# Homemade smoker with a potbelly stove



## smokeitupbbq (Dec 14, 2011)

Hey fellas, Making a homemade smoker from an old potbelly stove, going to run stove pipe up to a plywood box with racks inside of it and a basic door with a latch and going to have a vent on top of that for a smoke escape with a damper on that. Now my question is what should i insulate the inside of my plywood box with to hold heat and smoke?? any ideas would be great! Thanks.


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## sunman76 (Dec 14, 2011)

sounds like fun.. I would use some alum to line it with if i was building one!


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## mballi3011 (Dec 14, 2011)

Now this sounds interesting but where are the pictures ? Now I'm thinking some tin would work also.


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## cowgirl (Dec 14, 2011)

I would line it too... Some plywood glues and gunk aren't great to have around food.


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## exhaustedspark (Dec 14, 2011)

What you are describing is arguably the greatest design for smoking meats there is.

Check out http://www.wedlinydomowe.com  for some great info.

As far as insulation goes that depends on how cold out side is and how much heat you want to trap in side. We tend to want one thing does all and i don't believe BBQ and Smoked meats are necessarily one and the same. My smoker i do not want over 170*

Just plain wood has been used for centuries and is still great. I would just go with wood.

Any way have fun.

Love the idea.

Karl


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## smokeitupbbq (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks for the ideas, Yeah i'll take pictures and post soon. That is a good idea, just lining the inside of the box with flash tin? i believe it would hold the heat and smoke pretty good.


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## SmokinAl (Dec 14, 2011)

Sounds like a great project.


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## smokeitupbbq (Dec 14, 2011)

Smokin al, Been wanting to ask you how you smoke your pizza? my wife and i love to make homemade pizza and that would just top the cake to smoke it!!


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## venture (Dec 14, 2011)

I just wanna see pics.

I love those old stoves?

Good luck and good smoking.


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## eat my smoke (Oct 4, 2013)

I'm doing a similar build using a #20 ranger wood stove mounted on a aluminum cart with a plywood smoker box built around the top of the cart the size of the box 20 " wide x 24" deep and 32 " tall my stve pipe is approx 16" tall going into the center of the bottom of the box and there is a 6 " vent in the top of the box have run two heat cycles without food looks like it will burn around 200 with a 10 degree different5ial from bottom of box to top also i built a diverter over the inlet in the box to keep drippings from going directly in the fire box.With 41 coal brickets and a chunk of hickory ran approx 3 hours at the end of the cycle it was around 160 . still trying to figure venting and temps befor i load with meat or fish.


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## scootermagoo (Oct 4, 2013)

SmokeItUpBbq said:


> Thanks for the ideas, Yeah i'll take pictures and post soon. That is a good idea, just lining the inside of the box with flash tin? i believe it would hold the heat and smoke pretty good.


...just as long as it's NOT galvanized.  Stainless is the way I'd go.


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