Hot/Cold Small Smokehouse

[jrk2119]

I've looked around the internet for a few days now and haven't really been able so find a thorough answer for the various questions I've racked up since deciding to build a smoker. Here's my ideas:

• I want to make a small smokehouse maybe about the size of a mini fridge. The reason why I say smokehouse is because I do not have the metal work capabilities to do a 55 gal. drum build. I want to be able to hot smoke so I can make pork butts, ribs, etc. Also I may want to do cold smoking sometime for sausage or fish.
• I can definitely build the smokehouse from wood but I am worried about fire hazards. I plan on using a hot plate for the heat/smoke. Would this make enough heat (+-225 F) safely for long cooking times? Also I read somewhere that because propane makes water vapor when burned, it adversely affects the meat bark formation. True?
• Going along with the fire hazard thought I noticed how some people have their smokers lined in metal. Would aluminum flashing work? Would it be thick enough? I've seen it mentioned on the forum but not confirmed in a build. Flashing is so much cheaper than sheet aluminum. 
• Insulation. Is it necessary? I would like to have solid thermal consistency. Is regular pink insulation board safe for those high temps? If not what would be? I've got a lot of sheet rock in my garage. Would that work well? I plan on having the inner wall plywood covered in aluminum followed by the insulation and then the whole thing skinned over with plywood or something thinner. 

My whole build plan is going to be centered around using low cost materials, most of which I already have such as untreated plywood and lumber. My main worry is fire hazard and producing the necessary heat. PS I live in NC so no sub zero temps to worry about.

Thanks for the help and I hope I didn't ask too many questions that have already been answered.

 

[woodcutter]

Here is a good thread with a wood  smoke house:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/136196/not-so-mini-smokehouse-build-w-pics

 

[wazoo]

I wanted a smoke house that I could build using  materials I had left over from other projects. I ended up with an insulated wood based smoker with a Hardie backer board and aluminum interior.  My project sounds like it is bigger that what you want but you could always scale it down. Here are my thoughts after just completing my build.

• I think backer board with some type of aluminum lining is a good way to go that is pretty inexpensive.  I would think that aluminum flashing would work because it is just a covering over the backer board which is the main fire proof material.  I used aluminum sheeting to have something a little more robust than flashing.  I can tell you that bending .040 wall aluminum was challenging.  Flashing would definitely be easier.  Be sure to use aluminum, stainless steel or some other inert material.  No galvanized material inside a smoker!!
• I used yellow (same as pink) insulation with the craft paper removed and plywood siding. I have used the smoker for both cold and hot smoke and it has worked great.
• I chose not to use a hot plate because I did not think it would create enough heat to get the temperatures up to the 225 range very quickly.  However my smoke chamber is 24" x 20" x 48".  I really like the propane heater from Northern tools.  You could always start with a hot plate and adjust if it does not generate the heat you want.  I have read that others have done that.
• I don't really know about the propane creating water vapor being a problem.  I have a water pan in my smoker so I am already producing some water vapor. If leave the pan dry I still don't seem to have a problem.  I just finished a batch of jerky without any water in the pan and did not see any vapor problems.  I think the key is to have good ventilation.

Take a look at my build.  I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/newestpost/137407

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/newestpost/136296

Wazoo

 

[jrk2119]

Wazoo, your build looks exactly like what I want to build. Thanks for the reply