# Smokehouse



## Dookie Ray (Apr 9, 2008)

I need some responses to my smokehouse idea. I want to build me a smokehouse but not sure what size to go. Whether I need to bo 2ft square by 6ft tall or 4ft square by 6ft tall. I have an old cast iron pot belly stove that I was going to leave on the outside of it and just pipe the smoke right into the bottom of the house with a vent on the top, opposite side. There will be baffles on the inlet and outlet stove pipes to control heat and smoke. What do you all think? The stove would also provide some heat for hanging around with friends and even doing some other cooking on while the smoker is going. What do you all with some smoker experience think? Should I go with 3ft square? I don't want to get too big and the little stove can't do the trick, but I don't want to be too small and over heat the thing. Thanks in advance for any advice given!

Dook


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

4X6 if it was me.


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

2x2 might be too small, go bigger! I have a 4x6 at the farm but am making a smaller version for my backyard. The heat can be controlled with baffles. If your cooking briskets/ribs, etc you need at least 250 deg. If just smoking sausage, jerky, bacon, turkey legs, etc. you only need about 150-160 deg. max. and most of the time even less.


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## jdot7749 (Dec 1, 2008)

One of the best i've seen was made from an old upright freezer. Need some hole saws to cut pipe holes with. It's already insulated and you can buy replacement gaskets if needed. Pretty much airtight except for incoming and outgoing pipe holes and you can seal those.

Good luck, jdot


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## Dookie Ray (Apr 9, 2008)

Ok, now I need to know whether to use plywood on the inside and tin on the outside, or vice versa? Should I put Hardi plank on the inside? What kind of insulation should I use? Not sure which way to go for heat that the heat won't affect. I may decide to use it to cook briskets and turkeys as well and don't want the extra heat to "leach" out the glue in the plywood and the zinc on the tin. Lots of questions I know, but with all the other threads going on about smoking, I want to get it right, for health as well as efficiency reasons. Thanks all

Dook


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## txbigred (Aug 7, 2007)

do a search on "Johnny Quest", he made one out of plywood, and used cement board on the inside with insulation in between.

Dave


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## Zork (Jan 11, 2006)

jdot7749 said:


> One of the best i've seen was made from an old upright freezer. Need some hole saws to cut pipe holes with. It's already insulated and you can buy replacement gaskets if needed. Pretty much airtight except for incoming and outgoing pipe holes and you can seal those.
> 
> Good luck, jdot


Yep...i agree. I have a friend that has 2 freezers that he turn into smokers. He just removed the bottom and builds a small fire in the bottom and uses a small fan to bring the temp up if needed. He removed the shelves and plastic on the inside and made stainless rods to hang meat on. Works great.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

x3 on the freezer smokers.........


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## bullred764 (Apr 24, 2006)

Does anybody have some pics of old freezers that are converted into smokehouses


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## phil k (May 8, 2007)

i have to rebuild my smoke house because it got destroyed,i am gonna frame this one out of pipe. 4x4x8 sloped roof to 7'6''.3/8" ext-plywood on the outside,the last one lasted 15 years,,it was all wood ....QUESTION .. i have notice that all BBQ pit's have a arched roof or lid on -em .i was wondering if it helps distribute the smoke better?? i was thinking of trying it on my new smoke house ,any help on this ????

phil


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

Here is a couple of pics for you on a backyard smokehouse I made this last week. Its about 30" x 34" x 6-1/2 ft tall. Made from clean scrap wood, and a couple sheets of 23/32 ext plywood for the walls. Almost finished, need to add the inside racks which will be 3/4" or 7/8" wooden dowels, the tin for the roof, and paint the outside for weather protection. Also is a pic of my "smoke generator" and pic of the results from my larger 4'x6' smokehouse at the farm. Enjoy!


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## bullred764 (Apr 24, 2006)

Teamfirstcast do you set that smoke maker in the bottom and it makes enough heat


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

Actually no it will not make the heat, just the smoke. I need a separate heat source to get it up to about 150 deg at least. I was just testing a couple ideas, but I can see I will prob end up using a propane burner rig like a turkey fryer or similar to make heat and heat the wood chips for smoke. In my big 4'x6' smoker I build an actual fire in a cut-off 55 gal drum and damper with the lid to regulate the heat. For my backyard model I was hoping to avoid the constant tending a small wood fire. I think I can regulate the gas burner down to keep a constant temp by just turning the valve.


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## phil k (May 8, 2007)

*smoke house*

well i started building my new smokehouse today ,i want this one to last a long long time....it will be a 4x4x8.made out of 1 1/2"pipe then 3/8"plywood on the outside, painted with sand an seal ,the racks (4) are 1' apart,starting 4' off the ground.and anchored to a concrete slab,,,,here are a few pics in progress...

phil


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

Be careful about the woods you use. Personally, I wouldn't use any kind of treated woods.


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## bullred764 (Apr 24, 2006)

What is the best wood to use for a smoke house


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

Like fangard said... no treated wood, just use white pine, very dry and no sap for building it, not for cooking! If you mean for cooking then use hickory, oak, pecan, mesquite, or a fruity apple or cherry wood.


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## frank n texas (Aug 11, 2004)

The James Hardy cementous sheets and boards are loaded with silica..Do not know what, if anything, long term heat would do as far as particles sluffing off and getting airborne and into your food...Just something to investigate if you go that way....Silica as bad as asbestos...


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## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

I builrt one on the end of a pit at church that is made of 3/8" plate and is 2ft wide 30"deep and 6ft tall with sliding racks, use a burner for constant heat get smoke from fire box on pit, just make sure that you hard pipe burner in and fix it so that it can get an exterior air supply.


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## BIG BIRD (Dec 3, 2009)

My dad, grampa and I, built one 8' x 12' by 7' tall at the deer lease, using stacked cinder blocks and sand poured in between the layers. That thing would hold heat and temp for days. We put an aluminum sheet metal roof on it and the whole floor was grating, the fire box we kept it inside. Gramps used some 2x6 to frame the smoking racks in side. He used hardwood dowels to hang sausage from. The key is not to mortar the blocks together, the heat will crack them. Putting the firebox inside will give you more return on your wood usage as well. To generate more smoke and less heat just use damp wood.
BB


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