My turn at a "redneck smoker"

[Neighbor_guy]

I've been messing around with smoking fish for a few years. Then torential winds last spring totaled my smoker and it ended up broken into a dozen peices and into the trash. No more smoker.

Now this springs wonderfull weather got ahold of my fathers propane grill and flipped it across the back yard killing the internals. The burners were busted up and the heat deflecters were broken up as well. It went out to the curb.

Then one day, while out looking for morel's, a Carp shoot broke out. Good, clean, floodwater type carp shooting. Flooded ditches and pasture land 1/4 mile from the rum. Flood water carp shooting is my favorite way to do it. Soon my baby otter sled was full and home I went to get some fish into the cucumber patch. Then a little voice said "you should smoke some of these fish, they are perfect for it..." They were, I cant eat fish, but mine turn out so good, and I knew a couple of people who would enjoy it. Besides, what else was I going to do? But I had no smoker, the way I figured it I had 4-5 days to get it worked out. (my carp recipe is a min 4 day process)

So I did some looking around. My first thought was the "alton brown" smoker. His being made of some tera cota planters and a hot plate. I did not see how that wouldnt work. Then I marched off to Menards and looked at the ones available. I knew I wanted electric, propane was to hard to regulate for me in the past. $160.00 YIKES!!!! Well, off to Kmart instead to buy a couple of hot plates. Lets just say I did not buy the extended waranty, out the door $40.00. Then that little voice in my head said "hello, McFly!!! busted grill..." Went home, drug that old busted grill out, and finished busting out the guts. After tearing apart the hotplates to get to the burners (lets just say they were worth $19 each) I wired them up together and stuck em in the bottom of the old grill box, and then took them out and got some bricks to put under them so they sat level and another to hold the wires down. Now, how to regulate the heat...

Honeywell Aquastat. Switches 120volts, set it for the highest temp you want it to reach, and a target window you want it to hold. I set mine to open (burners off) at about 210 and it will close again if the temp falls 5 degrees. Thus maintaining 205-210. It worked great!!! Problem was in trial runs it was setting my chips on fire. So, I cut down an old grill grate and wedged the peices in on top of the burners so my wood pan was off the burners. Without direct contact the smoke starts rolling at about 185. The best part was the stat was "shelf stock" found at work. We had to go to manual reset high limits on our boilers and these ones are self starting, thus of no use to us. If I had to buy it... I would have gotten the one from Menards.

Finished product, looks like a propane grill with extra wires.

[Neighbor_guy]

First run...

Fish candy and a few Mille lacs Tullies...

I was given a thumbs up and Hmmmphmmm on the carp. Miss that one, smoked carp was one of my favorites. Still have not heard how the tullies turned out. If they were no good I will not try them again.

Something fun about a homemade redneck smoker that you just dont get with one from the store. Who else has a junker?

[RebelSS]

That's what I like...a guy with good ol' American ingenuity!!!!!!! I like the igniter laying in there... Looks like it worked well for you, thA

I just ran across an article in a 1951 cookbook the other day...they were talking about "Outdoor BBQ'ing" starting to become "popular in the suburbs"...and they had an article with pictures of how to make a portable BBQ grill. Get your wheelbarrow, pour charcoal in the bottom, get a paint roller tray, and hang it over the coals with pieces of wire coat hanger...grill on top of this. Wonder how long the wheelbarrow lasts before the bottom goes out? HAHA!

[reinhard1]

as long as it works for you is the bottom line. nice job. good luck.

[leech~~]

Hey, you don't work in Maintenance or anything do you? Nice McGyver smoker setup! P.S your ode to Cottonwoods. Sounds more like job security then a problem!

[Neighbor_guy]

I got the word on the Tullipies today...

"Better than the stuff from the store, not as good as the carp."

I tried hard to get some good flavor into them fish, but at the end of the day the carp plate was empty and the tullie plate still had fish on it.

Stick with what you know I guess. Gives a guy a good reason to shoot more fish.

[leech~~]

I got the word on the Tullipies today...

"Better than the stuff from the store, not as good as the carp."

I tried hard to get some good flavor into them fish, but at the end of the day the carp plate was empty and the tullie plate still had fish on it.

Stick with what you know I guess. Gives a guy a good reason to shoot more fish.

Try spliting the Tullis down the middle into two halfs or cutting some scoring in the skin down the sides before smoking. It helps get the good stuff to the meat through the wet suit they are wearing!