I dun went and built my own smoker!

[Sandmannd]

Those homemade smokers look awesome. Nice job guys. Those ribs look awesome. 

[ThunderLund78]

Things are really looking good with the new smoker. I wonder if maybe it would be a good idea to try and seal the fiberglass insulation up with some sheet metal strips so you don't have that floating around in there every time you open and close the door?

HATERS!!! (Just Kidding  )

I'm glad you brought this up, Leech. This is actually one thing that really bothered me when I was building the thing, and I continue to ponder the solve.  I wondered if I'd need some type of block for the insulation but my metal fabrication skills are not very good.  Admittedly, the smoker doesn't seal quite as well as something you'd buy in the store.  For a door seal, I used vinyl window seal striping but there's some small gaps where I had to cut/bend it around corners, etc.  Also, the door itself has a bit of a warp from when I riveted the sheet metal to the inside; it fits tight to the bottom but the top has about 1/2 gap unless you really push it hard.  To counter this, I use a turnbuckle latch to close that gap.  Very efficient to form a seal but slow to open and close, so the pressure has a lot of time to equalize as I undo the latch.  What I'm saying is that there's no "whoosh" of air when the door is opened like you'd have with a fridge or even a store-bought smoker.

That being said, on more of a microscopic level, the convection process itself probably has a tendency to carry tiny fiberglass particles - especially from around the vent areas. Its wasn't a concern that was gonna stop me from using it a few times, but over time you want to be safe. I think the "hackey" fix I'm going to end up going with is to just stuff the exposed insulation areas with aluminum foil.  It wont be pretty, but it's all in the inside and it should create an effective barrier between the cooking chamber and insulation.  Would entertain any other ideas for a fix that other may have as well. 

[mikemac]

How about spray foam insulation?

[ThunderLund78]

How about spray foam insulation?

I'm sure it's heat tolerant, but I'm wary about using chemicals that might infuse a smell, taste (or toxin?) into the food.  I'm wondering if there's any chemical properties to spray insulation that you might not want around food if it's not sealed-off.

[Boar]

Thanks thunders i pick up somee baby backs recently, whats a good temp, I aggree witht he insulation thing.

Im in the wood stove bussiness, and my door lacked a seal so i brought home some woodstove door rope as a seal, added a thin layer of caulk and rand the rope aroun the parimeter an viola! seal, if you like some I can get you some, it 1" diamet and flattens rel nice for a seal, I posta pic so u get the idea.

[Boar]

dang sidways phone

[ThunderLund78]

Thanks Boar!  That's a great option.  The vinyl seal I have works just fine as long as I have my turnbuckle latch secured tight, but without the latch to cinch it up, I'd have quite a gap.  BUT I'm not sure how long that Vinyl will last before cracking and getting brittle, so I'll keep the rope option in-mind.

As far as the ribs - 220 was where I was at for pretty much the entire 6 hours.  I actually cranked the heat up quite a bit in the last hour, but that's because I was opening the door a lot more to mop the ribs.  It also helped the sauce caramelize to have a little more intense heat for the final phase--kind of like finishing on a grill.

I know if you look at our friend Reinhard's blog/page, he suggests that if you're doing baby backs, to take the first 3 hours down to 2, so 2-2-1.  Baby backs are a little smaller and don't take quite as long.  Otherwise it's exactly the same.

 

[Boar]

cool beans!! thanks!

[bobberineyes]

You did a heck of a job thunderlund,  most of us probably would have given up but you made it work. Stove pipe gasket works good but the adhesive it comes with is kinda cheap, I had to use jb weld to stick it  on my grill lid. Another means of sealing off those  insulation gaps is high temp foil tape, it's about 3" wide and super sticky.

[ThunderLund78]

Thanks Bobber!

I've considered the foil tape, I know it works great on ductwork.  I'll have to look into it a little more, I wonder how it would do on temps around 300deg?

[RebelSS]

Thanks Bobber!

I've considered the foil tape, I know it works great on ductwork.  I'll have to look into it a little more, I wonder how it would do on temps around 300deg?

Foil tape (make sure it's Flue tape)  is heat resistant to 600 deg.....

Edited August 30, 2015 by RebelSS

[LindellProStaf]

 My frig smoker door does not seal god anymore neither.  The rubber gasket gets worse as time goes on.  I use foil and roll it into long ropes sort of.  I just squeeze them into the door cracks.  Works fine for a temp. fix.  

And I love to see smoke come out of every crack.  Then I  know when I need more chips and chunks.  I keep it smoking.