# Electric Smoker Modifications



## Dutch

Folks, Here's your chance to post the modifications and (hopefully) pictures of what you did to your smoker to make it work better. This topic will remain as a sticky so all the new folks don't have to hunt to far to find it.


----------



## canuck

:?: 
To date all I have managed to do is ruin some very good venison.
I have a little chief smoker and I know I have to do some modifications 
to it but I dont know what to do.
As far as I can see I need some kind of temp control and
some kind of thermometer.
Any kind of help would be great.

Thanks Canuck


----------



## smoked

one of the things to keep in mind with the luhr jensen products is that they are uninsulated and thusly are very ambient temp dependent......look at the mod I did for the big chief above on adding a temp readout, I ran this thing with ambient temp around 55 and the highest it ever got was 130, and as one would imagine, as the ambient temp dropped...so did the internal temp.  They do sell a insulating blanket, but I think it's only for the big chief.....not sure, you would have to check.  To be honest, the best mod you could do is really look into buying a bigger better insulated smoker.....it's what I finally did and damn glad....best 199.99 I've spent in years to be honest......


----------



## teacup13

i take no credit for this one but thought i would share it just the same so people didnt have to go searching for it...


----------



## payson

Very nice! Short of E-Bay, are bulb and capillary type thermostats readily available at places like Lowes? Might have to do something like this over the weekend!


----------



## kookie

Hi everyone. 

I am a newbie and I am just getting started with modding my Little Cheif. I just got it last week. I picked it up used for $30 bucks. It was only used a couple of times. Right now I am working on making a temp control for it. I am going to try and use a control for an electric frying pan. I figured all I need to do is add a female three prong pluggin coming from the inside of the control unit. When I get it done and going I will let you know how it works and post some pics hopefully. I am also planning on making a box to go around the smoker and insulate it and also expand the smoking space. Hopefully this will help keep it warmer and easier to control the temp and be able to use it when its cold outside. We will have to see how it works. But what the heck I like diy projects sometimes they are half the fun.


----------



## kookie

Well I started to make my temp control for my little cheif today. I got a control/cord unit for an electric frying pan. It's one with the temp probe sticking out of the front of the unit. I took it apart and wired in a pig tail with a female cord end on it and I then reassemblied it to test it out. I plugged my toaster into the pig tail and then plugged the temp control into the wall and turned it on and started the toaster and held the probe over the toaster. I worked great it shut off when it reached the set temp. I can't wait to get it fine tuned and try it out on the smoker. I will let you know how it goes. 
One other mod that I did last weekend is turn my racks into jerky screens/racks. I took the original racks and I got 4 disposable grill screens from wally world for like a buck a peice. I then cut the screens to fit and folded the edges over the rack. Now I can make ground jerky sticks on them. Later everyone smoke on.....

Attachment 9112

Attachment 9113

Attachment 9114


----------



## teacup13

sounds like a good thing you came up with... the only fear i would have is burning the element out... i am not exactly sure what would be the rating for them


----------



## kookie

The element in my little cheif I believe is a 250 watt one. But I figure if it burns out then I will just step up to the one for the big chief, its a 450 watt one and both replacement elements are the same price. But I know what your saying, I thought about that too at first. We will see what happens. thanks


----------



## cheech

Kookie your avatar made me laugh out loud. That is great.


----------



## hhersh

I have a red Brinkmann Gourmet just like the one above that has had a thermostat added. I would like to find out if adding a platform above the heating coil would work ? As it is now, to add chips you must carefully reach thru that small door and place them around the heater coil w/o touching it ( a vey tricky undrtaking). Any ideas ?


----------



## deejaydebi

make a chip shoot?


----------



## teacup13

you could take a piece of flexible metal duct, cut it to the size you want, bend it to the shape you want, feed it through the door, drop your wood chips or chunks down the venting and eliminating getting burnt


----------



## alexlonebear

Hey Teacup13, the thermostat you showed a photo of seems like a great idea..  Do you have any information on how and where they mounted the probe.  I added a temp gauge to mine.  It lets me keep it at a steady temp but pluging and unpluging it is a bit of a pain.


----------



## ajthepoolman

I am lazy, I dump my chips (soaked or not) directly on the element.  I bought it used, so what the hell.

The wind keeps knocking my Brinkman over, so I don't even have any of the lava rocks left.  

I think that the greatest improvement that could be made to the Brinkman is a locking ring of so sort that would allow you to pick up the entire unit and move it.  As it is now, the bottom portion stays while the torso of the unit comes right off.  A way to set the torso on the base, twist to lock, and then pick up and move would be awesome.

Aj


----------



## bbq bubba

Keep it simple, loose the chips and use chunks, they'll last a lot longer, and to reload just lift the whole body off, all the heat stays in the smoker


----------



## ajthepoolman

I would bet that something like the pie racks pictured below would work for you.  It is sort of hard to tell in the picture, but the one on the right is about 4 inches high whereas the rack on the left is about 2 inches high.  

Either way, it would get the wood off the element.  

I plan on using one of them next time I smoke something.  They have little white plastic feet on them that will probably have to burn off before I use them.  

Might look around and see if you can find something like these.  I picked them up at a garage sale.

Aj


----------



## ajthepoolman

As it turns out, those little white feet are ceramic, but I smacked them with a hammer and got rid of them just in case.  

I ended up using the shorter of the two pie racks.  The pegs for the feet were about 2 1/2 inches off the ground, so it rested perfectly just above the heating element.  I ended up making a pouch of foil and stuffing it with soaked cherry and oak chips.  Interestingly, the smoke rolled furiously for about an hour then quit.  But 2 hours later, the smoke was back to a constant heavy roll.  I am not sure why, but it seemed like the chips burned off in stages.  Kind of weird.  Might have something to do with the soaking.  I'll try dry chips next time and see how it does.

Anyway, for the brinkman owners looking for a solution, try to find a pie rack like the ones pictured above.  The diameter of the rack fits perfectly within the bottom of the Brinkman smoker.  And the rack was less than an inch off the heating element.  

Aj


----------



## snowman11

New member...

I've got an old little cheif that I've been smoking in.  I tried it out in the back yard on a sunny day, got it up to 150.  So, I built a plywood box to put it in.  Today, a 40 degree and windy day, I got it up to 160...which was a chore.  That little 250 watt element is worthless.  I ended up finishing my jerky in the oven (not a big deal).  I'm heading to the store tomorrow for a hotplate.

The thing to remember about thermostats, they turn the elements on and off...not a big deal at high temperatures, unless your element is too large for your smoker.  Then you are going to get up to temperature, your element is going to shut off, if you are insulated well, you are going to hold at temperature for a while, and your electric fire will go out.  By the time it comes back on, you will have cooked devoid of smoke for ten minutes.  Learned that the hard way.  Guess if you had decent draft through the smoker, it wouldn't be an issue, but if you had decent draft, you could just adjust your temperature by adjusting your draft.  

Anyway, you can get cheap thermocouple digital controllers on Ebay if you have any electrical background.  That's what I use, more as a temperature gauge than a control.


----------



## cheech

snowman in order to help with the cooking with out smoke part you can always add a briquet that has been started in the skillet or wood pan. I will do this in order to keep the smoke going


----------



## deejaydebi

I do that too when doing cooler smokes


----------



## kookie

I am working on boosting my lil cheif's output. I removed the lil 250 watt element and I am sticking in a 1000 watt element. And if the still isn't enough I am making sure the I can stick the 250 watt elememt back in and use both elements together. So hopefuly along with my temp control and the insulated enclosure that I made will let me smoke this winter when it gets cold here. Well thats all I am working on for now. Love the site. Always looking for new ideas. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.


----------



## kookie

Well I just wanted to update from my last post. I got my new element installed in the little cheif and I decided to leave the original 250 watt element inside and hooked up. So with the new element and the original element I will have a total of 1250 watts to heat the smoker. I am planning on most of the time of only using the 1000 watt element. And using the 250 watt when I need a boost. With the new element my temp control works great, it gives me good control on temps. Now I just need the time to do some smoking again. Maybe this coming weekend. Merry Christmas everyone.

Kookie


----------



## thevulgarcowboy420

hi do u happen to know what brand/make and model it is. im looking for 1 and it would be a big help


----------



## morkdach

this is my third smoker i have built each time i try to make it tighter better door gap and seals made vents tight when closed.this last one worked great when seasoning it temp was 70 to 75 outside smoker run at 230.
had several good smokes out of it till christmas day it was a little breezy and 20 outside temp. max smoker temp i could reach was 190 after 6 hours of head scratching and more charcoal then i have ever used i shut er down. then da the good seasoning made it even tighter. i open bottom vent today outside temp 24 smoker 290 way to hot ,vented down, thru on fresh turkey and away we go. got on ebay bid on electric oven thermostat 17 amp contacts. i run a 750 watt element this will handle 1500 watt no problem. so thanks teacup13 info was great.


----------



## duffygould

can't find a thermost, need help


----------



## morkdach

just playing with this idea but i think it will work have several more mods to do .


----------



## jmcrabb

Has anyone tried using a dimmer-type control?  You'd be able to provide constant heat, while keeping the temperature from getting too high.  The only con is that you'd have to monitor the temperature and adjust as needed, but once you've got it tweaked, it should work.  Once I get my smoker cleaned up and cured, I'll know whether or not I'll need to install any kind of controls, but I have a feeling I will.

Jim


----------



## woodruff

I just learned over the weekend that if you purchase a temp control sensor for an electric over ( G.E. ) or other famous brands, you can place this unit inline with your hot plate or other burner and it will heat up to desired temp and then shut itself off till more heat is needed, you still have a small amount of heat coming from the wood/charcoal to help maintain temp. the black jack smoker i just got has this unit in it and im told it works very well. he also said to use a heavy duty drop cord to supply power so you dont loose petential power to the element. ill track to parts needed to do so and post them later


----------



## jmcrabb

I was pursuing this issue the other day, looking at Home Depot for something to use to regulate the voltage, rather than to turn it on and off.  I looked at the light dimmers, but the highest-rated one I could find was only 600W, and that's not gonna work.  I talked to an electrician friend of mine, and he said you can get 1500-2000W or so rated dimmers, but they're up there in price ($100-$150).  As I looked around HD, I found a "mechanical" electric baseboard thermostat.  By the way it looks, it's just a high wattage dimmer - no temp settings, just higher and lower.  Fortunately, my smoker doesn't get overly hot, so I don't need one, but it's an option for anyone who might need some sort of control over their temperature, but doesn't want to worry about not having consistent smoke.

Jim


----------



## woodruff

HI Jm, i have a buddy that runs a woodshop and as we talked i told him about the quetion as to what would regulate the heat element for us smokers that would be able to hold the power level . he told me to check into a router speed control unit. so i found some a    www.harborfreight.com   router speed controlers with power dial and meter. they areonly  $12.99  and item # is 43060-4yea  . he said it can hold alot of power cause he uses huge  table routers and they perform well. ill call harbor freight and get the  power ratings and a diagram for wireing.   hope this helps


----------



## woodruff

OK friends, i called harbor freight and they dais that the router speed controler would handle peak power of 250 volts which should power any electric element . the technical dept is searching for the shcematics of the item and will  call me back with the breakdown of the information. we are trying to find a watts  handling level and other power related info.


----------



## woodruff

Call from technical support said that the unit would safely handle 15 amps of power and or 250 volts of current, dont know exactly how much the elements will draw but sounds like it would be a good thing to try, if i get to that point with my new Black Jack  electric smoker  i will try one. happy smokin


----------



## bcolins

Any chance you could take some pics of the the inside of your outlet boxes so we could see how you did it?  Also,...how did you mount your temp probe inside the smoker?


----------



## bluezman

I bought that router control. The fuse blew the first time I used it so I put in a higher rated fuse. It worked, but when I picked the unit up to change the setting, it was so hot it burnt my hand. I finally went with a electric oven thermostat.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=6141 Bluezman


----------



## bcolins

I did the same thing for the first use of my smoker.........Lift up the middle and top portions of the smoker using the side handles to replace your wood chips.


----------



## teleburst

My problem with the Brinkmann (as outlined on other threads) is that it definitely cooks at 250-plus. I want to reduce it to around 200. Short of doing the thermostat thing, has anyone tried venting the unit by opening the feed door and cracking the lid a bit? I realize that I'm going to lose some of the smoke, but I got great smoke from just three softball-sized foil wrapped chips (with a few chips thrown on top of the lava rocks during the last hour for good measure). Since that's not a lot of chips, I thought that I could double up on the foil packets and add another three about midway through the cook.

My idea is that by finding the right amount of ventilation, I should be able to regulate the temp downward. Has anyone tried this? It seems like it should work pretty well once the right combination of openings is hit upon. I really want to do a 12 hour smoke of brisket but fear that at the normal temp, it will cook too quickly. Therefore, I want to actually reduce the efficiency while maintaining constant heat to the wood chips.

Plus, it has the value of simplicity and working the smoker much as you would with working with charcoal. I like the idea of using natural processes to control the temp, much as you would with knowing when to add new logs to a wood-fired hearth, or adding new charcoal/wood to a fire.

Ideas/comments/experiences?


----------



## flyin'illini

Teleburst - Welcome to the SMF!    I have put no mods on my ECB electric and only 'vent' to control temps as you are describing.  (side door open and/or by tilting the lid)  I would like to do some of these mods but find just venting is good enough.  I find the steady-state temp depends a lot on the ambient conditions are you in. (wind, outside air temp, etc)   It is steady when the ambient is steady.   You can run this for a long smoke, just get a good thermo to monitor it with and you should fine. 

I agree you get away from the 'set it and forget it mode' more than some think on a day when the external ambient is not steady.    I ended up with a drum since I figured since I was monitoring so much on the ECB elect, I may as well about fire management and get a bit more space.

Hope this helps.
-g


----------



## morkdach

15 amps at 250 volts breaks down to 7.5 amps at 125 volt thats about 900 watts i would not go there.


----------



## mikey

I recently purchased an ecb elec. and had read about the high temps that people were getting. I ran some tests on mine to see if I got the same results. I installed a thermometer after calibrating it in boiling water. I too got the same high heat readings (250-260 degrees). One thing that I noticed was the water pan acts as a heat deflector thus directing the heat up the sides and collecting at the top of the lid. I figured that the temp readings were not reprsentitive of the actual temp on the 2 grills. To confirm my suspicions, I suspended the probe from my Acurite half way between the 2 grills. There was a 20 degree drop in temp than what was showing on the lid thermometer. The Fix: I cut a 4" diameter hole in the lid, as close to the top as possible. By chance, I had an old aluminum coffee percolater, the kind that would go on a propane stove or open fire. The lid to the basket was exactly 4" with a 1/4" lip all the way around. The Test: With the grills and water pan in place (water pan 3/4 full of hot water) and the probe from the Acurite half way between the 2 grills the temp was 225 and with the lid from the coffee basket in place, 238 degrees. The lid from the coffee basket has a boatload of small holes in it, so it vents quite well. Now for the real test: I put a 4lb pork shoulder on the top grill and let it do its thing. 6 1/4 hours later the meat temp was 165 and I finished it off it the oven to 195. The pulled pork was outstanding!!! Mission Accomplished!!! By the way, I smoked the shoulder with the basket lid OUT. The heat was perfect.


----------



## flyin'illini

Nice work, Mikey.  Welcome to the SMF!   Do you have any pics of the mod we could see?

PS - if you did not already, stop by roll call and introduce yourself.  Folks here are nosey.


----------



## mikey

As soon as I get back into town, I'll post some pics of my mod(s). Not exactly rocket science, but it works.


----------



## 99xjlove

Okay guys, first of all I'm 26 yrs old and live in Grand Junction, Colorado. I have been wanting to buy a smoker for the last year or so and up untill now did all of my handy work on a Propane Grill. I ventured out to buy an Electric smoker and ended up with a Big Chief. I should have know by the price that it wasn't what I wanted so I used it about 3 times and decided that I needed more heat and insulation. In original form it gets up to about 165* which is fine for making Jerky or cooking beef. I wanted to broaden my horizons so I began pondering what to do with this halfway smoker. 

I ended up taking the element out of the smoker and eliminating the tabs that hold the element in place. I then proceded to widen the hole in the rear of the smoker so that the electrical receptical from my Presto electric skillet would fit inside with the thermostat on the outside. I am in the process as we speak of smoking a 2.5# london broil for the test run. I also bought the insulation blanket that was made for the Big Chief for extra heat protection. The walls are extremely thin on the Big Chief so this is needed. 

For the first 3 hrs I ran at the full 400* temp that the skillet would allow because this is the only way the wood willl smoke. That gave me a temp at right around 200-215 inside the smoker. I only ran smoke for almost 3hrs and used the rest to slow cook it. Right now I'm getting ready to check the internal temp and hopefully pull the meat. I will post some QVIEW when I'm done. Here are some pics of the modificaions.

Widened the rear hole for the power source.






Front view.


Here it is in my shed because of the wind and a little rain today.


----------



## pops6927

While at Home Depot getting dowel rods for sausage stuffing horn pushers, I got an extra one to do a quick mod to my smoker; drilled two Â½" holes for a Â½" oak dowel so I can hang sausage vs. laying on the racks.  Going to need to plug up the holes during conventional smoking, will probably utilize a couple small corks for it.



Now, looks like I've got some cleaning to do!


----------



## morkdach

heres a door mod to get to coal and chip easy and with out burns to wrist.


----------



## mikey

Some time ago I was fortunate to pick-up 2 Char-Broil wattburners from Home Depot for the bargain basement price of $30.00 for both. The helpfull sales associate even slipped in an extra element w/thermostat. Those of you that have these types of smokers know what a crappy fit the stock lid is since it fits inside the smoker body, and it's even worse if the smoker body has a bit of out of round condition. Being content to not leave well enough alone, I decided to make the bottom the lid. Here are the steps that I did & the final result. This is the bottom with the legs still attached & the element removed.


I used .050 aluminum to plate the leg slots & element locations. Since there was some surface rust I went ahead and removed it. A light coat of cooking oil will go on just prior to this afternoons smoke.



I made a vent from the same .050 aluminum and drilled 2 9/16" holes for vents. Below is the final pic with the handle & vent installed.The lid now fits just like a Weber which is much better. This should work like a champ and I'll soon find out when the tri-tip & chicken thighs go on shortly. Thanks for lookin' & Happy Smokin' Saturday to all.


----------



## goose482

I currently own a Brinkmann stand up charcoal smoker. I am being forced to convert it to electric as I just moved to a condo. How should I go about it? I am not very interested in purchasing a Brinkmann electric converter as it costs about as much as i paid for the original smoker. 

I have seen a few people on the web talk about using a 1000W hot plate to heat a cast iron pan full of wood chips. Are there any draw backs? Could the hot plate melt? Also, one of these posts recommended detaching the heat element from the base controls.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## rooriders

Jim:

I picked one of these up, but not sure how to wire it. There are four leads coming off the thermostat: two reds, two blacks. Here's a link to the installation instrux: http://www.cadetco.com/support/ownersguides/1017.pdf

Would appreciate any help. Hoping to smoke a turkey for Thansgiving.

Thanks in advance.

roorider


----------



## beer-b-q

Hi rooriders,  first let me welcome you to SMF and suggest that you stop in the roll call thread and introduce yourself and tell us a little about your experience an equipment...

That will give everyone a chance to properly welcome you...


Next, the thermostat you have looks to me that it will only go to 80º...


----------



## bud lite

Assuming you are using 110 volts and not 220 volts....
I would use illustration T410A as it is simpler and will get the job done.
T1 and L1 is probably red.  Black not used.

If that makes no sense, buy someone a 6 pack and have them check it for you.

p.s.  Beer-B-Q is right.  Only goes to 80 degrees.  Ok for smoking cheese.  That's all.


----------



## rooriders

Thanks, Beer-B-Q.

As I understand it, there's no actual temperature sensor on this, and it's merely a high wattage rheostat. I could be wrong, though. Can anyone tell for sure by looking at the manual?


----------



## kozmo

After dealing with my Brinkmann Electric gourmet a few times before I ended up gettting an ECB Brinkmann and then Afterburner, I finally decided to see what could be done about getting the temperature under controll and being able to smoke are more than just one temp with the electric.  Ended up adding a PID Temp Controller, that triggers an SSR and flips the burner on and off and looks way more advanced than it is.  I got the idea here and here is what my setup ended up like.


----------



## xp3

Anybody know what model the presto skillet is that was used in this modification? I did search and did.t find one that had the plugin on that side. Thanks


----------



## br549er1979

I wired an elctric range burner control in line with an extension coord and it controls the temperature perfectly.


----------



## ponsholm

Greetings,

I have been enjoying my Electric Brinkman for a few months now and I truly enjoy it, except the wood cleanup from the lava pan. I decided to make a couple of mods.

Added an aftermarket thermometer from Academy at $9.95 (Yes, I know its not needed but it drives me crazy not knowing)



Then, drilled a few holes in the bottom pan and inserted three bolts, washers, and nuts to hold an old Weber smokey Joe grill grate above the element. Now I just place a foil pan on top of the grate and throw away when used for easy cleanup. Seems to work really well. Happy smoking!


----------



## sweller

Since new, I started putting the chips in a 1-pound coffee can. Position the can so it makes maximum contact with the element. Cleanup involves dumping the ashes in a trash can. The only caveat is the can will *probably* have a plastic label or paint that should be removed (or else ... YUCK!). I do this by "seasoning" the can on the heating element without the barrel or lid. Takes about 10 minutes.

<sarcasm_on>

On a side note, I just love my electric ECB. I can buy three cows, a pig, and a herd of chickens, a truckload of herbs and spices, *AND* a new ECB for the price of a Masterbuilt. And I haven't heard any complaints. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





<sarcasm_off>

Steve in chilly NM


----------



## sweller

Has anyone found a stainless pan that fits the ECB?

I'm using foil, but it's still a PIA...


----------



## iowabowhunter

when you rewire the control which wire is the white and which is black, theres one wire that hooks to the probe, and one that goes to nothin, is the white wire the one that hooks to the probe?


----------



## wingnutt

Dang near cheating!

Hi all.  My name is Steve and I am now a meat smoking addict.  After 25 years of grilling, I finally made the jump into smoking meat and cannot get enough.  Born and raised in southern Tx, i recently moved to Wi.  I currently live in an apartment (after the move) where flame based cookers are not allowed.  Being one that cannot live w/o cooking outside, I bought a Brinkman elec smoker/grill (BES) to get me through and have become quite proficient.  With some wood chips/chunks, you would never know it was electric.

Now to the point....

I have made two mods (non invasive) to my BES.  The first was to add a Weber snap-in thermometer, located between the two racks, to see what my temps really were.  After realizing that the temps were too high for proper smoking (275F), I added the second mod - the temperature controller.  Since the first one is a no-brainer, I will focus on the second.







This controller is wired into a 10Ga GFCI extension chord of about 5' in length.  It uses an Omega lab grade electronic temp control unit to turn a solid state relay (2500W) on/off to hold the temperature (Green temp [225.0] is the target and Red [227.1] is the current temp).  The switch controls the power with three settings ON, OFF or AUTO.  OFF is well... off, duh.  ON is full power w/o interruption if needed.  AUTO lets the controller do its thing.  The green plug/wire is the thermistor and I locate the tip inside the smoker right next to the meat.  The OUTPUT light only lights up when the unit is passing power through - you can watch it pulse while it's holding temp.  

NOTE: This controller has/can be used to control the temp in all kinds of things.  I have used it in a foam hot-box for warming wood and stain before application in a cold basement - a tiny personal heater/fan was the heat source.  Flood lights are also good sources of heat.  The controller can also be programmed to cool something by switching a small A/C unit on/off.







The results are better than I could have imagined.  On a calm day it can hold temp at +/- 0.5F.  The temp varies since the top and bottom of the BES do not form a great seal.  Some fireplace rope around the joints will remedy that.  Basically, it is now a smoke pumping electric oven.  Just set it and forget it.  It does take some of the fun out it, but with two small kids and a picky significant other its perfect for now.


----------



## ms mayhem

Wingnutt, I sent you a PM.

I've been looking online to see if I could buy a temperature controller.  I thought I had one in the Brewer's Edge E54, but after calling them I found out that the max operating temperature was 200 F.  I would love to build one of those, if it wasn't too terribly difficult.


----------



## ms mayhem

OK, I have 2 "mods" to share.  #1 is my wood chip pan.  It consists of 3 screws and a 12" pizza pan from Wal-Mart (<$3.00).  It sits just above the element and works great for chips.  Not very good for chunks though. 














#2  After seeing WingNut's post, I went on a mission to build a temperature controller.















The controller consists of the following (sorted by cost):

1  JLD612 PID Temperature Controller (came with 3ft K-Type Thermocouple)  [eBay]

1  Large Radio Shack project box   [Radio Shack]

1  A/C Extension cord   [Lowes]

1  25 amp Solid State Relay   [eBay]

1  Large Heat sink   [eBay]

2  30amp toggle switches   [Lowes]

1  12ft K-Type Thermocouple   [eBay]

1 pkg Ideal terminal kit   [Lowes]

1 tube heatsink grease   [Radio Shack]

3' 12ga single stranded cable   [Lowes]

3' 18ga double stranded cable   [Lowes]

1 pkg wire caps   [Lowes]


----------



## wingnutt

MSM - CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is a VERY nice setup!  How is it working out for you?


----------



## ms mayhem

OK.  Immediately after building the controller I made a fundamental error.  I was so overjoyed that I could regulate the temperatures automatically that I figured enough smoke was escaping from the gaps in the sides and I kept the smoker lid closed.  I basically left the smoker, only to add more chunks later.(I've since switched to chips)  I RUINED a lot of chicken.  Skin was black and smelled awful.  I cut open the chicken and this awful smell permeated the meat.  It was unusable.  Except as a lesson.

Since I'm no longer using a charcoal smoker, I switched from chunks to chips.  I found the smoke easier to obtain/regulate.  I had first used a pizza pan like the one shown above, but with 1/2" holes drilled all through it.  This allowed the chunks to get enough heat to smolder. Problem is, it would also catch fire.  It was becoming a pain to deal with.  The pan shown above and chips works great.

I also drilled two 1/2" holes in the dome to allow smoke to leave.  I also leave the dome lid opened a crack while cooking to allow smoke to leave and still maintain temps inside the cooker.

Last shoulder I did turned out great.  Instead of toying with temps every 1-5 minutes throughout the night.  I put chips on every 1/2 hour or so.  I was able to get at least a little sleep that night.

A friend has since informed me that after 140 degrees, I should quit adding chips for smoke.  I will try that tip next time.


----------



## james fletcher

Whats the reason for the Nazzi's to ban Flame based smokers , I thought this was suposed to be a free country


----------



## ms mayhem

You revived an ancient thread to post THAT?  Wow.  To anyone out there who cares the electric smoker w the temp controller still works great.


----------



## richard iseda

I got a new little chief.Found a tall file cabinet. 













IMG_20140914_114254.jpg



__ richard iseda
__ Nov 3, 2014






I works good when cold outside.But when warm outside left it out.Leaving in does cut time on cooking too.about half or so.My son smokes salmon and it calls for 6 hrs of smoking .It cuts that in half or 3-4hrsThanks for looking.


----------



## daricksta

Dutch said:


> Folks, Here's your chance to post the modifications and (hopefully) pictures of what you did to your smoker to make it work better. This topic will remain as a sticky so all the new folks don't have to hunt to far to find it.


This might be off topic but I've seen the term sticky here since I joined but have no idea what they are or how they work. How do you make a thread into a sticky?


----------



## tonka16827

I did a little research and read that using sand in the water pan will help bring you temp up as water is such an energy absorber.  I also wrapped my smoker with a welding blanket ($20 investment).  Both have really helped maintain a higher temp in my electric smoker.


----------



## germ

I won a Landmann smokey mountain in a raffle at my local ACE Hardware . Smoked a shoulder in it that weekend and noticed a lot of smoke coming from around the door,handles, and so on ....Let the fun begin.

First added a nomex  gasket around the door 
Then readjusted the hinges to allow for the added gasket.
Then realized that all the pictures I have seen show a draw latch on most doors . So I decided to forget the hinges all together. I installed a "T" bar on the bottom of the smoker to hold the door aligned where it needs to be. Then put on 4 draw latches to lock the door in place perfectly tight. Then relocated the flue from the back to the top. And riveted a piece of metal over old flue spot. I repositioned the door handle to the top above the thermometer then added 2 more thermometers on the side at 2 different levels allowing me to see the difference in locations if any. 
Smoked another shoulder and held a perfect 250 through the entire cook.
That's when I decided to make it look as good as it smokes.














image.jpg



__ germ
__ Apr 18, 2015


----------



## mikezetts1

You can get a plug in dimmer at HD online. Not sold in stores. It is 1500 watts and 12.5 amps and costs $25.00. I just ordered one. On the HD site search: Skylink 1500 watts. You should only see the item I've described. Good luck.


----------



## daveomak

mikezetts1 said:


> You can get a plug in dimmer at HD online. Not sold in stores. It is 1500 watts and 12.5 amps and costs $25.00. I just ordered one. On the HD site search: Skylink 1500 watts. You should only see the item I've described. Good luck.




That makes life easy....    How does the controller work...   (  Skylinkhome TB-318 Wireless Wall Mounted Transmitter, Off White $16.50 )..

I see they have a transmitter that pairs with it...    Does the pair work well......

With a remote therm and the remote transmitter, my easy chair would become my home base for smoking...  adjust temps...  drink beer...

Available at Amazon also....


----------



## mikezetts1

OK, we are looking at different models. On the Home Depot site, I am looking at Skylink model PA-318. You plug the PA-318 unit into a socket. Then, plug the smoker into the unit. Next, pair the included remote control and that's it. I can't comment on how it works as I have ordered, but not received mine yet. Here is a link to the unit:


----------



## mikezetts1

Here is the link to the PA-318 1500 watt dimmer.   http://m.homedepot.com/p/SkyLink-15...B1jreij1WlRxuV9BBfz1jWaHZGik3FX524aAurh8P8HAQ

I like the idea of adding a remote thermometer. That would make things a breeze.


----------



## waverz

MS Mayhem said:


> OK, I have 2 "mods" to share.  #1 is my wood chip pan.  It consists of 3 screws and a 12" pizza pan from Wal-Mart (


----------



## lcsmokeaddict

20161002_100325.jpg



__ lcsmokeaddict
__ Oct 2, 2016


















20161002_100250.jpg



__ lcsmokeaddict
__ Oct 2, 2016


















20161002_100339.jpg



__ lcsmokeaddict
__ Oct 2, 2016





Well let me show ya what i got here. 

Its a lil chief, inside my smoker box. I only do this in the fall/winter/spring.

Otherwise, i use the box as a secondary smoker.

The vent on the back is a typical heater vent, adjustable. 

Doing it this was, is one of my favorites. I leave in the top rack for cold smoking cheese, while smoking jerkey in the lil chief.

The temp gets pretty high inside if you close the vents in the back of the box, but i usually leave em wide open while doing cheese on that top rack.

Closed, and I'd say that box gets round 120, and the chief gets round 180. But I'm not a fan of those temps myself. I like the low and slow.


----------

