Garbage Can Smoker Project

[starmatt]

I think this thread is about as "Off Topic" as you can get . . . A couple of years ago, a couple of grad school friends and I made a smoker out of a metal garbage can (the device you smoke meat with, not the coworker who hangs out on the loading dock, in case you are confused). The basic idea is that you put a cheap electric hotplate in the bottom with a pan of wood chips on top of it and put the meat on a rack near the top. Let it smoke for hours on end at around 220F. In general, it works really well for ribs, pork roasts, and turkeys. Best of all, it cost around $60 to make (most of that was for the garbage can and the hotplate).The problem that I have with it is the hotplate. Over time, various pieces of the hotplate melted or got brittle as a result of being kept on for hours at a time in an enclosed space (apparently they weren't designed to do that). As of now, the only remaining remnants of the original hotplate are the burner and the power cord (it sits on top of one of those metal electrical outlet boxes). Now it seems like every time I use it, the wire gets brittle and breaks (it connects pretty close to the burner and I imagine the temperature is pretty hot right there).Do any of you electrical geniuses have any bright ideas on fixing the problem for good? One idea that appeals to me is to just use two lengths of copper pipe to run the current from the wire to the hotplate. That way, the more fragile wires can be attached at the edge of the garbage can rather than near the heat source. Aside from making sure I don't ground the pipes on the various metal objects involved, do you foresee any difficulties with this approach? I looked into heat resistant wiring, but haven't found much information. I want to make sure it's safe for cooking purposes.I'll probably also bolt the hotplate to the bottom of the can since having it move around certainly doesn't help the situation. If people want to see the beast, I can post pictures when I get home.

[kunkstyle]

Sounds like a fire waiting to happen. If it lasted you this long, why not make a new one every few years.

[starmatt]

Quote, originally posted by kunkstyle »Sounds like a fire waiting to happen. If it lasted you this long, why not make a new one every few years. Well, the fire is sort of the point . . . more of a smolder than a fire I suppose. The idea is to make it so that the smoldering doesn't cause any damage or taint the meat. I'd prefer not to spend much more money on it and to be able to use it a little more often than I do (a couple times a year or so presently). I'm hoping in a couple of years to buy a house and have room for a proper smoker.

[Whelan]

Don't forget a water box and or some small air vents to allow it to breathe.Also hopefully you are using new garbage cans instead of some used one off the street.Aside from that go online and see how to build them. The best ones are the brick style you have in the backyard. But you can make them with some casted parts. Not to much of the aluminum or such on a garbage can is really a good idea. I'd prefer cast, maintains the heat better for smoldering and more consistent temps and lasts longer.

[starmatt]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Don't forget a water box and or some small air vents to allow it to breathe.Also hopefully you are using new garbage cans instead of some used one off the street.Yep, there are two racks inside, the lower one for liquid to keep it from drying out. Drilled a couple holes in the top to let it breathe and also made a little door in the bottom to change out the wood chips without removing the meat. It was a steel garbage can, new from the hardware store.

[engineertwin2]

It may work better if you mount the hot plate off center, such that the cord and the control knob are mounted outside of the can. Also, you can use heat shields. Further more, if you absolutely love this design, it may be time to replace the hot plate with another hot plate - this one with a heavier duty cord and maybe a full ceramic burner element (instead of electric metal coils). Off set smoking should be fine too. The reality is that you've gotten some time out of this smoker at just $60, so it isn't unreasonable to assume you may have to build version 2.0.

[starmatt]

Quote, originally posted by engineertwin2 »It may work better if you mount the hot plate off center, such that the cord and the control knob are mounted outside of the can. Also, you can use heat shields. Further more, if you absolutely love this design, it may be time to replace the hot plate with another hot plate - this one with a heavier duty cord and maybe a full ceramic burner element (instead of electric metal coils). Off set smoking should be fine too. The reality is that you've gotten some time out of this smoker at just $60, so it isn't unreasonable to assume you may have to build version 2.0.Well, the control knob is no longer attached (it had a safety shut off for when it got hot that I had to bypass anyway). The wire connects directly underneath the burner (with the original heat shield in between). I guess I could try to shield the wires better, but in an enclosed space for several hours I'm afraid that would be a losing battle. Offsetting might help, but it might make it more difficult to replace the chips. The cord hole is opposite from the door. I like the design well enough, but would prefer something a little bigger and nicer eventually. I'm hoping I can make this one last until I have room for one. I keep this one in my basement and carry it outside when I need to. I wouldn't be able to do that with a more sizeable smoker.

[Sublimewind]

My dad built his own long ago, it was much larger and more elaborate, but the same concept, with the very same problem... He now uses a Propane powered smoker and won't ever look back... His new one was bought, not built,(now he's thinking about building a larger one) but one would think you could get a small camp stove/burner and modify it to do what you need... It wouldn't have to be a big burner obviously, and as long as all the "soft parts" were outside the smoker... good to go... you would just need to have a thermometer to keep track of the temp and that would be about it...

[starmatt]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »My dad built his own long ago, it was much larger and more elaborate, but the same concept, with the very same problem... He now uses a Propane powered smoker and won't ever look back... His new one was bought, not built,(now he's thinking about building a larger one) but one would think you could get a small camp stove/burner and modify it to do what you need... It wouldn't have to be a big burner obviously, and as long as all the "soft parts" were outside the smoker... good to go... you would just need to have a thermometer to keep track of the temp and that would be about it... Hmmm . . . That's a thought. I do have a pair of thermometers attached (one on the lid and the other on the side about halfway up). I think I'll probably still keep the burner I've got unless I can pick up something else for free/cheap. I imagine a propane burner would cost more than an electrical one, but wouldn't have the heat issues. Eventually I'd prefer to have one where you just build a fire in one part and pipe the smoke elsewhere.

[ToolGuy]

What about a commercial or mechanic type hot plate? These hot plates heat metal bearings and things on the plate which causes them to expand and this can be placed over shafts or whatever when replacing. My company sells one kind in fact for Chrysler dealers to buy if needed. Heaters for bearings are used in place of hammers and drivers for some installs. In fact a heater is better because it does not cause damage to other parts like hammers and drivers can. These plates have adjustable heat and can get over 300 degrees.

[Dragonsm]

I have a one of those brinkmann charcoal smokers, and though I agree that charcoal gives you the best smoke flavoring, trying to smoke something for 6-8 hours turned into a constant babysitting job, plus trying to keep it hot enough to smoke in the winter time was painful.I thought about buying the electric heating element from brinkmann and turning it into an electric smoker, but the element doesn't have a thermostat on it to regulate temperature and my brother in law had his melt near the cord also. I opted for "propane" and thought about buying a portable single burner. About the same time, I had an older dual burner grill that the igniter didn't work on.....so I opted for a new gas grill (it was end of season, and I got one heck of a deal) and instead of just junking my old grill....I took it apart, and removed all the heating controls along with the burner and with a little modification and mounting I have a propane smoker that can still function as a charcoal smoker if I so choose. Just another avenue to think about....plenty of people giving away cheap grills that still work except they don't "ignite". I am able to regulate the tempture with precision and really be able to crank it up and still smoke stuff even if there is snow on the ground in the dead of winter.Also, keep your eyes open on craigslist....I see plenty of people at least here in Minnesota always trying to give away these brinkmann charcoal smokers. They are an excellent smoker to start with and they double as a nice charcoal grill however, most people opt for electric or propane and move on to much bigger and badder smokers. Good Luck!Steve

[starmatt]

Quote, originally posted by Dragonsm »I have a one of those brinkmann charcoal smokers, and though I agree that charcoal gives you the best smoke flavoring, trying to smoke something for 6-8 hours turned into a constant babysitting job, plus trying to keep it hot enough to smoke in the winter time was painful.I thought about buying the electric heating element from brinkmann and turning it into an electric smoker, but the element doesn't have a thermostat on it to regulate temperature and my brother in law had his melt near the cord also. I opted for "propane" and thought about buying a portable single burner. About the same time, I had an older dual burner grill that the igniter didn't work on.....so I opted for a new gas grill (it was end of season, and I got one heck of a deal) and instead of just junking my old grill....I took it apart, and removed all the heating controls along with the burner and with a little modification and mounting I have a propane smoker that can still function as a charcoal smoker if I so choose. Just another avenue to think about....plenty of people giving away cheap grills that still work except they don't "ignite". I am able to regulate the tempture with precision and really be able to crank it up and still smoke stuff even if there is snow on the ground in the dead of winter.Also, keep your eyes open on craigslist....I see plenty of people at least here in Minnesota always trying to give away these brinkmann charcoal smokers. They are an excellent smoker to start with and they double as a nice charcoal grill however, most people opt for electric or propane and move on to much bigger and badder smokers. Good Luck!SteveI'll have to keep an eye on Craig's List, though I'd prefer electric to propane because it's cheaper. Being able to keep the temperature up in the winter would be nice too. I built a shelter from scrap wood to shield it somewhat from the elements and that helped a bit. At thanksgiving I still had to finish the turkey in the oven though since the temperature wouldn't really get above 205.