Build a vertical meat smoker for 500 baht

[Deck Ape]

Yep, entirely possible.

1 60 liter? drum 200 baht. Previous cargo- castor oil.

1 medium sized earthenware Isaan barbeque. 100 baht.

Any kind of meat racks you want. Mine cost 60 baht apiece, but I strengthened them with some round stock.

Optional thermometer. 200 baht.

Finished this tonight after a couple days of trial and error. Lit it up and it went to 350 deg. right away. Nice stable temp, too. Will post better detailed pics tomorrow.

First ribs were okay, a little dry. Tomorrow's will be better. Might do a cooking thread on them.

[jandajoy]

sounds good deck. Looking forward to the up dates.

[melvbot]

A step by step with pictures that are a bit bigger would be good.

Vertical meat smoker/500 baht made me think this thread was about something else.

[Deck Ape]

This is the king shit way to cook meat. 225 degrees for 3 or 4 hours. Pull up a chair, crack a beer and smell that sweet smoke.

[Lorenzo]

Nice looking smoker DA. Cheap too

I sometimes go 12+ hour on a 5 Kg pork butt smoke

Nothing like a good smoking

[Topper]

I know a place that sells used Coke refers (vertical, double door sort of thing) and have thought about doing the same sort of thing. A rack for for the small bits and a place to hang bigger pieces. My only concern has been the rubber seals in the doors. Then, since I live in downtown BKK, having a wood source for the smoker would be difficult I think. Any ideas?

[Deck Ape]

Yessss Lorenzo. Was trying to remember who has that pic of a smoker. Is that a Brinkman? Do you have it in LOS?

CSS Fan. The Commercial fridge is the basis for a superb smoker. The insulation makes heat loss a non issue. Nice steady temp, and big, too.

You could fire it with either a gas burner or an electric burner. The smoke could be made with a chip box on top of the heat source. Wouldn't take too many chips or chunks of wood to smoke some ribs.

[dirtydog]

Tru Value sells imported wood chips from the states.

[Sir Burr]

That's weird.........I married a vertical meat smoker, but, it's cost me far more than 500 Bt. That's about the daily running cost.

[blackgang]

Tru Value sells imported wood chips from the states.

RIMPING up here sells exactly the same smoker Lorenzo shows, I had one once, it was a Cajun Cooker, with a water/steam pan and stuff but I didn't think much of it and gave it to a neighbor in Idano. Some folks swear by em.
Fact RIMPING has a fair assortment of BBQ smokers and fuel to feed em.

[hillbilly]

I love this idea. Any more details, Deck Ape?

[Dan]

This is very interesting. I've never done this before - what's the inside of the smoker look like? Does it make a difference what wood you use?

[El Gibbon]

Another, - but by no way superior, as the method of use is more important - is to cadge any old refrigerator, punch a hole in the top and bottom and baffle the inside to some extent, don't want the "smoke" to travel in a straight line to the exit and arrange the hooks or holders to maximize space.

You can often find used refers for nothing just cart away. The small ones used extensively here are perfect.

E. G.

[blackgang]

some way to hang the racks or you can hang the meat from wires from the top, and wood does mean everything for flavor.
Use fruit wood or a real hard wood, no soft woods that contain pitch or resin, Cherry is best then Apple is good, depending on what is available ion your area, Apple is usually about every where, here Tamarind wood is used to make charcoal and also works for smoke wood, Birch and Alder is also OK if you live in an area where it grows. Hickory, Walnut, Oak But any smoke will be bitter if to much is used.

[Deck Ape]

I guess Tamarind is Macaam, which is what my wife (who seems to be always right) says to use.

Cut a hole in the drum with a reciprocating saw. Just big enough to slide the drum over the barbeque



I trimmed the edges of the barbeque with an angle grinder to make them uniform, for a tighter fit.



You then set the drum down over the barbeque. I used blocks to support the drum. The air enters the barbeque from the regular hole on the bottom, then the smoke and heat go through the barrel.



I made these racks with roundstock and cut up storebought meat holders



Thr racks go in the drum....



And the top goes on.



Yesterdays ribs were a little dry and overdone. On the "things to change list" is

Take the thermometer from the top and put it on the side, closer to the fire. Then I'll have a better idea what the meat on the bottom is getting heat- wise. (insert single entendre here.

Put a heat diffuser between the coals and the bottom rack. I'm either going to use a couple pieces of steel or a water pan. Mrs Deckape really doesn't like the water pan idea, so I'll probably go with the steel.

Would be nice to have an exhaust pipe.

[Deck Ape]

Another, - but by no way superior, as the method of use is more important - is to cadge any old refrigerator, punch a hole in the top and bottom and baffle the inside to some extent, don't want the "smoke" to travel in a straight line to the exit and arrange the hooks or holders to maximize space.

You can often find used refers for nothing just cart away. The small ones used extensively here are perfect.

E. G.

Right. To keep the smoke from going in that straight line, almost all the big smokers are "offset" types. The firebox is off to one side and below the main chamber.

You can use soooo many different things. They even say you can use a cardboard box for a cold smoker.

[Deck Ape]

Will do a cooking thread with this tomorrow. Bought 2 racks of spare ribs at Makro today. 150 per. Also got all the do dads that should help them be all they can be.

Also plan on building two more of these. One will be made from a full size 55 gal drum. The other will be a brick smoker for the house. Will thread them up.

[Lorenzo]

Here is the poop on wood for smoking.

If you can find wood from a fruit bearing tree like orange or apple you should have a good source.

Source: BBQ WOOD FOR GRILLING by Bill Wight, www.bbqdan.com

WOOD SELECTION FOR SMOKING & GRILLING by Bill Wight

Q: Would someone please tell me what kinds of wood are suitable for grilling?

A: The traditional woods for smoking are HICKORY, PECAN and OAK. Here is a list of woods suitable for smoking:
ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. A very hot burning wood.
ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.
APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.
BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.
CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.
COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.
CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.
GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.
MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.
MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.
MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.
ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.
PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.
SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.
BBQ List members and other internet sources report that wood from the following trees is suitable for smoking: AVOCADO, BAY, CARROTWOOD, KIAWE, MADRONE, MANZANITA, GUAVA, OLIVE, BEECH, BUTTERNUT, FIG, GUM, CHESTNUT, HACKBERRY, PIMIENTO, PERSIMMON, and WILLOW. The ornamental varieties of fruit trees (i.e. pear, cherry, apple, etc.) are also suitable for smoking.
Q: Are there any types of wood I should not use for grilling?
A: Yes. There are many types of wood that are unsuitable or even poisonous when used for grilling. Don't use any wood from conifer trees, such as PINE, FIR, SPRUCE, REDWOOD, CEDAR, CYPRESS, etc.
There are many trees and shrubs in this world that contain chemicals toxic to humans--toxins that can even survive the burning process. Remember, you are going to eat the meat that you grill and the smoke particles and chemicals from the wood and what may be on or in the wood are going to get on and in the meat. Use only wood for grilling that you are sure of.
It is beyond the scope of this FAQ to provide a complete listing woods that are unsuitable for smoking. If you have some wood and do not know what it is, DO NOT USE IT FOR GRILLING FOOD. Burn it in your fireplace but not your smoker.
BBQ List members report that ELM and EUCALYPTUS wood is unsuitable for smoking, as is the wood from SASSAFRAS, SYCAMORE and LIQUID AMBER trees.

Here are some more woods that you should not to use for smoking:
Never use lumber scraps, either new or used. First, you cannot know for sure what kind of wood it is; second, the wood may have been chemically treated; third, you have no idea where the wood may have been or how it was used. For all you know, that free oak planking could have been used in a sewage treatment plant.
Never use any wood that has been painted or stained. Paint and stains can impart a bitter taste to the meat and old paint often contains lead.
Do not use wood scraps from a furniture manufacturer as this wood is often chemically treated.
Never use wood from old pallets. Many pallets are treated with chemicals that can be hazardous to your health and the pallet may have been used to carry chemicals or poison.
Avoid old wood that is covered with mold and fungus that can impart a bad taste to your meat. If you have some good cherry wood (or other good smoking wood) that is old and has a fungus growth and you want to use it, pre-burn it down to coals before you put it into your smoker.
Grilling over a wood fire is more challenging than grilling over charcoal. Wood burns hotter than most charcoal and as a consequence, burns faster. Wood also stays in the 'hot coals' stage for a shorter period of time than charcoal.

[Lorenzo]

Too cheap to spend 500 baht on a smoker

How about a 10 baht cardboard box smoker .... portable too