Make your own "Bubba Pucks"

Glassguy · July 16, 2008, 08:19:03 AM

I was sorry to see Bubba is no longer in business. He was a great source for us 'newbies'!! If your online still, hope you enjoy retirement, Bubba!!!! Around here, maple and alder grow as 'weeds' so I just get them and turn them down to size on the wood lathe to 2 1/4 diameter log and slice off 1/2 inch slices. I'll make about 20-30 at a pop. Make sure you get below the bark layer as bark and sap wood impart a bitter smoke if burnt!! Store them in a coffee can with a loose fitting lid and allow them to dry completely, and store them until you need them. They don't seem to burn much but 1 did and it may even be a new source for smoke??? I use the same 2-3 pucks for my last 6 batches and still in real good shape. (The burnt one I use in front each time-- I will eventually throw it away??) While I have a couple lathes, another way is to use a hole-saw with 1/2 inch material... same thing.
Use the same type wood as your smoking with, and if it burns a bit-- no big deal. I use 2 and a little burning happens where it touches the last bisquette, but no problem. I use 3 if I am going to watch the last puck get pushed off, then I just remove the 'fake' pucks and finish my project.

ENJOY and thanks to this great resource!!!

Habanero Smoker · July 16, 2008, 02:18:38 PM

Quote from: Glassguy on July 16, 2008, 08:19:03 AM
I was sorry to see Bubba is no longer in business. He was a great source for us 'newbies'!! If your online still, hope you enjoy retirement, Bubba!!!! Around here, maple and alder grow as 'weeds' so I just get them and turn them down to size on the wood lathe to 2 1/4 diameter log and slice off 1/2 inch slices. I'll make about 20-30 at a pop. Make sure you get below the bark layer as bark and sap wood impart a bitter smoke if burnt!! Store them in a coffee can with a loose fitting lid and allow them to dry completely, and store them until you need them. They don't seem to burn much but 1 did and it may even be a new source for smoke??? I use the same 2-3 pucks for my last 6 batches and still in real good shape. (The burnt one I use in front each time-- I will eventually throw it away??) While I have a couple lathes, another way is to use a hole-saw with 1/2 inch material... same thing.
Use the same type wood as your smoking with, and if it burns a bit-- no big deal. I use 2 and a little burning happens where it touches the last bisquette, but no problem. I use 3 if I am going to watch the last puck get pushed off, then I just remove the 'fake' pucks and finish my project.

ENJOY and thanks to this great resource!!!

Hi Glassguy;

Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the information on turning your own pucks out of wood. I just want to correct that Bubba Puck still can be purchase. You can send an email to [email protected] or order them from Yard & Pool .

Grayghst · July 16, 2008, 06:48:27 PM

Thought about the same process, but just ordered bubba pucks from Yard and Pool on ebay. :)

Habanero Smoker · July 17, 2008, 02:21:53 AM

Great!

Bubba Pucks are very popular, and over the years many others have made imitations. Most don't know this, but Bubba Pucks where first were the creation of Kummok, and originally sold on the Chez Bubba website. You can still get the original Bubba Pucks from Yard and Pool or sending an email to the address posted.

Oldman · July 19, 2008, 08:53:21 PM

QuoteIf your online still, hope you enjoy retirement, Bubba!!!!

He is still around. I got a note from him the other day. Said he has been really busy, but hopes to get back on soon.
Olds

got smoke? · August 22, 2008, 08:46:41 AM

Made some homemade ALUMINUM BUBBA PUCKS using some 1/4" ALUMINUM plate (actually was an aluminum skid plate from the junkyard). Used a bi-metal hole saw to cut out 2 disks. Threaded the 2 disks together with a steel lag screw to acheive the 1/2" thickness of a wood puck. Trimmed the steel lag screw flush on both sides of the puck and cleaned up any sharp edges. I made the required 3 pucks so I get that last wood puck advanced to the burn plate.

The steel lag screw center is great for magnet retreival from the feed tube or the water dish if you need. When they get too funky to wash I use my bench grinder wire wheel and they are good as new. ;D

coherent · August 22, 2008, 11:44:01 AM

hmmm... I'm still "practicing" with my OBS, but can see what a help using these "Bubba Pucks" would be. I have a cnc plasma cutting business and can cut and weld about any shape etc. Has anyone tried fabricating their own? Saw that aluminum was used for these. I suppose that's to keep the weight down? Heat retention too? I have lots of aluminum sheet, copper sheet, steel sheet and so on. Are the originals solid or hollow? Obviously solid round aluminum bar that diameter would work if sliced but would cost more and be heavier... Seems like I could fabricate some hollow ones out of copper or aluminum that would be light and disperse heat quickly for an awful lot less? Any thoughts or ideas regarding weight or type metal and would others be interested if I could pass on/offer in sets of three to forum members cheaper (close to fabricating cost/shipping)?

Payson · August 25, 2008, 05:59:11 AM

Quote from: coherent on August 22, 2008, 11:44:01 AM
hmmm... I'm still "practicing" with my OBS, but can see what a help using these "Bubba Pucks" would be. I have a cnc plasma cutting business and can cut and weld about any shape etc. Has anyone tried fabricating their own? Saw that aluminum was used for these. I suppose that's to keep the weight down? Heat retention too? I have lots of aluminum sheet, copper sheet, steel sheet and so on. Are the originals solid or hollow? Obviously solid round aluminum bar that diameter would work if sliced but would cost more and be heavier... Seems like I could fabricate some hollow ones out of copper or aluminum that would be light and disperse heat quickly for an awful lot less? Any thoughts or ideas regarding weight or type metal and would others be interested if I could pass on/offer in sets of three to forum members cheaper (close to fabricating cost/shipping)?

Sign me up! I'll gladly buy a prototype set!

got smoke? · August 28, 2008, 09:53:05 AM

Quote from: coherent on August 22, 2008, 11:44:01 AM
hmmm... I'm still "practicing" with my OBS, but can see what a help using these "Bubba Pucks" would be. I have a cnc plasma cutting business and can cut and weld about any shape etc. Has anyone tried fabricating their own? Saw that aluminum was used for these. I suppose that's to keep the weight down? Heat retention too? I have lots of aluminum sheet, copper sheet, steel sheet and so on. Are the originals solid or hollow? Obviously solid round aluminum bar that diameter would work if sliced but would cost more and be heavier... Seems like I could fabricate some hollow ones out of copper or aluminum that would be light and disperse heat quickly for an awful lot less? Any thoughts or ideas regarding weight or type metal and would others be interested if I could pass on/offer in sets of three to forum members cheaper (close to fabricating cost/shipping)?

My homemade pucks are not perfect, but work quite well for a quickie garage project. I would love to try a set of CNC PLASMA CUT pucks! Keep me in mind if you go forward with this project. Aluminum or copper would be GREAT!

Can you make a hollowed out 1/2" thick aluminum or copper puck that could be filled with hardwood sawdust and reused on the burner plate. I'v been trying to make some using an end mill in my drill press....but....a CNC is a whole other story! WOW!

coherent · September 01, 2008, 05:05:54 PM

Can you make a hollowed out 1/2" thick aluminum or copper puck that could be filled with hardwood sawdust and reused on the burner plate?

Neat idea gotsmoke!!... never considered making "reusable" ones that you could fill with small chips or sawdust! Something closed in with lots of small holes or screen? I have made a couple of prototypes using both copper & aluminum from fairly thin sheet. They're basically a circle the size of a puck, with three tabs (the height of the puck). Take two of these and fold the tabs, put two together alternating the tabs and spot weld and grind and they seem to work fine. I'm really serious about my request for suggestions or ideas. I think somthing that is resuable would be awsome. Anyone who provides input and come up with some ideas, or better yet drawings etc, that I can implement, I'll be more than happy to send you a set or two of whatever we come up with free and I'll pay the shipping! I'd really like to do this for myself and others who may be interested in the idea. I'm not out to make money, just help our hobby (eating good food!)! Obviously this isn't rocket science, and I'm sure there are lots of workable ways of making these. I still have no idea if the origial bubba pucks are solid, hollow or ? nor what their approx weight is or if there's really any limitations in that area.
Feel free to PM me or post here.

westexasmoker · September 01, 2008, 06:39:07 PM

Another one that I'm not much help on...go figure! I have not bought the bubba pucks, I did make some homemade ones with washers and high temp silicone. The more I thought about it, is I lose one mesquite ( shocked again, I'm sure) puck per smoke....but then again I don't go overnight and I'm watching my BS through the smoke process. After the smoke your looking at an oven cook, which is what the BS is doing and nothing wrong with that! But I pull and go with with the house oven to finish off. Just me, and the wife tells me I'm anal....so go figure!! Maybe something to do with Mesquite!!!! ;D ::) ;D

C

Gizmo · September 01, 2008, 11:12:19 PM

For pusher pucks, if you or a friend has some scrap 2-1/4 inch round stock laying around and can cut 3 pieces off 9/16 inches thick, go for it. Trade your friend some brisket or home made bacon and the good will be paid forward. Unless you have the stuff laying around, if you have to go out and buy stuff to make them, IMHO save your money and buy the original Bubba Pucks. Heck it might save you money after buying the materials and gas. :-[

For those new to the forum, the Bubba Pucks were invented by one of the board members and sold through another member. There is a bit of honor with the inventor and sellers of the product that goes beyond dollars and cents and what little profit there is in them. I don't know what it costs to make or how much money anyone can make selling them but then I am not writing here to go into that issue other than to say the name "Bubba Pucks" are treated here as copywrited material referring to the orignial. There have been several posts here on the subject and this post is not to dredge up another thread on the subject so I will leave it at that and with respect to the ingenuity of the originator and anyone that is a do-it-yourselfer.

For homemade wood pucks, I don't think any device that would hold wood (sawdust) and would physically seperate the wood from physically touching the burner plate would work or at least would not work as well as the manufacturer's product. The burner plate is not a super hot device and is just barely hot enough to burn the pucks without making them turn into flames. Any seperation, even from a fine screen, would probably not allow enough heat to create the smoke or burn through in 20 minutes. I also think if the holder is made out of metal, the mass would draw the temperature of the burner plate down decreasing its effectives as well.

beefmann · September 02, 2008, 07:07:38 AM

I have make my own pucks out of 2 inch copper pipe ends cut 1/2 inch thick so far they are working great ..though do wash them first and they do get smoky after they are used...grant you there about $ 5 each might try getting an 2 inch steel coupling and slicing them in 1/2 lengths and see what happins

beef

Wildcat · September 02, 2008, 05:16:55 PM

Nicely stated Giz! ;)

got smoke? · September 04, 2008, 06:32:02 AM

Quote from: coherent on September 01, 2008, 05:05:54 PM
Can you make a hollowed out 1/2" thick aluminum or copper puck that could be filled with hardwood sawdust and reused on the burner plate?

Neat idea gotsmoke!!... never considered making "reusable" ones that you could fill with small chips or sawdust! Something closed in with lots of small holes or screen? I have made a couple of prototypes using both copper & aluminum from fairly thin sheet. They're basically a circle the size of a puck, with three tabs (the height of the puck). Take two of these and fold the tabs, put two together alternating the tabs and spot weld and grind and they seem to work fine. I'm really serious about my request for suggestions or ideas. I think somthing that is resuable would be awsome. Anyone who provides input and come up with some ideas, or better yet drawings etc, that I can implement, I'll be more than happy to send you a set or two of whatever we come up with free and I'll pay the shipping! I'd really like to do this for myself and others who may be interested in the idea. I'm not out to make money, just help our hobby (eating good food!)! Obviously this isn't rocket science, and I'm sure there are lots of workable ways of making these. I still have no idea if the origial bubba pucks are solid, hollow or ? nor what their approx weight is or if there's really any limitations in that area.
Feel free to PM me or post here.

SEE MY POST IN "BRADLEY FLAVOUR BISQUETTES" SUBJECT: Save your bisquette crumbs

Make your own "Bubba Pucks"

beefmann