Building a Cooker

[Lanse]

Hey guys...

So, i was looking through some threads here, and might have found something i can get some experience with, and maybe a few bucks, too.

I recently bought this air compressor....



It has so many problems, that i fixed it by buying a new compressor. Problem(s) solved.

Anyway, im selling the motor and pump here on the local craigslist, but the tank im not too sure about.

I might be able to get $20 for it, or else haul it in as scrap, if i could convince the people that its an air tank, and wont blow up when they put the torch to it.

But, im thinking it would make a pretty cool grill/smoker sort of thing...

I have no idea how to design something like this, and all i can gather from looking around here is to grind off the feet, weld something over all the various holes in it for air hoses and the like, take off that "shelf" thingy on top, make a 2'x4' door in the side of it, some cooking "racks" for the creature inside of it, and pop on a couple of those little smoke stack things.

But i know theres gotta be more to it, then that??

-Should i fill it with wood and let it burn for a few hours after cutting the door in it, to get rid of all the oil/junk that might be inside of it?

-how high off the bottom of the tank should i make the racks??

-how big of a door should i use

-how do i make the door?? Should it overlap the side of the tank, etc?

-should i use two doors??

-how many, and what size of "smokestacks" should i put on this thing?? Its a 60 gallon tank...

-How much support should i put on it?? I dont want to get it back if the buyer had the tank fall of the legs, full of burning charcoal and meat...


Thanks for the input guys...

Im pretty clueless here, and itll be my first "project". I just thought it might be a little cooler then a welding table/cart, and i already have the tank, so if it fails miserably, i wont be out that much...

[dubl_t]

it would make a nice smoker, but I think it's worth more as an air storage tank; considering how many hours you'd have into it for conversion.

But if you found the right buyer, and smokers seem to be the thing to build these days, you might make more.

Bottom line, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, so don't listen to me

Regarding smokers, there's lots of different designs. It has to seal well, not get too hot, vent well, get the smoke to the meat (if a separate firebox), etc. It could be verticle or horizontal. I'd say search the web for "homemade smoker" and see what pops up.

[1-800miner]

Hook that tank up in tandem with the new compressor and have twice as much reserve air.
Go to the propane company and swindle them out of the size tank you want for a cooker. A case of iced down beer in the afternoon is a great bargianing tool!
They are made from heavier steel and will last much longer.
Be sure to read the threads on cutting open propane tanks.I don't want you to become a Darwin Award.

[MarkBall2]

Here's a few ideas, all wrapped up in a pretty picture. I originally found these on the SmokeRing.com

[WHughes]

holy crap, im in love

[AndyA]

I wrote a little web thingy to help me design my cooker.
http://nanosleep.dyndns.org/cookerDesign
This is a direct steal of the spreadsheet that you can get from the same smokering forum that someone else mentioned.

Here's the cooker I built.
http://nanosleep.dyndns.org/cooker
It's a little different design than most. I use water in the cooker. This keeps the meat nice and moist. I have dampers that cut the smoke off. This lets me cook without wrapping the meat in foil.

[oxy moron]

Originally Posted by WHughes

holy crap, im in love

ditto.

AndyA, i could have sworn someone is looking over my shoulder. I, too, bought an air compressor (Speedair 60gal) that turned out to need a lot of repair, and I also ordered another air compressor (IR SS5L5). I'm gonna try harder to fix my speedaire, but after seeing your project, i'm kinda hoping i'll fail and end up with a kick *** smoker.

[little Jeep]

Great thread guys...... I now have it in my favorites...

Don't know if this will help anyone or not, but I want to build a smaller smoker for use in my rear yard. I found this..... I haven't ordered it yet, so I can't advise if it's worth $12.00 or not.

http://www.how-to-plans.com/bbq_smoker_plans.html

[Marcuspboldt]

After seeing that smoker I think I'll throw a tarp over mine so nobody can see it

[AndyA]

Originally Posted by little Jeep

Don't know if this will help anyone or not, but I want to build a smaller smoker for use in my rear yard. I found this..... I haven't ordered it yet, so I can't advise if it's worth $12.00 or not.

I would probably skip the plans. There's plenty of info out on the web.

The exact dimensions in the plans won't help you any. You'll be building to whatever dimensions your tank or pipe is. So a good picture of someone else's cooker is just as good as a set of plans.

[Jerel]

Lanse,

Look here for info............ http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index

http://www.phpbbserver.com/phpbb/index

http://www.oscarenterprises

Jerel

[lanltowing]

Just built one and used the same kind of air tank for cooker part for fire box used a 100# propane tank . This cooks great will hold 225 - 250 deg steady.
After I got it together built a huge fire in both boxes with pecan wood and let burn about 8 hrs to clean out . Part from fire box to cooker I cut 3 slits with torch and then put 3/16 x 8 horizonal pice accros and boxed it in to put a few pots and pans on to heat up things like beans worked out good .
These are the plans i used to get tanks holes in tanks . They were using larger tanks but I followed them and it turned out
http://www.compuvices.com/smoker.shtml