Mini Smoke House??

[jarjarchef]

I am going to give smoking some cheese a try tonight and am looking at doing jerky, snack sticks and other low temp smoked items down the road. I do not have a need for a smoke house the size I have seen posted. I was thinking of something that is more of a 4'x2'x2' range at the biggest, that I can move around fairly easy by myself. The size will really be determined by the racks i can find that are premade. I have a shed that I want to store it in when not in use for now. I was thinking of a MES 40, but for the cost of shipping I can build one of my own.

I figured that I could pull info from some of the builds for the design.

But I do have a few questions:

Air flow... Is there a formula to figure the openings based on the cook chamber size? I know for RF smokers there is, but did not see anything for smoke houses.

Heat element...... Want to run with electric. Figure to small for propane..... What are the thoughts on a hot plate. Might be able to use it to keep the chips smoldering....

Interior lining......... I have seen some with metal, but most are just bare wood... I was thinking bare wood that has been rubbed with mineral oil to help seal it. Did not think paint or a chemical sealer would be a good thing for the inside...


Thank you for your time and willingness to share your knowledge and experience.

 

[damon555]

I am just about finished building one that is exactly the size that you are looking for. I still need to put a small roof on it and determine how I'm going to add air flow through the bottom. The plan is to use a hotplate to get the temps where they need to be (70-170+/-) but I have yet to test the elcheapo heat source that I bought so the jury is still out on that.

I designed it on the fly with some untreated lumber that a friend of mine gave me. There was a lot of standing and staring trying to figure out the next step but I'm very happy with how it turned out. The outside will get painted but the inside will remain as is since I'm not looking to add any toxins or bad juju to the finished product. I'll be futzing around with it today so I'll post some pics for you.

 

[smokinhusker]

Can't help you out with any of your questions but Damon, post up some pics of what you built. I'm interested!

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I too am looking at building a dedicated  "cold" smokehouse. I haven't decided on the actual size yet. I really would like a walk-in smokehouse, but I'd have to live in it... So I was thinking 2'x3'x4'. Small hot plate for temp control. After reading all the MES low temp no smoke issues, and having experienced that in my GOSM, I built a smoke generator which I documented in my thread Cheesus! I like it and it produces the TBS, but It also requires power to work. So I recently ordered the Amaze-n-tube-smoker from Todd. Which showed up yesterday (3 days to get from one side on the country to the other, that's Amazing!!). I have a modified mailbox that I plan on sticking on the back or side for a smoke chamber. For venting I plan on going with a similar setup as my GOSM. It is about the same size. Has two vents on at the bottom, one each side and one at the top. For the side vents I will drill 4 holes 1", then put a cutout wood cover also with 4 1" holes. Will look similar to the Weber or other charcoal grill wheel vents. The top I plan to use a 4" metal stack from a gas water heater (I already have it).  I may throw a damper in it, but I'm not sure it is really necessary as I'm trying to not trap heat, and I want good airflow. I should also mention that I plan on using solid wood not plywood for the construction. Plywood and OSB can off gas from the glues, so I want to avoid that.

 

[jarjarchef]

The plywood glue giving oder or flavor? This was the first i read of that. It makes since, but how much of a risk is it? Most of the builds i have seen are out of plywood and the only concern i have seen is pressure treated or pressed board are not advised.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I would say both, kind of like the galvanized metal debate here, or the plastic lined refer/freezer debate. I work in the building industry and we have lots of green builds going on now and one of the more requested items is that we do not use OSB and that we use low or no VOC paints. Here's a good article that explains a bit about the off gassing of plywood and OSB:

http://www.pathnet.org/sp.asp?id=24253

Formaldehyde is used in the resins (glues) of some manufactured wood products like plywood and particle board. It is know that the exterior grade plywoods off gas less because of the type of formaldehyde used.

 

[damon555]

Ok....here are some pics to give you some idea of what I've completed so far.....It is basically a frameless wooden box.

Here is a shot of the side, part of the door and hinge setup. The hinges are shed or barn door hinges from lowes. I might consider splitting the door into a large upper section and a smaller bottom section if I think it needs to be set up like that. The whole smoker is made from untreated lumber....my buddy who has a saw mill at his farm provided 95% of the wood.

EDL_5477.jpg

• damon555
• Nov 20, 2012

This shot give you some idea how I set up the sides with smaller slats covering the gaps. I didn't want to use any caulk or similar substance and I'm not all that worried about it being perfectly sealed up. As you can see the roof (not covered yet) is a very simple setup of a 2x4 ripped in half on an angle to allow for a slope. I haven't decided what's going to cover it but it will probably be a piece of roofing tin or a covered sheet of plywood.

EDL_5478.jpg

• damon555
• Nov 20, 2012

Here is a better shot of the top vent I came up with. I simply used a 1" wood boring bit and drilled 4 holes similar to the ones in my WSM. I've placed a piece of mesh over it to keep the critters out because I don't plan on closing it. I figured that if it works so good on the WSM it should work fine for this application too. If need be I'll be able to cover a hole or 2 during the smoke to control draft. Notice the bent nails used to hold the mesh down? This wood is very, very dense and I couldn't get them in any farther....lol

EDL_5479.jpg

• damon555
• Nov 20, 2012

Here is a shot of the inside...Notice that there isn't a frame....I built the wall and top/bottom panels and fastened them to each other at the edges. I did place a 2x4 across the front to add a little stability....but she's pretty stout. 3 of the 2x4's on the left were positioned so that the hinge fasteners had extra wood to grab on to...this worked out pretty good. In hind sight I should have laid them on their sides so that I didn't need to fuss about rack size so much...as it turned out I needed to build those particular rack supports a little different from the way I wanted them. The one just above the middle section is the way they all should have been. The whole rack situation turned out to be more difficult than I thought....being the cheapskate that I am I couldn't figure out what to use for racks....then it struck me.....make it so you can use the racks from the WSM.....it's a bit like putting a round peg in a square hole but it actually works out pretty good. If I stumble on to a better rack system for cheap I'll pick it up.

EDL_5482.jpg

• damon555
• Nov 20, 2012

It does not bulge in the middle like the pic shows....that's just distortion from the camera lens....

The door will be held closed by those latches that you use for fences or outbuildings.

And lastly, I wasn't sure what to set the whole thing on. After a little hemming and hawing I decided that the $1.50 cinder blocks from lowes will work perfectly....They sit in the back of the truck until I get the smoker finished.

EDL_5483.jpg

• damon555
• Nov 20, 2012

All the fasteners are stainless steel. The wood is so dense that I needed to drill pilot holes for almost everything. I used store bought wood for the door to keep it square to ensure that it closes perfectly. One other thing I need to do is vent the bottom portion. I think removing a small portion from the bottom of the middle board on the door is what I'll do. I'll run cords and such through there too.

This whole project was done on a whim. I am using my WSM for cold smoking and it works just fine but I wanted something more dedicated to the cold smoking process. It has really been fun to think this out and I sure hope that all the time and effort that I put into it will pay off.

I'll be happy to answer any question that folks have but like I said....it's really nothing more than a frameless box with airflow and rack space taken into consideration....My wife likes it some much she wants me to build something similar to use as a chest at the foot of the bed!

 

[frosty]

I like it, very well done! 

 

[jarjarchef]

Very nice. Thank you for sharing...

I was at Lowes today looking at the tongue and grove boards. It looks like that are not finished with anything. I was not going to frame it out other than using the shelf rails to hold it together while I use the brad nail gun to shoot it together. I was also going to use the high heat silicone to seal the joints as well. The top looking at a 3" vent with cover and splitting the roof into 2 or 3 pieces so it opens for easier loading of the sausages or snack sticks. For heat still looking at a hot plate and for smoke one of Todd's mazes. For the racks I am going to Wally world to see what they have in cake cooling racks and go from there, maybe 2x wide. Will figure that out as I go.

My wife thinks I am nuts for wanting to build this. She is asking me about the RF project. Well it is on hold till we get the money for the plate. But I need and want both..... :biggrin:

 

[daveomak]

Jeramy, morning..... Are you building 2 smokers at the same time ???  Is that what I read ???  Holy Cow man, you have a good woman who will put up with that..  

 

[jarjarchef]

Jeramy, morning..... Are you building 2 smokers at the same time ???  Is that what I read ???  Holy Cow man, you have a good woman who will put up with that..  :77:

This one was to be a a play thing to hold me over till I get the money together for the trailer build. The one we have been talking about is an emergency replacement for my Char Griller that is unecpectantly on its last leg.......

But I have a great wife who loves smoked foods. Besides I put up with her trying to create a mini petting zoo.....

 

[humdinger]

Nice pics. Thanks for posting.

 

[toddzio]

Did you ever figure out the correct opening sizes for your smokehouse?  I was thinking about making one about 3x3x2 out of some sheets of hardyboard and some lumber I have laying around.  Using a hot plate as a heat source and AMPS for smoke.
 

 

[jarjarchef]

Did you ever figure out the correct opening sizes for your smokehouse?  I was thinking about making one about 3x3x2 out of some sheets of hardyboard and some lumber I have laying around.  Using a hot plate as a heat source and AMPS for smoke.

 

I was planning on using some plywood for the box. After hearing of possible issues of the glues and making people sick. I have put it on hold. I have to make a new hot smoker at this time. My current one is dying a slow, but quick death. I am currently looking for a 110ish gallon tank to build a new RF smoker.

 

[toddzio]

Better safe than sorry.   I know my hardybacker is safe for use in interior spaces as a fireplace surround, so I believe I am safe.

I guess I will just have to wing the rest.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Here is a Pic of Pops Smoke House and he does Both Hot and cold smokes in this. It is unlined Plywood and has been used heavily for a long time. I highly doubt you will have anything to worry about especially if just used for Cold/Warm Smokes...JJ

Here is a link to the full build...http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/88853/found-a-burner-for-smokehouse

 

[toddzio]

If a smoke house can be majestic, that one sure is!
 

 

[jarjarchef]

Better safe than sorry.   I know my hardybacker is safe for use in interior spaces as a fireplace surround, so I believe I am safe.

I guess I will just have to wing the rest.

I was planning on using the tonge and groove boards and designing the depth and width around the cake cooling racks I can get at Wally World (16x20). I was thinking using 2 wide on the inside. I was going to make it no more than 4' high. The top will be able to open as well as the front. The top so it is easier to load hanging rods for sausage and snack sticks. I am planning on using a AMNPS for the smoke and a hot plate for heat when needed.

Rough inside dimensions 36"W x 24"D x 48"T

2 doors (12" Bottom door and 36" top door)

Bottom Plate to shield the hot plate and AMNPS from the drippings

5 Shelved for cheese, jerky and what not..

1 set of rod holders about 3" from the top...

I will make one of these eventually, but need to figure out my other smoker issues first....

 

[jarjarchef]

I have made a date with my daughter to make a smokehouse with her in a month. I figure I would seal the wood on the inside with some mineral oil. But my question is the outside of it. Can I paint it or will I run a chance of contaminating the food?

 

[jarjarchef]

Here is the thread for the build....

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

It was a great Daddy Daughter Day!!!