Wiring old stove burners - smoker build

[ThunderLund78]

I'm converting an old refrigerator into a smoker and I'd prefer to use an electric element rather than gas for my heat source. But I need it to be 110 powered. My first preference would be to find an old hot plate or 2 burner counter top stove, but a lot the newer style ones have a safety switch that turns them off after an hour or two. The older ones without the safety are hard to come by--it would also have to be made completely out of metal. There's also the challenge of controlling the heat with the nobs from the outside but I think I could rig something if i had to.

But my question is if I could salvage two burners from an old but functioning electric stove, could I wire it to 110 without blowing a fuse or burning my smoker to the ground? this would allow me more freedom to mount the burner control knobs on the outside of the unit and I could configure the burner arrangement inside the unit easier.

Or I could just buy a smoker . But that's not the point, this is a fun project I've been meaning to do for some time. I have the vessel, now I just need the power and I have no convenient 220 outlets accessible.

Any ideas or suggestions?

[Tom7227]

I don' think 110 will work. Even if it would you would have trouble with any sort of lengthy cord feed unless you used really heavy cords.

How about using propane? You can find a small burner that uses propane and set it up with a 20 lb tank.

[delcecchi]

I looked at the cheap ones on Amazon and didn't see anything about a timer. Some have a thermal fuse, but that is a different story, and could be bypassed if you dare.

[Walleyehooker]

Well if it was me I would just buy a smoker and start smoking. Save you a lot of time and money. The old metal frigerators can work well but they are a heavy ugly tank. But if you decide to go that way just buy a new element. I think the C store has them or easily found online. A lot of heat isn't needed for smoking but will take more time or have to finish off in the oven.

[Whoaru99]

You could wire 240V stove burners to 120V. They will just draw less current and produce less watts of heat that way.

For example, an 1800-watt, 240-volt burner element, connected to 120 volts will produce 450 watts of heat and draw 3.75 amps doing so.

A nice way to go, albeit slightly more complex and more costly, would be to use a temperature controller with SSR output (solid state relay output) to run a moderately rated SSR (solid state relay). The temperature controller could learn the heat up and cool off rates of your smoker, and pulses the SSR to control the heat output of the burner to maintain the temperature you want.

Here's a pre-packaged gizmo that does just that, and can control with the temp of the meat too, to change the characteristics of the heating cycles.

Auber Instruments smoker controller

I use some of their controllers for maintaining temperature in a home made fermentation chamber for my homebrewing hobby, and another to control the temp of an air popper for home roasting small batches of coffee.

[ThunderLund78]

Whoarau,

So your 110 heat source plugs into the sensor and the unit turns it on and off according to the desired temp? Very cool and handy, and might be a legitimate spend since basically all my other materials are free. I would like to set this up to "cold-smoke" so I could cure homemade bacon, smoke cheese, etc. and a device like this might be the ticket for keeping the temps low. I'd just have to come up with a way to add the smoke from the outside, which is doable.

I'm sure if I dug into a newer hot plate, I could dismantle it and strip it down to basically the power cord, control and element.

[bowtie]

You are close. Use the oven element and control from an old electric stove. Then you have he thermostatthat is part of an oven control. If one element isnt hot enough put a second element in parallel.

[Whoaru99]

Whoarau,

So your 110 heat source plugs into the sensor and the unit turns it on and off according to the desired temp? Very cool and handy, and might be a legitimate spend since basically all my other materials are free. I would like to set this up to "cold-smoke" so I could cure homemade bacon, smoke cheese, etc. and a device like this might be the ticket for keeping the temps low. I'd just have to come up with a way to add the smoke from the outside, which is doable.

I'm sure if I dug into a newer hot plate, I could dismantle it and strip it down to basically the power cord, control and element.

Yeah, the control unit plugs into 120 then the heat source plugs into the 120 socket on the control unit. The control unit also has the temperature sensor(s) connected to it. The temp sensor reports the smoker internal temp (and the food temp if you use the second temp sensor) to the controller then the controller operates the heat source to maintain the temp you set in the controller.

[LightningBG]

$200 for a controller in a first time home built smoker seems a little pricey. Can buy a decent smoker for less (I know, not the point, but still...)

I think I'd tear into a $10 1000watt hotplate from the M store.

What have you got to lose? (A:$10)

[LightningBG]

Or get one of these from the C store. $40

(Not sure how to control the temp, maybe just with venting?) or you could use a light dimmer switch if you could find one that can handle 1500 watts. (most I think are 600w).

[LightningBG]

Whoaru, are there any similar controllers to that, that aren't 2 bills?

[Alagnak]

I tried one similar to the one in the picture I purchased with a dimmer type switch on it. It would get the chips smoking but wouldn't produce enough heat to get over 150 deg even when the outside temps were warm! I sent it back and went with a N Tool (on HSOforum not in store) circular gas burner that has three valves to control heat and have been rocking that for a few years. I can smoke low and slow or crank it up to finish something off if need be.

[Whoaru99]

I don't know. It's possible I suppose, but then you have to consider features you're getting (or not) in something that might cost less.

$200 is a fair bit, but considering the temperature control and not have to fiddle with the smoker all the time pays off at some point...unless you have nothing else to do but fiddle with the smoker.

I have one of their temp controls for my WSM smoker. I don't use the smoker all that much, but it was worth it to me to pretty much load it, start it, then set it and forget it until it's done. The WSM is charcoal though.

Not sure many watts of electric heat it would take to properly convert an old fridge into a smoker. I tried one of those coil things pictured above in my WSM and it didn't work very good in cool weather. But, the WSM is not insulated.

[ThunderLund78]

I'm contemplating trying a replacement element for a brand name smoker (similar to the picture). The fridge I found is actually pretty small--bigger than a store-bought smoker but maybe only by half. I think it could get the heat up but would take a while and have to work hard to maintain (i.e. be on almost constantly). Maybe there's just not a good way to do electrically it without a 220.

Alagnak, I think I've seen you burner from N-tool in another forum, I like it, but how do you regulate it from the outside? The three valves are under the burner. Do you just get a feel for where you need it and fine tune the temp with venting?

[Alagnak]

Yep. I just have it written down what the temp is with one valve 1/2 open, fully open (vent open, 1/2 way, closed), 2 valves on, etc. It's pretty spot on once you get a feel for your set up. Never worry about heat spiking. But yeah, negative is having to open little lower door to adjust but it doesn't change temp and that's the same little door I put wood in anyway. I use an old cast iron pan with a vented steel lid for smoker box.

[Whoaru99]

I'm contemplating trying a replacement element for a brand name smoker (similar to the picture). The fridge I found is actually pretty small--bigger than a store-bought smoker but maybe only by half. I think it could get the heat up but would take a while and have to work hard to maintain (i.e. be on almost constantly). Maybe there's just not a good way to do electrically it without a 220.

Alagnak, I think I've seen you burner from N-tool in another forum, I like it, but how do you regulate it from the outside? The three valves are under the burner. Do you just get a feel for where you need it and fine tune the temp with venting?

Lot of electric smokers around that don't run on 240. Bradley, Cookshack, etc. Never tried one myself, but considering how many are on the market it seems they must not work too bad. (shrugs shoulders...)

[delcecchi]

Iffn you want to be really cheap.....

Alton Brown Good Eats Cardboard Smoker

(not alton in the video but his idea)

[Surface Tension]

I use a line voltage thermostat w/relay. I can set the smoker at 70-220 degrees.

You could go with one of these. Not as good as the above for precise heat control but way better then a stand alone element. Note the heat control dial. You'll need a thermometer to get the temp dialed in and of coarse monitor it. These can be had for under $50.

Personally I'd scrap the fridge idea. Too big, ugly, hard to heat. If you do use it don't use the shelves that are in the fridge.

[ThunderLund78]

Thanks for all your suggestions. Actually, I'm quite fond of the fridge I found. It's not huge, it used to be in an old mobile home so it's a little more compact. It also has a great retro look complete with the chrome Kelvinator emblem. It has the character of an old beer fridge, but since it no longer works, I think the smoker is a fitting tribute.

But it will have the capacity to do more than most store-bought models. Plus, I'd like to set it up for cold smoking and curing which is a little harder to find in a single unit for what it's costing me to build this. I have most of the materials from salvage. The racks are being cut-to-fit from an old oven, I'm not using the old fridge racks.

Lastly, it's a really fun project. If smoking meat were my ONLY goal, I would've bought a smoker by now. I'm not exactly "Joe Handyman" as you might be able to tell, so it's a good learning experience. And I'll be better off in the end, even if it fails.

[LindellProStaf]

I use an old fridge. I got this idea here a few years ago. I went to the local landfill and they gave me an old electric range. I took it home and took the oven control out of it. I even cut the temp plate off the front of the oven so I would have the numbers for my controls. I carefully took the probe out with the control. Take the wires with the paper insulation from the oven too. Wires with plastic coating melt. I then bought a hot plate for $25. I mounted the control in a box with the number plate on the outside just like it was on the oven. I routed the probe into the frig at the top. I unhooked the wires from the hot plate and wired it to the oven control instead of the controls on the hotplate. I also wired a 110 cord to the hotplate. Absolutely works great! Does not matter how cold it is outside. I also mounted a temp probe I bought at the hardware store with a 6" probe on it.I drilled a hole in the frig and stuck it in the hole. Now I can see how it is running for heat and adjust my temp control from the oven.

I hope this makes sense to you. I will try to post a pic of mine tomorrow. I use a little cast iron pan on the hot plate. I used to use a piece of tin but the hotplate didn't last over a year due the tin warping and making hot spots. I was told a cast iron pan stays flat and wont have hotter spots. Have used my hot plate for 2 years now and going strong.

It only take minutes to change the hot plate once you do it a time or two. The stove top elements work also buy you will have to make a frame to hold it. That is why I just bought a hot plate.

[LindellProStaf]

here is a pic of mine.