FNG from Florida

[Mark R]

That's three uf us close enough to cause trouble!

[DDave]

Well, I could not think of a better person for one. Just sayin'

Yep, if there was anyone who should know how to keep it from turning into ashes, it should be the fireman.

As long as he doesn't loan it to Slanted's Dad's friend, should be fine.

Dave

[Seboke]

That's three uf us close enough to cause trouble!

Yep! Let's bring him along for our meetup next week! Ill PM you Mark And Larry with my good and bad days...

[Seboke]

We have to have a FL get together this winter!

Now that's something we can do!

[L20A]

Sounds good. I have a weird (firefighters) schedule but I will make it work.
My wood smoker is made with 1/2" plywood and is 2' X 2' X 6'. It has firebrick for the floor & the charcoal & wood go on the brick. There is a fire box door at the bottom so I can tend the fire without opening up the whole smoker. There are 4 trays that slide on runners and they are behind a large door so the trays are completely covered by the door. I build a small charcoal fire, about 12-15 coals & get 'em going to a nice grey and put 'em in the bottom and I put some wood chunks/pieces on top of the charcoals. I have no temp device at all. I just control the temp by "feel" and add wood or more charcoals to adjust the temp as needed. I do alot of fish and it usually takes about 4-6 hours depending on the thickness of the filets. My friends hunt and bring me coolers full of hog & deer quarters & I smoke them & make BBQ or Bambi-Q and keep some for my efforts. I do pork butts & take them into the FD & we have a pig-out feast. The guys will eat anything BBQ'd or smoked. I have trimmed my brisket & made a rub based on a few recipes that I found on a few sites & they are in the fridge. I will fire up the smoker at about 4 AM & hopefully have a nice dinner tomorrow. We'll see (said the Zen Master).
BTW, I have made 3 smokers in 30 years: the first died of "wet rot" as the sprinkler system hit it every other day. The second one was lost to fire. Operators error for sure. I neglected to paint both sides of the doors so when the smoker was fired up the doors would bow out, letting in too much O2 and started the juices running onto the coals & there was 30' flames. My neighbor came running over & asked me if I wanted him to call the Fire Dept & I said "NO!!" LMAO!! I put out the fire with a garden hose & the meat was salvageable. The third smoker is still in use (about 20 years old) and so far so good. I am gonna "finally" put a temp gauge in it so I will know what is actually happening in it.

[Mark R]

That is a traditional "Cracker Smoker". We had three of them when I was a kid. All we smoked was fish.

[L20A]

I have a 2" Ribeye on the grill now & lobster tails in the pot. Dinner is soon!!

[Hoser]

Sorry for the late reply to you all but I was on duty last night & we had storms & I was up running fire calls all night. I'm gonna need a nap soon!!

David, Bucs, Rays & all FL College teams.

Hoser, where is little Rhody?

Aardvark, Yes, wood. How do I post Pics?

Mark R, I work for So. Pasadena Fire Dept & live in Seminole. A get-together sounds great. Where do you live in St. Pete? My cabinet shop is in Pinellas Park.

Big Guy, I live in Seminole.

Squirrel, It would be great to have you come down for a get-together. I'm sure we could find a place for you to stay.

I need to learn how to post pics here. Any help will be appreciated.

"Little Rhody is just the nickname for Rhode Island...the smallest state.
We do, however spend considerable time just south of you in Venice, FL.

[crusty ol salt]

welcome to the island of misfit smokers, glad you dropped in and decided to hang around.

you need to post some pic's of the wooden smokehouse as soon as you can

[Big Guy]

We have to have a FL get together this winter!

That sounds like a plan, I'll be there about mid November

[L20A]

Here is my "cracker" smoker, made of 1/2" plywood.



I have done a dozen mackerel as well as an entire hog (hanging) in it. I do alot of ribs & butts & game that my hunter friends bring to me to smoke it for them. I get ALOT of that.



The bottom is firebrick & the coals & wood go on that.I usually get some coals going & put the wood on the coals & after that I only add more wood as needed, unless I need to jack up the temp then I add more coals.



The trays are made from 1 X 4 Pine & 1/2" hardware cloth & slide on wood runners that are on the side of the interior.



It looks like an outhouse when closed up.

[Richtee]

Yup... cracker as dey come, mon! But- apparently to this point... working just fine!

[sweet_magnolia]

[curious aardvark]

fascinating - that is way more basic than I was imagining lol

So no drip tray, chimney or heat deflector/diffuser.

What sort of paint did you use ?

[L20A]

Yes, VERY basic. That is the way I learned it. No temp gauge or vent. The air flow through the smoker is only what comes in and goes out around the doors. I do put a foil tray on the bottom shelf if I'm doing butts, etc., so the juices don't drip onto the fire & put it out. No heat deflector. When doing fish I rotate the trays so they all get even exposure to the radiant heat from the fire.
I use any good grade exterior primer & paint. I caulk all of the seams & joints before painting. I wish I could say what the temps get to inside when smoking stuff but I have never checked it. I just know what it should be doing & if not I adjust the fire. Works for me but now that I have gone "high tech" with an electric smoker I will have to look at getting more scientific with the wood "cracker" smoker. DAMM, you guys have ruined me! LOL