how to make your own smoker

daithi55

first of all ya need a barrel and a round pipe
4 foot long and 8/9 inches wide


cut top of barrel and cut hole in side of barrel for round pipe to fit into
with angle grinder and remember to use proper ppe ie gloves goggles and ear protection
make sure the barrel is washed out before cutting as there may be flammable liquids in it

light a fire in barrel to clean off paint and toxins place pipe in barrel to clean as well
use only timber for fire as plastics will make it dirty
and scrub out with a wire brush when it has cooled

ive used it so far to smoke venison sausages but ya can smoke fish ham etc in it and it cooks them as well as smoke them
the timber i used was white thorn but ya can use almost any hard wood

to hang the sausages i used a hazel branch and peeled off the bark
cover top of barrel with lengths of timber when smoking meat to trap the heat

for the sausages i used 3kg venison 2kg pork 1/2kg pork fat and minced them together
i then added radish garlic salt pepper chives and whole grain mustard and mixed with my hands
ya can get the sausage gut on ebay or fresh from any bacon factory
tie ends of sausages together to stop them falling off stick

ya can also bury the barrel a few inches in the ground
so pipe will be buried and just level off with clay
and leave a hole in the end so ya can light timber in pipe to smoke meat

just before smoking the skin started to dry
thats what the brown patches are so make them and stick them straight in smoker as i left mine in front of fan in fridge



and the finished product



i used white thorn but any hardwood will do ie oak ash hazel ya can get them anywhere
the softwoods smoke to much and give a bad taste
chop the timber finely to get it into the pipe easier and it lights easier
you also have to keep topping it up
if the fire is to far down the pipe it will probably burn the meat
to start the fire i used small pieces of timber once it starts to light the air draws through the pipe and ya get a very hot flame
also have the wind blow down the pipe towards meat if possible
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sean raff

it is deff worth a go a project for the summer

daithi55

it doesnt take long less than an hour is all

sean raff

yeah,must give it a go.do a lot of sea fishing might be the way to go
was lookng at the smaller ones on e bay,and doubt it they will be big enough,smoked coley,ling,maceral starting to get peckish

CrinkElite

My God they look good!

daithi55

ya have to try some fish in it to when i get the chance

its also free to make so its a plus anyone collecting scrap will have the materials

poulo6.5

daithi55 wrote: »

ya have to try some fish in it to when i get the chance

its also free to make so its a plus anyone collecting scrap will have the materials

looks very tasty. well done. i will have to try that;)

4gun

Great idea, will certainly try that in the summer with some mackeral has any one here ever salted venison ?

Grizzly 45

What wood do you use for smoking?
How much?
Do you fill up the pipe with it or have to refill?
Is it hard to get started and roughly how long does it take to smoke an average barrel load of meat?

CJhaughey

I made one very similar before, But I drilled 4 holes around the circumference and bolted gutter bolts through the holes this way I was able to get 4 racks into a standard 205 litre barrel. Mesh racks were made so that the handles supported the next rack above and so on.
Alder is great for smoking with, easily got and works very well with fish.

daithi55

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

What wood do you use for smoking?
How much?
Do you fill up the pipe with it or have to refill?
Is it hard to get started and roughly how long does it take to smoke an average barrel load of meat?

i used white thorn but any hardwood will do ie oak ash hazel ya can get them anywhere
the softwoods smoke to much and give a bad taste
chop the timber finely to get it into the pipe easier and it lights easier
you also have to keep topping it up
if the fire is to far down the pipe it will probably burn the meat
to start the fire i used small pieces of timber once it starts to light the air draws through the pipe and ya get a very hot flame
also have the wind blow down the pipe towards meat if possible

clivej

Good post and the photo's make the method easy to know what your trying the say. I'm liking this idea very much.

So is it the heat or smoke that cooks the meat?? and does the burning wood die down a little when the lid goes on the barrel?

daithi55

clivej wrote: »

Good post and the photo's make the method easy to know what your trying the say. I'm liking this idea very much.

So is it the heat or smoke that cooks the meat?? and does the burning wood die down a little when the lid goes on the barrel?

both cook it i think the meats cooked with a smoked flavour
just like the sausages ya get in lidl or the polish shops

ya the flames die down but what i used was lenghts of timber either side of the row of sausages to trap the heat but still allow the air to draw through
i forgot to get a picture

but heres how i did it in poland with pork the air can still draw through the gaps in timbers ya can see them stacked up in one pic

jap gt

its a nice system you have there, i built one last summer out of the galvanised rubbish bins, i put a single ring burner in the bottom and a steel pan on top with the rings of timber inside, lovely meat

some good videos on youtube in making them

Spunk84

deer jerky