# Dedicated whiskey barrel COLD smoker



## knuckle47

Hi Gang,
I have looked in quite a few places but still have not gotten an answer to building the whiskey/wine barrel cold smoker.  Was going to use a smoke daddy but read a few idea on different places and I'm thinking the amnps is a better way to go.

Regardless, how is a smoker of this design laid out?  The lid is pictured all over but the insides ....hmmm

Do I rest the amnps on a few bricks inside and then stack a few shelves?  Or use the smoke daddy piped in?

This will be used for mostly hard cheeses and IN THE FALL / WINTER temps are the biggest reason

Thanks


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## driedstick

The whiskey barrel idea sounds great I would go with the amps and put it on bricks like you said, remember you will need a few holes or some kind of a draft in the bottom to keep it going. Would really like to see pics of this when you are done. Good Luck


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## timberjet

I saw some wooden keg taps on ebay once that would make a really cool damper. glad you started another thread about this. mine went nowhere for some reason.


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## timberjet

I had an old big cheif smoker a long time ago that had a four shelf liftout rack deal. would be pretty cool to build something like that, you could lift out the whole shebang. I really liked that smoker. sadly the ex has it.


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## knuckle47

Funny you say that timberjet,  it was your post that I was reading and with no replies, I essentially re-posted.  

It seems kind of simple, seems like any container would provide a space for the smoke to pass thru the cheeses.  The wooden barrel has a sort of built in charm and with a few creative details, it would look pretty.

My fear as a novice is.... Something crazy is going to be happening that I have no clue about !  :biggrin:


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## oregon smoker

knuckle47 said:


> Hi Gang,
> I have looked in quite a few places but still have not gotten an answer to building the whiskey/wine barrel cold smoker. Was going to use a smoke daddy but read a few idea on different places and I'm thinking the amnps is a better way to go.
> 
> Regardless, how is a smoker of this design laid out? The lid is pictured all over but the insides ....hmmm
> 
> Do I rest the amnps on a few bricks inside and then stack a few shelves? Or use the smoke daddy piped in?
> 
> This will be used for mostly hard cheeses and IN THE FALL / WINTER temps are the biggest reason
> 
> Thanks


Just my thoughts.... it would be difficult to work/refill if everything is stacked in the barrel so an outside source of smoke might simplify things. just for reference i have both Todd's AMS (shavings) and Dennis's Smoke Daddy (big Kahuna) so i can have choices depending on my needs. i could see a few holes at the bottom (for draft) and set it up for either one. i do like the thought of a barrel the key would be figuring out a door in the side for access and stay sealed as well. a little copper or stainless can resolve most issues. again just my thoughts.

Tom


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## knuckle47

Nice thoughts Tom,

I was thinking about a side door.  The nature of the barrel construction dictates securing the whole thing before cutting, I'm guessing sealing it will be a chore but can be done, and a good set of latches will keep it closed, maybe even flat gaskets against the door seam.

I am wondering how much of the bottom to leave in place.  If it had two racks like a 22 in the near middle and an 18 above, it would hold enough for my needs and I can still leave 12" or so intact for brick below the pellet tray and a few holes for draft or a smoke daddy...

Hmmm..nice job, I think I have a plan!


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## oregon smoker

anchor (from the inside) the metal prior to cutting the door,,,,sealing another thought.

good luck and progress on this endevor, it is why we play

tom


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## knuckle47

Tom,  should this barrel idea disintegrate into a woody mess, what would a good suggestion be for using another equally sized vessel for cheese smoking... Maybe just build a miniature cedar smokehouse?  Make it like a model doll house with small attractive details but the inside is really just a bunch of small racks?


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## driedstick

Maybe something like this huh?? you could use the spicket on the bottom as a draft  - just an Idea for ya. You could also set it on end???













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__ driedstick
__ Nov 19, 2013


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## knuckle47

So, can you hear the gears in my head spinning?  Is this something you made?  I like it a lot .  We used to  make wine with my Italian grandmother ...much of the stuff I have here is still left from 20 years ago. 

 The last wine barrel was emptied about 5 yrs ago.  I thinking of trying the grape crushers to try and bring the corn cobs into smaller pieces for smoking.  I know about the other woods, dust and pellets but where we lived up north, cob smoke is on a ton of stuff.  So, that's where I going once we get up and running.

  Temps are supposed to be in the thirties next week....seems like a good way to keep temps below 90 inside the barrel.


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## donr

Are you removing the bottom of the barrel?

If you are, I would put the barrel on 1/2" strips of wood, then put the AMNS on bricks.  You could rig up something with a screen around it to keep uninvited guests out.

I think the biggest issue would be setting up the shelves.  I have an electric bullet smoker.  Snaking the shelves down inside is a tricky, especially if I am smoking Salt & Pepper (things that move).  If you use the lift out shelving idea someone mentioned, you could just lift the barrel off to refill.  You could have two lids, one solid for when you are not smoking, the other would have the damper built into it with some sort of rain guard.


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## knuckle47

Donr,

More great ideas.   Lifting the barrel is going to be a problem as it weighs more every day ( I'm getting older ) but the shelves will be easier.  I believe I can take out the bottom as you say and hinge the barrel in half from the middle up and even make a non flammable rolling base.


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## dirtsailor2003

I added the video because its pretty funny! I hope he doesn't burn down his house!

There are quite a few resources for charcoal and electric Whiskey/wine barrel smokers. Several companies that produce the electric whiskey barrel smokers. Here's some ideas for cold smokers and openings:













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__ dirtsailor2003
__ Nov 22, 2013






Flip side opening with bradley smoke generator. It seems to me that this type of opening would be best for cold smoking, since you are not worried about losing heat. I prefer cold smoking in my GOSM since the door is easier to load than say the UDS. I used to have a top loading big chief and I hated it compared to the front load Big Chief.













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__ dirtsailor2003
__ Nov 22, 2013


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## knuckle47

Tomorrow is Saturday... Don't call be for 4:30 pm,  it's still light outside and I'll be busy cutting away at the barrel.   Gotta few ideas and will post progress


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## driedstick

So???? Hows it going??


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## knuckle47

Well, loaded question... But it is going well.  I had to secure each metal ring to each barrel stave and do it so it would have some level of cosmetic symmetry.  That took some time and I was working outside on a very cold windy weekend.  So it slowed down more then I figured .  Cut a front loading door  on it to get better loading access .  I also had to replace one barrel stave and I was lucky to have had several broken up barrels and saved the wood for the fire. So I had some that fit well.

I am probably cutting the bottom off and building a large rolling and supporting plate to rest the barrel on and place the amnps onto. If it fails to work, I can re attach the bottom and try a smoke daddy piped into it or just lay the cut end of the barrel onto the round steel plate to seal it off to a small degree.  The stack is my only real next guess....size and length 

I'll get a few pictures up shortly but Sunday was all ready planned so nothing got done and this week is tying up a bunch off things with the Thanksgiving holiday in a few days.  I may not be able to get going again til Friday afternoon


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## dirtsailor2003

Since you are cold smoking all you really need is a 3" hole in the too for e vent. Putting a short pipe on it will allow you to cap it to keep rain out. That is how me UDS is set up and it has no problems drawing. I open all of my lower vents when cold smoking to get a good draft. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## knuckle47

Dirtsailor2003,

About how big are your bottom vents?  Are you thinking that they only need to be as big as to top hole can vent out?  Good Information, thanks by the way


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## dirtsailor2003

knuckle47 said:


> Dirtsailor2003,
> 
> About how big are your bottom vents?  Are you thinking that they only need to be as big as to top hole can vent out?  Good Information, thanks by the way


I have 3 1" valves on my UDS. I use the smoker for hot smoking too, so I need to be able to close them to control the heat. In a situation like yours, you could leave them wide open all the time. Good air circulation is important for cold smoking.


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## knuckle47

So, here is my update.  I have more for the cosmetics to finish up but honestly the barrel has been running the last few days ... Sort of like having the radio on while your working.  I am finishing up my trailer RF tank and FB so while working on it, I was enjoying having something running...the smoke smelled nice...like the scent of fall

Here's the progress













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__ knuckle47
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It seems to be running very well, temps inside are below 90 and at rack two 21" above the burning pellets it run just under 80 degrees


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## knuckle47

This barrel was taken apart to replace a rotten bottom and 4 broken staves. Reassembly went well and it is very tight.  Used rough saw maple for the door frame and doors the tray was loaded with only 1 row of pellets.  1 day corn cob, 1 day maple, 1 day cherry....the row consistently burned for about 3 plus hours each time.  No food in it yet but this weekend will see its first cheeses and some home cured bacon.


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## smokingohiobutcher

Hey knuckle 47,

Been following your build for a while, I really like your design, trying to find a barrel around me to make into a cold smoker for cheese.

Keep up the great work.

SOB


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## driedstick

Knuckle,,,,, Looking great, What are you going to use for racks, wonder if some weber round ones will work, can't wait to see the cheese and bacon..


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## knuckle47

Thank you all for the nice comments.  As for the racks, they are replacement racks for the Weber grill I bought at Lowe's .  I have the 2 large ones about 22" or so and the smaller 18"..  A total of 3 racks in all...mounting them this weekend and running the smoker for some cheese.  I don't really know how much adjustment it will all require but it does seem to be working well on its own.  I really believe I got plain old lucky.  I am hoping that this style of door access will eliminate the need to pull out the racks to load them in a top loading barrel.


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## dirtsailor2003

I see you put in at least 4 air intakes at the bottom. What did you do for the exhaust at the top?


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## knuckle47

Yep, those are hard to see but there are  5   3/4" holes  that I can plug with a tapered dowel if needed and the top has a 3  1/2" stack about 22" long.  I was not able to find any details on the intakes to stack but I did read a change of "air" in the tank of about 30 cuft per minute.  I know it sounds weird but when I light it up and look at the smoke, I visualize a box about 30 cuft in size and see if that much smoke is passing thru.

Certainly seems like it.   Internal temps are ok at 50 outside so i just keep monitoring and trying


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## knuckle47

Today was the first cheeses smoke and it is much cooler out than yesterday.  My internal temps at 3 hours were barely 60, smoke billowing out nice and thin and the amnps doing it thing perfectly.  

I read Mr. T's tutorial and have a quick question:  is it best to let the cheese sit at room temp for a day and then vacuum seal or just vacuum seal once it's a few hours out of the smoker and then lose it in the refrigerator for a month?


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## dirtsailor2003

I let mine rest in the fridge for a day sometimes two, prior to vacuum packing.


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## mr t 59874

knuckle47 said:


> Today was the first cheeses smoke and it is much cooler out than yesterday. My internal temps at 3 hours were barely 60, smoke billowing out nice and thin and the amnps doing it thing perfectly.
> 
> I read Mr. T's tutorial and have a quick question: is it best to let the cheese sit at room temp for a day and then vacuum seal or just vacuum seal once it's a few hours out of the smoker and then lose it in the refrigerator for a month?


Your temps are perfect, good job.

The reason for letting your cheese sit before vacuum sealing or waxing is to allow the moisture (if any) evaporate naturally.  No need to refrigerate the hard cheeses if kept at or below 70°.

You may find the following helpful also.My Cold Smoking Options w/Q - View, AMNPS & Smoke Daddy Myths?,  Understanding Smoke Management - updated 5/18/13

Enjoy your cheese.

Tom


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## knuckle47

Mr. T, thank you for the quick answer....you should know that I have read your posts as if I was studying for a CIA exam.  Your words of experience have gotten me this far and it has proven to be perfect!

Thanks again


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## knuckle47

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__ knuckle47
__ Dec 7, 2013






The finished cheese.  Sharp cheddar and ready to sit for the next month or so


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## 801driver

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__ 801driver
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__ 801driver
__ Jan 16, 2014






I had posted this on another thread, but it most likely should have been here.

I thought I should post pictures of my Jack Daniels barrel top loader cold smoker I built 35 or so years ago.  Someone was selling them off a trailer for $20 on the corner of the Safeway parking lot.  They were fresh, it sure smelled good on the deck in the summer for several years.

I have three perforated metal racks with 3/8 SS tubing rack holder pins that I can slide out to access the lower racks.  The smoke generator is an old metal milk box with a hinged lid vented on the end with a single wall 6 in metal stove pipe feeding into the bottom of the barrel.  I have a small 220 V electric cook stove element inside and at 110V it heats the small chunks of hickory placed on it, I unplug it when it seems to be getting too hot to prevent flaming.  I also have a small propane burner I can add to the bottom of the barrel if I am smoking jerky to help dry it.  I use larger wood chunks to cover the bung holes.  Yes it has dried out and leaks smoke most everywhere, but still does the job.  I try to remember to pour some water in it every once in a while.  Can’t begin to guess how many hundreds of pounds of bacon, cheese, and jerky have been smoked in it.

Doing 5 lbs of packaged bacon with extra ground pepper, 4 pounds of cheese sliced about 3/8 in sliced from bricks, and a dozen pealed eggs with hickory today. 

We are having fun and making good stuff.


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## mr t 59874

I absolutely love it.  Good job.

Tom


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