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Build yer own fish smoker

Spanish Mackerel are a plentiful fun to catch fish. I've never targeted them because I don't care to eat them. That is, until a neighbor gave me some fresh smoked... WONDERFUL

The $1000 electric fish smokers are just an insulated stainless steel box. I have the stainless. The electric is a piece of cake. I'd like to bond a layer of something and then a layer of redwood to the outside of the smoker to provide the insulation and make the unit look nice enough that my landlord would like to keep it for me.

What would be a good insulating material (I've seen a hard masonry type sheetrock, shame they've never found another asbestos) and how would I bond it all together?

Reply to
Karl Townsend
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Those smokers do not get very hot, so I would get a fiberglass batt (without paper) and make a wooden enclosure with the batt between wood and stainless.

Incorporate an easy to melt fuse that would melt before this stuff catches fire, in case if your smoker malfunctions.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus16482

Personally I smoke salmon and chicken at home on the stove top.

I just took the cheapest roasting pan I could find that had a lid (one of the ones painted to look kinda like granite). It had an optional rack with folding handles that I got also.

Take the rack and bend the handles into feet to keep it away from the chips. Take the sawdust style wood chips and place a pile over each burner. Place aluminum foil over the chips (i bend edges into it for a grease pan, and keep it crumpled a bit to keep the smoke flowing).

Top is not air tight so small wisps of smoke make it out, but nothing bad, and it keeps the smoke from going "stale" like an air tight seal would.

Keep the burners low and track the temp with a kitchen probe.

Reply to
marc.britten

A smoker is a very simple item to build. I have built 4 so far (each one larger than the last) The last one I built started life as an upright freezer. Just bored a hole in the side and built a smoke box that uses propane to heat the wood. I think the next one is going to be a normal wood fired smokehouse about 10'X 10' with a large exterior smoke chamber and an underground feed.

The other extreme is Alton Browns cardboard box smoker. Uses a hotplate, cardboard box, metal pie plate, soaked charcoal, couple of dowel rods to support a grate and a thermometer. And it gives a pretty good smoked flavor.

Reply to
Steve W.

underground feed? I assume this is to cool the smoke faster so you don't have to mess with a long connection between the fire and the smoke box?

Reply to
marc.britten

"Steve W." wrote in news:eo74kr$rbf$ snipped-for-privacy@aioe.org:

Don't forget his 'locker' version for bacon on the 'Scrap Iron Chef' episode. Made me want to dig up a section of lockers just to try it.

mmmmmmm Bacon mmmmmmmmm......... I've got a hankering for some pork products.......

Bill

Reply to
Bill

Not really just an older way to get the smoke into the building. The smoke chest is built right next to the smoke house itself. The feed goes down about 1-2' under the ground and then over to the center point of the smoking area. The smoke house end is set just proud of the floor and the end in the smoke chest is set so it will stay above the fire area. The smokehouse itself acts as a section of the chimney. I'm hoping to have a smoking area and a salt/sugaring area so I can also do some dry curing of lightly smoked meats. Take a look at

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a general idea.

Reply to
Steve W.

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