score and even greater potential!

I would say to go with electric heating elements from any number of sources (internal or external mounted) and then add an external smoke pistol type smoke generator. Is there any heating capacity already with or built into the unit? (You really don't need high temps)


I say electric for several reasons
-relativily easy to find parts
-realitivly easy to adjust temps
-no open flames to worry about
-no cumbustion gases
-no need to allow for air supply
-no fuel to run out of
Yaddy yaddy yadda, It will ultimatly be you choice in the end, but I am biased.

I would also lean towards an out of the smoke chamber heating and smoke generation set up. Mostly in this case because you have such a nice smoke chamber and I wouldn't want to waste an inch of the available space. Another reason could be that you could easily get another already made firebox and attach it to the side. Another reason could be that fire or smoke tending can happen out side of the smoking chamber so that you are not opening the big doors and releasing heat and you are not tending a wood fire in the smoke chamber and stirring ashes. Another reason could be that you would not have to worry about drippings on or into your smoke or heat source.




I don't know. Maybe if it were me, I would get an electric oven element that was shaped to fit the smoke chamber, the controls for that element and use them under a water pan or a double layered baffle/heat sheild w/drip pan. I still think that I would atleast keep the smoke generation out side of the chamber using a smoke pistol type set up or iron skillet on a hot plate with the smoke piped to the chamber.


Tell us what you have to work with like materials, skills, money, tools and what you think your perferences are. Do you want wood fuel, charcoal, LP, NG or electric? Everyone here will look at that big beautiful box and have their own dream about what to do with it. And most of them will see that thing just slam packed full of meat with just a little bit of Thin Blue Smoke waifting out of the top.

Keep us posted with lots of pics, this is what we live for!

 

[dalmorloson]

I would definately go with a seperate firebox. That's a lot of room to reheat every time you open those doors. Just my .02

 

[nwi1]

Well, I to love this box. I am a novice when it comes to building things, so I don't have anything for supplies. I am definitely willing to learn and am open to ALL good suggestions.

Not sure what you mean by a "smoke pistol?"

So if I put the smoke outside, where would I put it (i.e. on the right side and low or...)? I will look around for a 110 element and controller (suggetions on the type). You said to place it inside the box with a sheild over it so dripping don't get on it, is that correct?

You are absolutely right! As I have played with this on smoking some fish, a turkey and some other meat, everytime I opened the door I lost heat and it took a little bit to get it back up to where it needed to be.

Also, should I consider sectioning it in half or would it be best to leave it the way it is?

Here is a link to the first turkey I smoked - It was awesome!:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...ey10-26-07.jpg

 

[mossymo]

A friend of mine acquired a stainless steel food warmer on wheels from a jailhouse. It was electric thermostaticlly controlled warmers on each side of it to keep the internal temperature. He uses those warmers to hold the heat to where he sets it and uses a seperate electric burner for smoking the wood chips. I have not seen it yet, but he tells me it works very well for him.

 

[allen]

Welcome Nwi1, Great potential, you will get ideas once people start looking at your pics, room to smoke a whole cow

 

[zapper]

I stink at searches! I get distracted too easily and end up reading about the pyramids or ant tunnels

Sooooo. I did a quick search here for "Smoke Pistol" and got too many post and threads to read through. Then I just Googled it and found out that there is a product that is called Smoke Pistol that was not what I was thinking about (but could work). There was a post or thread about someone here that made a Smoke Generator out of a short chunk of pipe that looked interesting and for some reason I thought it was being called a smoke pistol, go figure. At any rate, an electric smoke generator could be made fairly easy or even store bought. I think that I would build or find the right sized metal box, put an element in it, either in the raw form or as a hot plate and put a cast iron skillet or such above that to hold my wood chunks. Duct the smoke into the larger chamber down low and maybe even around towards the back center down low. I would try to go with a smoke generator that could use standard wood chunks or chips to avoid having to buy the special bisquits or waffers or pellets that some of the smoke generators use. (Not that they don't work, I just kind of like not having to depend on someone else for my smoke)

Depending on the size of the big box that you have, you might consider raising it up a little bit so that you can get your smoke and heat maker lower than the bottom cooking rack.


The thing about "Smoking" (cold or hot) is that indirect heat is kind of the perferred method, kind of like a low temp baking. That is why I reccomend an outside of the box heat source or a very well baffeled inside the box heat source.


Lets say that you choose an inside of the box heat source (Electric). You will be using up some room for the element itself and above the element you would want a heat sheild to kind of help baffle the heat so as to not be cooking over direct heat. Your heat sheild could be a plain metal sheet that kind of diverts the heat to the sides of the box and causes a little bit of convection inside the smoker. Eventually though during the cooking that single layer metal sheet or plate may heat to the point that it will be transmitting the heat straight trough it and pretty much put you at direct under heat cooking. Also as your food cooks and drips onto this very heated sheet there will be flare ups and heavy smoking of the grease and juices that will wreak havoc on trying to control your temps and could impart bad taste to your food. The next level in design might be two layers of heat sheild. The level after that might be a drip pan above the baffle. The level after that might be a water pan that would hold water to help regulate/stabilize the heat and at the same time baffle heat and catch drips.

I think For an internal electrically heated set up, I would find an element with temp controls and install it bottom center. I would then use a steel plate with maybe like one inch holes around the perimeter to be my heat baffle, designed to slide in and out on a standard rack support at a close distance to the heat element. On top of that I would place a water pan as near the size of the baffle as I could find or make and just above that I would put a drip pan to catch some of the good stuff that comes out of the meat as it cooks. Along these lines of catching juices, I would reccomend having as many racks or shelves as can be fit into a smoker, that way if you wanted to say cook pork on the top of the rig, you could place a foil drip pan one level below it to catch its juices while the next level down could be beef and you could catch its juices with a foil pan below it and so on down the line.


External heat source? Well if the smoke generator is seperate (and I think that is a good idea if only for cold smoking and ease of reloading) I would consider ducting in heat from a small electric oven or a custom built box using the oven type element. I have an element out of a clothes dryer that is contained in a sheet metal tube that I am itching to play with (Get out the burn ointment

)

I think that by going with the outside of the smoking chamber heat source we get into making it easier to use whatever fuel we want for a heat source. There are comercially available side boxes for horizontal smokers that can use wood are charcoal as is and there are plenty of links around on how to gas one up. I suppose that if the right configuration electric heating element was used, one of these side burning boxes could make a good compartment for mounting the element and its controls.


Can you post any model numbers for the box that you have along with name/spec plate information? All of this talk of custom work may be a mute point if the box will as is or minor repair come up to temps.