Oil Drum Cold Smoker

[Jonty]

After getting my proBBQ CSG I thought I'd try and cobble a smoker together. I got a cheap 55 gallon food grade oil drum for £8.50 so I wouldn't be too upset if it didn't work out.

here's the drum



I added some air inlets and smoke outlets - there's been no science to location or how many are needed - if it needs more, I'll add them, if there are too many I'll plug them up



the vents are cold water tank overflow valves, I thought that the downward pointing tube would stop rain or adverse drafts getting into the drum, here's how they were fitted - a 25mm holesaw did the job niceley



for the main hanger I used a piece of galv conduit with a hazel hammered through the 'tube' so I could screw into the ends and fix it to the drum



I used some 8mm threaded bar to make grill supports, I placed one quite low down and aim to put one further up, but I ran out of bar - I'll pick some up later and finish it off. The grills are simply baking cooling trays



You can see the cold smoke generator at the bottom.

All in all, it took about an hour and a half to do, one thing to note is drilling an oil drum from the inside is pretty noisy - I was having flasbacks to travelling in Chinooks

I've not yet christened it but I'll feedback on how it fayres and any tweeks that are needed.

[wheels]

That looks like a real good deal - a barrel in that condition for £8.50.

A great adaption too. Have you thought of a door to access the CSG?

Phil

[Jonty]

A great adaption too. Have you thought of a door to access the CSG?

Phil

I had thought of that Phil, but i wanted to see how it works first and get airflow etc sorted before I started cutting holes in it. You know, a bit of trial and error

[Big Dave]

Hi Jonty Hi Phil, that looks real nifty Jonty, it has given me a few ideas for the future but the problem is where do I get a food grade drum like yours, will have keep looking on ebay in the hope somebody will at some stage offer one for sale and also deliver.

Phil while I think of it, thanks for the lead on the smoker the like Jonty has bought, I cannot believe it could have been such a simple piece of equipment to cold smoke, wonderful, just need the drum.

Happy smoking Jonty

Regards to both

Big Dave

[Jonty]

Hi Dave,

any container would do really - a tea chest would be quite nice too. I'm really holding out for a decent sized fridge to come up on freecycle or appear in the for sale ads on the local supermarket board - I just got too impatient and the drums were available locally. I think a fridge would be ideal as you could locate the vents in a manner to avoid damaging the cooling system so you could really cold smoke all year round. I'd be interested to see what temp the drum gets up to when I take it out of the shade when the weather warms up a bit.

[Big Dave]

Hi Jonty, thanx for the reply, you might have been lucky in the drum as its something I have never seen around locally here, your fridge idea sounds interesting, however, it would be an ugly thing to have stuck in your shed or garden, I do like your drum set up though.

To be truthful, and I know Phil and others would possibly frown on what I am considering here, I have looked at maybe a galv incinerator modified to suit, I think I detect the frowns now!! however, if its cold smoking maybe I see not too much of a problem, had it been hot smoking then yes I could see a problem maybe with maybe chemicals/fumes leaching out of the coating, in that case I would not consider this option.

Maybe you guys would like to comment on that, I am always open to advice, and if its taboo for a reason that I have not thought about the idea will be discarded.

Many thanx

Dave

[wheels]

Dave

I can see no problem cold smoking in a galv incinerator or dustbin. It wouldn't be my first choice though. A (disguised) old fridge has the advantage of a door enabling replenishment of the dust without removing the food as well as protection from vermin etc.

Phil

[Big Dave]

Hi Phil, thanks for your valuable input again, thanks for the points you have raised, has made me think!! however, "she who must be obeyed" would not tolerate an old fridge even though she would injoy the end product.

Will modify the vessel so that slit vents are installed to prevent little unwanted visitors plus an opening door at the base for refilling of sawdust etc, and an adjustable vent at the outlet. Will place it when complete in a secure area.

As the expert Phil, are you able to advise a rough guide for smoking a bacon joint on a per kilo basis?

Regards and many thanks again

Dave

[wheels]

Dave, thanks for the compliment, but I am no cold smoking expert. Others on the forum 'smoke' far more than I do.

Trial and error seems the only way with timings. Personal taste, smoker size, rate of smoke extraction, all affect the 'smokiness' of the end product.

For streaky bacon (belly) 1 full CSG smoke is a good starting point for most people. I do 2 because I have a fairly large chamber and fairly rapid extraction.

Phil

[Jonty]

I'm test running the drum tonight. I've a side of salmon (very unhappy about the quality of the fish but it was all I could get) some cheese and a couple of brined herrings in.

It seems to be burning well with a very slight throughput of smoke, the biggest problem is avoiding the temptation to keep lifting the lid off!!

[Big Dave]

Hi Jonty, will be looking out with interest for your posting following your trial with the smoker, hope you let us know what the outcome was?

Regards

Big Dave

[Jonty]

Will do Dave,

what I am intersested in is that so far I've had 11 hours of smoke from the CSG and there's still plenty of dust left. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or whether I need to tinker with the ventilation. I've got very gentle throughput of smoke and it doesn't seem acrid so I uppose time will tell.

I must admit my kippers are still quite soft though, I might have to dry them a little more in the sun ....

[Big Dave]

You will have to keep me informed on the outcome, my wife and family have decided to buy me a CSG for my birthday!! guess a free night out at the boozer and a curry is now a distant dream

Wish I could advise you but being a complete novice on smoking food I cannot, diesel and petrol engines and turbines no problem, but guess thats no help to you at the moment?.

Regards

Dave

[wheels]

Jonty

I wouldn't worry. If you're getting a continuous stream of smoke that's ideal. If the smoke is less dense just smoke it for longer. Traditional cold smokers trickle smoke for days rather than hours.

Phil

[Jonty]

Thanks for the info Phil, there's plenty of smoke inside the chamber and just a very gentle output from the vents - by more luck than judgement the ventilation seems very good. I'm coming up to 14 hours of smoke from the CSG which I'm amazed at.

Big Dave, you'll have to let me know which part of the country you're in, I've been looking round for drums for a few projects so if I spot one near you, I'll let you know.