small freezer conversion questions

[knickia]

I have a small freezer i was thinking about making a smoker (hot and cold)

it has aluminum sheeting inside (plastic lid, reset  if covered with metal).

It's small, only about 5-7 cuft (just a bit larger than a dishwasher)

is that too small ?
will the lid be ok if covered with sheetmetal ?

also general question, living in tx to do cold smoking i figure i'll have to do an ice bath.. anyone ever try dry ice ? (keep the humidity down)

any other conversion tips ? (dont just buy an Original for 299 ? :p )

[Gizmo]

Welcome knickia,
No expert here on making or converting, but I woul think that covering the plastic lid in metal would provide sufficient protection especially if you are staying around the 200 deg mark.  Too small would only be a matter of how much product you want to use (or not be able to for the expenditure of the pucks). 

Never thought about dry ice before.  The one problem I could forsee with using dry ice would be making the smoke heavier than air and the smoke settling back into the smoke generator.  If that happens, you may need to have a small air movement created to pull the smoke into the cabinet.

[iceman]

I played with the dry ice before and it didn't work for me. The carbon dioxide turns straight from solid to gas and seemed to rob the tower of O2 and the pucks didn't burn complete. Maybe it was just the way I had the vent set?
Depending on what type of heating element your going to use in the small freezer will make a difference. The plastics they use in newer units start to leach chemicals out just over the boiling point so I wouldn't recommend using them for anything other than cold smoking. Even if you cover it with sheet metal the plastic will still let vapor off and that's not a good thing to consume. Just my 2 cents from trying it before.

[FLBentRider]

Thanks iceman,

I hadn't thought about a freezer / fridge box not really being designed for hot applications. I have been toying with ideas for my "next" smoker... I think a 6-rack DBS would be big enough, but I the digital part is really not needed, IMHO. I have toyed with the idea of buying a smoke generator and converting a fridge or freezer. But it sounds like just building a box out of sheet steel might be the way to go.

What I want is a 6 rack OBS with a PID...

[West Coast Sausage Maker]

I think a small freezer would make an exelent cold smoker....in any hot climate

Use a working freezer.

Mount the Bradley generator, (also known as the unwanted heat generator) to the freezer

Plug the freezer into a Ranco temp controller (can get one on ebay prewired for freezer)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ranco-ETC-PreWired-Bradley-Smoker-Temperature-Control_W0QQitemZ280227851033QQihZ018QQcategoryZ159926QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

set the Ranco to whatever low temp you desire  eg..50 - 100 deg

Smoke away

The product will stay at whatever temp you dial in, regardless of the heat generated by the Bradley smoke generator.

I have done this.... and I can help you   :)

PS this setup when not smoking will keep your Beer at any temp you desire  :D

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

PS this setup when not smoking will keep your Beer at any temp you desire  :D

I really love dual-use technology.....   8)

Arcs_n_Sparks

[the big guy]

I've thought of doing a fridge as well. My brother in law use to do a lot of smoking with fridges. Never paid much attention as to how the plastic faired. I was always concerned myself about the plastic interiors. Last fall the neighbor lady's sons were cleaning up and demolishing an old building on the property. There was an old fridge in there that they were going to throw out. My wife happened to be talking to them and mentioned that I might be interested in it as she knew I was thinking about a bigger smoker. This unit is made by GM not GE. It's whole heat exchange system is in the lower rear of the fridge. Nothing going up the back. Here's the beautiful part. It's all metal inside with a latching door. I'm afraid to plug this thing in because it might work and I'd have the historical society on my butt for destroying it. When my overly cluttered time schedule allows, I'm gonna mount my smoke generater from my OBS on it and figure out a heating system, maybe a hot plate with a drip shield and a fan, LOL, and use a programmer to round it out. If I ever get it done, I'll post how it went.

[Caneyscud]

I've thought of doing a fridge as well. My brother in law use to do a lot of smoking with fridges. Never paid much attention as to how the plastic faired. I was always concerned myself about the plastic interiors. Last fall the neighbor lady's sons were cleaning up and demolishing an old building on the property. There was an old fridge in there that they were going to throw out. My wife happened to be talking to them and mentioned that I might be interested in it as she knew I was thinking about a bigger smoker. This unit is made by GM not GE. It's whole heat exchange system is in the lower rear of the fridge. Nothing going up the back. Here's the beautiful part. It's all metal inside with a latching door. I'm afraid to plug this thing in because it might work and I'd have the historical society on my butt for destroying it. When my overly cluttered time schedule allows, I'm gonna mount my smoke generater from my OBS on it and figure out a heating system, maybe a hot plate with a drip shield and a fan, LOL, and use a programmer to round it out. If I ever get it done, I'll post how it went.

Big guy,
Those old all metal fridges are the cat's meow for smoker conversion.  So many different configurations.  Can't wait to see how you set it up!

[[email protected]]

I'm just starting to make a smoker like that out of a small fridge, intended mainly for hot smoking. Just checking here, a heat source would be necessary inside the fridge as well as a smoke generator? I was also wondering if there is any way to replace the bisquettes with chips or chunks, mainly coz i'm located in Australia and the bisquettes are far from readily available here.
Cheers
Pat

[Habanero Smoker]

I'm just starting to make a smoker like that out of a small fridge, intended mainly for hot smoking. Just checking here, a heat source would be necessary inside the fridge as well as a smoke generator? I was also wondering if there is any way to replace the bisquettes with chips or chunks, mainly coz i'm located in Australia and the bisquettes are far from readily available here.
Cheers
Pat

The smoke generator does not produce enough heat to create a good smoke from wood chips or chunks. Instead of using the Bradley generator, you can use a hot plate for both your heat source and to smoke the wood; and a smoke diffuser to protect the hot plate and wood chips from drippings.

Here is a link to Sausage Maker's smokehouse accessories to give you and idea of what you need.
Smokehouse Accessories