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Build a Barbecue Smoker for $9

by discontinuuity on March 15, 2008

Table of Contents

Build a Barbecue Smoker for $9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Build a Barbecue Smoker for $9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 2: Build Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 3: Fire it Up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
Intro: Build a Barbecue Smoker for $9
I've made a cardboard box smoker http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Cardboard-Smoker/?ALLSTEPS before, but I wanted something a little more sturdy,
so I made one out of a mini grill and some air conditioning ducts. The total cost for this project was $9 since I got the duct for $3 and the riveter for $6 at the flea market,
and I found the mini grill in a dumpster (it's amazing what people throw away in rich neighborhoods). The hot plate belongs to my roommate, but you can use a charcoal
or wood fire instead.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
 Image Notes
1. old phone books make great platforms to drill through

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
 Image Notes
1. Wood chips. These can be from any hardwood tree, but fruit trees (apple,
cherry, etc), hickory, or mesquite are the best. You can also use saw dust as long
as it doesn't have paint, glue, or any other gunk in it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
 Image Notes
1. Pretty much any cheap cut of pork or beef will work, but ribs, shoulders, and
briskets have the best flavor in my opinion.

Step 1: Materials
1. A piece of sheet steel about 4 foot by 2 foot. Thickness isn't too important, as long as you can bend it into a circle. You might want galvanized or painted steel to
prevent rust. I got my sheet metal by tearing apart a duct.
2. Mini grill, or a full-size grill for a larger-capacity smoker.
3. Rivets or screws to hold everything together.
4. Electric hot plate.

You will also need these tools:

1. Power drill.
2. Riveter or rivet gun.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
Step 2: Build Process
1. Find the circumference of your grill to make sure the metal is big enough to make a full circle, then add a few inches for the overlap of the joint. Mine came out to about
4 feet.
2. Cut out the metal in the right size.
3. Bend the metal around a pole or other round object to make it into a cylinder.
4. Make sure that the cylinder will fit inside the grill, and that the grate will fit inside the cylinder, then tape the cylinder together.
5. Drill holes through the metal where the two sides of the cylinder come together and rivet these holes together to make a complete cylinder.
6. Add screws or rivets to hold the grate up inside the cylinder.
7. Add a coat of paint if you like.

Image Notes
1. old phone books make great platforms to drill through

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
Step 3: Fire it Up!
My favorite type of meat to smoke is pork ribs, but you can smoke all kinds of meat. My next project is to make elk jerky.

Add a sauce or dry rub of your choice to the meat (good recipes can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_11125,00.html
and here: http://www.barbecuen.com/rubs.htm )

Place the electric hot plate in the bottom of the mini grill and turn it up all the way. Put a pie plate or other pan full of wet wood chips or sawdust onto the burner, then put
the cylinder and the lid on top.

Put the meat on the grill and let it cook for a long time (I would cook it for at least 8 hours). Check on it every 30 to 60 minutes and add more wood chips as needed. You
can adjust the vents on the bottom and lid of the grill to allow air in or smoke out.

When the meat is fully cooked, take it out and enjoy!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
 Image Notes
1. Pretty much any cheap cut of pork or beef will work, but ribs, shoulders, and
briskets have the best flavor in my opinion.

Image Notes
1. Wood chips. These can be from any hardwood tree, but fruit trees (apple,
cherry, etc), hickory, or mesquite are the best. You can also use saw dust as long
as it doesn't have paint, glue, or any other gunk in it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
Related Instructables

BBQ Brisket on Make a How to Make a

Smoked BBQ Bacon Wrapped Delicious Cardboard smoked ribs on
Meatloaf by a Smoker by Stuffed BBQ a recycled
Cherry Smoker by
branonls Mhbaben Jalapenos! by weber by
Rosemary angs9
branonls Smoked Pork MikeTLive
Tenderloin by
younglm

Comments
41 comments Add Comment

vincent7520 says: Jan 17, 2011. 4:44 PM REPLY

Great thing : electricity is great here as it heats the wood chips or saw dust… making the whole thing a true smoker instead of a no charcoal BBQ (ie. an
electric grill with a cover) as we can see on other posts ! …
The great benefit being that you can control the temperature to produce heat necessary to have smoke and no flames (which is more difficult with more
'primitive" smokers that use charcoal …
Great !…
Thank you !…

spark master says: Oct 4, 2010. 6:20 AM REPLY

I do not believe this gets hot enough to vaporise or melt anything. If that were an issue them most homes with central heat would be filled with dead/dying
people. Galvanized steel duct is used from you heating system to the chimney. It gets way way hotter then this. I could be wrong but that would have lead
already to many deaths. Also one would assume (bad to do) that one should be outside, hint hint, so you will not get a dose of that much of the bad stuff, if it
were there.

we need a metallurgist or bronze/brass foundry person to write in. I have never heard of lead being present in zinco plated metal, which is gal steel.

unaffiliatedperson says: Sep 4, 2010. 5:47 PM REPLY

i plan on using this soon i have a smokey joe. and i been wantint to use it to make some pastrami.

Lokisgodhi says: Aug 23, 2010. 7:46 AM REPLY

Using sheet aluminum would circumvent the problem of zinc with galvanized steel.

meddler says: Aug 11, 2009. 10:05 AM REPLY

If you heated it up until the zinc boils, say you did it outside, after it boils off, would it then be safe? A friend of mine say yes, but I'm not sure.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
 jqaman says: May 2, 2009. 2:21 PM REPLY
I would think galvanized metal would not be good for smokers. That might be why you never see them commercially available. Does MIT screen these
instructables and make sure they are safe - at least for little children? "It s not well known that galvanizing is a combination of zinc and LEAD applied to steel
to increase corrosion resistance. We all know how toxic lead is specially to our little ones. Zinc in low doses is ok and found naturally in many foods but
excess amounts are toxic. Zinc poisoning usually occurs from eating off zinc plates with acidic foods or the use of zinc containers for drinks(remember the
old dairy containers) and is very hard to diagnose as its symptoms are similar to food poisoning. Inhaling zinc oxide fumes results in neurological damage
and is called metal fume fever or zinc shakes. Zinc and lead dissolve in water, fruit juice, and acid(vinegar,worcestershire sauce). Since many of us use
mops and sprays containing these in a heated cooking chamber this increases solubility of zinc/lead and may touch or drip on food. Toxicity to adults is low
but not to children. Since both zinc and lead are heavy metals that are cumulative, they digest slowly. Galvanized metal is designed to be used in
HVAC(heating, venting, air cond)roofing, construction, etc. So next time you modify use steel, stainless, or aluminum and many people do not advocate
aluminum. "

stoobers says: Aug 6, 2009. 6:40 PM REPLY

From my experiences, liquid zinc has no smell. It will "stick" right on to steel. The galvanizes the steel. No need for lead. Lead pours right off of steel.
Doesn't stick at all! For lead to stick to steel, I have read you have to plate the steel with arsenic or some other pasty type of metal. What's the other one
called? The one alloyed into tire weights? Someone add a response here. I hear "fuming zinc" is bad, but it isn't a long term bad. It just gives severe
headaches until you drink a bunch of milk or eat a bunch of raw eggs. WAY safer than lead, but it melts MUCH MUCH hotter. Of course, if your a sissy,
everything is bad for you...

gmyers2112 says: Aug 6, 2009. 3:56 PM REPLY

I'm not so much worried about the zinc as I am the lead. The melting and vapor points of leads are considerably lower than those of zinc and, if I recall
correctly, galvanizing is a combo of zinc and lead. Anybody with info on the lead aspect of this, feel free to correct me.

tellner says: Jul 27, 2008. 8:06 PM REPLY

Galvanized metal + Heat = Vaporized Zinc
This can be very, very bad to breathe.

stoobers says: Feb 12, 2009. 3:50 PM REPLY

zinc doesn't melt until 900 degrees F or so, so it shouldn't be an issue. And it has to be hotter to boil the metal and get metal fumes. When it does, its
pretty. Kind of a yellow haze... The zinc metal will get on the food if you slap the meat up against the metal. Or boil in a zinc plated container (like a
tamale steamer). Oh yeah, tamale steamers... they are galvanized (zinc) steel. It is marked on them "don't boil food in this container". But steaming food
in them at 200 degrees is ok. So smoking at 200 degrees should be good too.

Dgunz56 says: Aug 6, 2009. 2:50 PM REPLY

thats exactly right, and if u dont want ur meat to touch the outer shell, put a little layer of tin foil around it

ClayOgre says: Jan 25, 2009. 5:00 PM REPLY

I also wonder about the zinc vapor getting on the food...

hybridracers says: Mar 5, 2009. 11:57 AM REPLY

did I miss something? How did you get the grate to sit so high up?

Dgunz56 says: Aug 6, 2009. 2:49 PM REPLY

he mad holes with the Rivet gun, and stuck screw or something in toe hold it up =D
wen i try this imma think about adding a little door on the bottom of the steel to easily add more wood or coals

SinAmos says: Jul 5, 2009. 4:09 PM REPLY

Awesome man.

the9n says: Jun 17, 2009. 3:58 PM REPLY

That looks pretty good, my parents say that I cant use a liquid smoker for my oven to make beef jerkey so I guess I could use this, is it safe though?

discontinuuity says: Jun 17, 2009. 4:13 PM REPLY

If you use an electric hot plate it stays pretty safe, since the wood chips are really only smoldering. Of course, I did have a grease fire in it once, but then
I learned to put a pan below the meat to catch drips. If you build a wood or charcoal fire in it, then there's more chance of a fire. Either way you want to
keep an eye on it and keep a fire extinguisher handy whenever you're cooking. Also, keep anything flammable away from the smoker so that if there is a
fire you will just ruin some meat rather than burn down your house. I'm not sure what you mean by a liquid smoker, but you can make jerky in an oven
set on low (see other instructables). All it really needs to do is dry out the meat; I only used the smoker because I like the smoke flavor.

paddlesport says: May 3, 2009. 3:10 PM REPLY

Zinc melts at approx. 900 F and vaporizes at approx. 1200 F.. These temps are not likely to occur in a smoker that does not get above 450 F in the most
extreme situations.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
 GorillazMiko says: Mar 17, 2008. 3:08 PM REPLY
That meat looks really good. :P

(Nice job)

discontinuuity says: Feb 14, 2009. 12:46 PM REPLY

Thanks! Don't forget to add some stars to my project's rating.

joshcube says: Mar 18, 2008. 1:25 PM REPLY

Awesome instructable and, IMHO, in the true spirit of instructables. It's got everything from dumpster diving and flea market parts to using a phone book as a
work bench. Great job!

discontinuuity says: Feb 14, 2009. 12:46 PM REPLY

Thanks! Don't forget to add some stars to my project's rating.

kricketone says: May 29, 2008. 10:17 AM REPLY

just go to the hardware store and buy a piece of stove pipe be safe

discontinuuity says: Feb 13, 2009. 2:49 PM REPLY

Just remember to get a stove pipe with the right diameter, so that it will fit inside the barbecue grill.

stoobers says: Feb 12, 2009. 3:52 PM REPLY

Brilliant! That's why I read these postings. Now I know what I will make my smoker out of.

discontinuuity says: Feb 13, 2009. 2:49 PM REPLY

Thanks for the encouragement! If you like my project, don't forget to give me a couple stars at the top of the page. Thanks!

killerjackalope says: Apr 11, 2008. 7:27 PM REPLY

I gots ta get me a wee riveter, hardware store? also how tight is the seal along the riveted place, does much smoke come out, it's not for a smoker but the
smoke is a good test...

discontinuuity says: Apr 17, 2008. 2:46 PM REPLY

It doesn't make a very good seal, but I didn't need it to be perfectly airtight. If you wanted it to be airtight, get some aluminum duct tape like the kind used
on furnace chimneys.

killerjackalope says: Apr 17, 2008. 2:55 PM REPLY

Wouldn't hack the heat, maybe a nice high heat 'weld' compound or epoxy type substance, in fact screw them, I have exhaust jointing paste and gun
gum, more exhaust stuff, the paste is rated to temps of 1000C, I wonder if it's food safe...

stoobers says: Feb 12, 2009. 3:54 PM REPLY

stove pipes are "folded" along the seam, so the ends hook themselves together tightly. When in doubt, pack the outside with stove pipe sealant
(sort of a black sandy paste that dries hard on the outside of stove pipes).

Poppa Chubby says: Apr 23, 2008. 4:02 PM REPLY

I wouldn't use the stuff around my food until it had cured completely, then been through the smoke and heat a few times. And I probably wouldn't
use it then. If, for whatever reason, you require a more airtight seal, perhaps you could bend the edges of the metal back so they interlock, then
rivet it together. Use lots of rivets. But since it's a smoker, you probably don't need that tight a seal.

discontinuuity says: Jun 17, 2009. 4:17 PM REPLY

Exactly. When it's smoking you can see some leaks, but most of them are at the top and bottom where the duct meets the grill, so I would
worry about those joints more.

killerjackalope says: Apr 23, 2008. 4:03 PM REPLY

Yeah mines not anything to do with food, well I did superheat my cold coffee with it once... nothing like jet coffee to start the day...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/
 i0scan says: Mar 17, 2008. 11:15 AM REPLY
This is extremely hazardous! The galvanized metal is extremely dangerous when it is heated to these temperatures and is a carcinogen! I highly recommend
you do not use this until you do some research and use another metal!

discontinuuity says: Mar 17, 2008. 11:19 AM REPLY

The smoker only gets up to about 200 or 250 degrees F, so I don't think this is much of a problem. If it is really a problem, how would you remove the
zinc?

stoobers says: Feb 12, 2009. 3:51 PM REPLY

Fill it w/ wood and light a match. When it gets hot, the zinc burns. It has to get super hot, though.

i0scan says: Mar 17, 2008. 12:44 PM REPLY

I am not sure. See, the problem is price... stainless steel is really pricey but if you get steel sheeting like the stuff you already have, you can paint it
with high temp grill paint and that should do the trick. Perhaps you could just use the paint on what you have?!

ehmbee says: Jun 2, 2008. 11:31 AM REPLY

My question would be, how toxic is painting the inside? granted it can be done, brake caliper paint is good for about 900 degrees or better and
some enamels will be good to 1400 I think...the cheap option is to line this with aluminum foil, no? or rivet on lots of soda cans! I also agree,
however, that at true smoking temps (under 300 degrees) this is probably not an issue. Good trick, I used the vents from a Weber grill like this to
upgrade my water smoker (Free from a friend)after converting it to propane, a very easy mod as well-I use lava rocks warmed by the LP and drop
my wood chunks/chips on the rocks...mmmm smoky meat!

chikid68 says: Jul 12, 2008. 5:01 PM REPLY

OK I gotta try this 1 since I love smoking pork and a smoker isnt in my budget right now thanks for this idea

ehmbee says: Jun 2, 2008. 11:33 AM REPLY

If you wanted to, the larger size Weber lid fits almost perfectly on a 35-gallon steel drum-I think it's the 17 or 19-inch size (?) I use a drum in my kitchen for a
garbage can with the Weber lid from my smoker project, all waxed up and shiny black-gets a ton of comments...just be sure something food-grade or non-
toxic was in the drum first-Transmission fluid is probably not a good seasoning.

gmjhowe says: Mar 17, 2008. 3:35 AM REPLY

Wow, thats good, when i saw the first pic i thort it was like a professional project! love the pork sale pic!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Barbecue-Smoker-for-9/