Help Required! Building a Smoker

[justwandr]

It has taken forever but I finally got around to doing things so I am almost done. Need to order the racks. Where did you get yours Mike? 

[Mr Walleye]

It has taken forever but I finally got around to doing things so I am almost done. Need to order the racks. Where did you get yours Mike?  

If you can get your hands on some used oven racks from a salvage yard or used appliance store. You can cut them down if you have to. The oven racks are usually fairly high grade and should work well. I've never found any other source for racks that was reasonably priced.

You could also build them out of expanded metal with an angle iron frame.

Mike

PS

You'll have toget some photos and show us how your progressing.

[justwandr]

Thanks Mike. A friend of mine recommended I visit a resaurant supply store and get the racks from there. Luckily they did have the right size racks not entirely light duty but medium stainless steal racks that fried chicken places use to put on the sheet pans to drain the oil from chicken that sits on the racks. They fit perfectly into the proofer too. Brand new cost me about $11 each.

I had asked a local vendor to get me the hot plate kind of heating element which was 3000 watt. I went to pick it up today and he had gotten a 300 one instead :x

Anyway I saw someone was recommending the heating element from lowes somewhere in the forums. I visited lowes got the 8 inch 2600 watt heating element but now I have my doubts. It seems like it was designed for the stove top rather then oven. Is this going to work? Also is 3000 watt good enough for your proofer since both of us have the same thing.

[smokeitall]

This is a great project you got going.  Can't wait to see the smoke rolling out of it.
SIA

[Quarlow]

Nice work justwandr but you asked about the element you got. It would be much easier to help you if we see what you are talking about. I am looking for a proofer also and have some ideas but you never know till you start building.

[justwandr]

Here is the link to the heating element which I ended up getting from lowes.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_133895-2251-5304431024_0_?productId=1014263&Ntt=2600%20watt&Ntk=i_products_cascade&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?newSearch=true$Ntt=2600%20watt$y=0$x=0

I will take pictures of the work I have done so far and post them later.

[Quarlow]

That definetly is a top stove burner element. I think the guys doing this are using a oven element or atleast that is what I plan to use if I can find one to fit whatever cabinet I get.

[KevinG]

Yep, that'll probably work for generating smoke, but not to heat the unit.

[Quarlow]

Aaah ok I misunderstood. I thought he was using a bradley smoke generator and the element was for heating. Yeah that will definitely work. The old plywood smokers my dad built when I was a kid use those just set on a few bricks. Then he got a one burner hotplate and that worked good till it rusted out and caught fire. We picked up one that was made out of all stainless and that one worked great for years and years. I have never seen another one like it. They probably make them stainless for resturants. I just haven't seen one.

[KevinG]

I'm not sure which he wants it for Q, but if it's for heating I don't think it would be enough like you said, if it's just for smoke, I've seen those used a bunch of times.

[KevinG]

Well, I guess I could be wrong, just seen a 1000 watt 110v heating element just like that one, and a 2100 watt 220v heating element. It may just work at that! The description unfortunatley didn't say how many watts or volts it was.

[Quarlow]

Yeah dad's got pretty hot of course with the wood smouldering away it also gave off heat, but those smokers were 12 feet tall and the fish was all at the top and it still cooked pretty good so they put out a fair amount of heat.

[justwandr]

I went to some local stores in hopes of finding an oven heating element so I can get this done as I will be awfully busy for the next week. No luck at all. Does anyone know if any local stores do carry these items? I am thinking about hitting sears repair center tom but with it being sunday it seems I will be out luck there too.

[classicrockgriller]

I would visit an appliance repair or a resell shop for appliances.

They may let you have one out of a oven they are not going to fix.

[justwandr]

I called up almost every oven repair place in Brooklyn yesterday and none of them wanted to sell me the part alone. I just visited sears...talked to one of the sales persons trying to sell me the oven. I got the model etc from him and he said I shoud be able to visit the sears repair center tom and get the part from them.