Welding Tips and Tricks

Ok I am bored today so you guys get to suffer through another one of my fun projects. I smoke food for parties in the summer so I built this drawer-type pig smoker for cooking pigs at the VFW and American Legion in town. I have used it at parties and cooked 8 turkeys on it at once. Needs exhaust baffles but it works awesome.

Very nice!

Makes me hungry just thinking of the food cooked up in that.

Nice design!

I'm guessing, though, you don't do many Bar Mitzvahs..., and Ramadan is kinda slow...

Seriously, I see keeper ideas in that. I like the trailer jack and caster to simply slide the works out of the barrel. That's a bit of "redneck genius".

However, my butcher can't find me an "offset hog" to smoke...

Steve S

Maybe he was lookin fer a smokin hog leg

Otto Nobedder wrote:Nice design!

I'm guessing, though, you don't do many Bar Mitzvahs..., and Ramadan is kinda slow...

Seriously, I see keeper ideas in that. I like the trailer jack and caster to simply slide the works out of the barrel. That's a bit of "redneck genius".

However, my butcher can't find me an "offset hog" to smoke...

Steve S

Thanks Steve. I can't take credit for the redneck genius, I saw one similar to it at a poker run. I changed it enough to not be a direct copy. Offset hogs are now a protected species here in Illinois so we use regular ones. I took it to a party and no one could figure out how I put the food in it. Of course I played along and admitted I forgot to put a door on it with my best redneck drawl...a couple people fell for it

exnailpounder wrote:...Of course I played along and admitted I forgot to put a door on it with my best redneck drawl...a couple people fell for it

Hey exnailpounder, great build.

If you'd permit a newbie smoker building question, how'd you source the main body of that thing? I've seen a number of builds, but I've never been able to figure out how to get that much round steel without breaking the bank.

Some ideas I've been kicking around involve building one out of flat stock, but round is a much nicer look.

Soooowieeeeeettttt!!!

Many are condemned propane tanks

newschoppafowah wrote:Hey exnailpounder, great build.

If you'd permit a newbie smoker building question, how'd you source the main body of that thing? I've seen a number of builds, but I've never been able to figure out how to get that much round steel without breaking the bank.

Some ideas I've been kicking around involve building one out of flat stock, but round is a much nicer look.

I build several smokers a year and Im fortunate that my steel supplier has a used steel area as part of a scrap yard next door. They get extra well casings and gas and water main and they sell it for about 40 cents a pound. As weldin mike pointed out, used propane tanks work good too. I have a 500 gallon monster I built from one. Find a local well driller..they usually have casing laying around and are more than happy to sell it.

Great build. Thanks for showing it to us.
What do you find is the best fuel?

Thanks for the compliment Coldman.. I find oak to be the best but with this unit having a smaller firebox, I have to cut the wood in smaller pieces or use lump charcoal. I insulated the top of the firebox with alumina refractory and that cut down on wood consumption dramatically. Im gonna put some baffles on the exhaust this spring as she flows too good but I am happy with it.

exnailpounder wrote:Thanks for the compliment Coldman.. I find oak to be the best but with this unit having a smaller firebox, I have to cut the wood in smaller pieces or use lump charcoal. I insulated the top of the firebox with alumina refractory and that cut down on wood consumption dramatically. Im gonna put some baffles on the exhaust this spring as she flows too good but I am happy with it.

Okay, you are clearly over-thinking your smoker,
and I respect that.

Fire and meat are my two favorite things.

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:

exnailpounder wrote:Thanks for the compliment Coldman.. I find oak to be the best but with this unit having a smaller firebox, I have to cut the wood in smaller pieces or use lump charcoal. I insulated the top of the firebox with alumina refractory and that cut down on wood consumption dramatically. Im gonna put some baffles on the exhaust this spring as she flows too good but I am happy with it.

Okay, you are clearly over-thinking your smoker,
and I respect that.

Fire and meat are my two favorite things.

Steve S

Ohh boy...theres a joke in there but I'm gonna take the high road...for once

I'm not. Sausage anyone?

weldin mike 27 wrote:I'm not. Sausage anyone?

Y'all can bite my ass.

And NO invite to my BBQ....

Ever been to an "endangered species" cookout?

Steve S

I've heard spotted owl tastes just like a golden eagle if you cook it right.

Len

Braehill wrote:I've heard spotted owl tastes just like a golden eagle if you cook it right.

Len

Wash. Biol. Surv.

That's what the tag on the leg said...

Tasted good, but was tough.

Steve S

Looks like proper food handling instructions to me.

I knew all those acronyms were a bad idea.

Len


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Otto Nobedder wrote:Y'all can bite my ass.

And NO invite to my BBQ....

Ever been to an "endangered species" cookout?

Steve S

Wasn't there a movie about that..about a lizard or something? And Braehills post reminded me of a joke but I can't remember it...hmmmm...memory loss...signs of a mis-spent youth!( or is it yoot) You guys have a good day,,I got the day off pobably will mis spend it too

Wow OK this is way cooler then the one I'm working on!!

I knew some folk who kept a game preserve for endangered species.

On occasion, one of these beasts would break a leg or some other health issue that required them to be euthanized.

The lost animal was properly butchered and stored, and about once a year, if you were in the circle of friends, you could eat endangered species and extremely rare animals.

Steve S

I don't know about 'endangered' seeing as none of these are, but I once attended a BBQ where kangaroo, emu and crocodile were served.

I'd draw the line at koala, though...



Kym

Had all three and completely understand why they are not endangered. The croc tasted between chicken and fish and kinda bland. Emu rissoles were stinky and I expect the taste was like something squeezed out of the wrong end of a camel. The roo, what can I say - you can live on it but it tastes like S@%#T!
Goanna tastes ok. Wallaby is passable.
Koala would have to reek of eucalyptus, what do you reckon?