NorthWest Kayak Anglers
Not Necessarily Kayak Fishing => Recipes => Topic started by: PNWCOONASS on May 21, 2009, 08:34:25 PM
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Anyone, build or use one of these. I love the taste of smoke foods.. Saw a write up on a garbage can smoker the other day on the net. Looks like you could build one for around 50-75 bucks. I think if you were to put some fire retartant insallation on the outside you could probably regulate the temperature a little better especially up here in the cold PNW.
anyone have any thoughts on this? are any others that are relatively cheap..
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interested but never seen one...have any pics?
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You mean like this one? ;D
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/80_21_05_09_10_01_09.jpeg)
This one looks pretty bad because its been sitting essentially underwater for the past week. But it ain't whats outside, it's what comes from inside. (We've been getting almost solid torrential rains for the last week)
I thought I invented this when I was in school, but then I saw Alton Brown make one that's pretty close on TV. It kept a steady stream of friends and fraternity brothers at my door for 5 years :-\
I put this one together a few months ago out of nostalgia and it works better than the original. The heat is controlled by the vent near the bottom and on the lid. Really fine control too.
I'll post more details later, but I just could not resist walking out the door and taking a picture ;D
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Garbage can smoker... sounds perfect for your steelhead Zee.
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Here is a link if anyone is interested.
http://winecanine.com/smoker.html (http://winecanine.com/smoker.html)
-craig
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Here is a link if anyone is interested.
http://winecanine.com/smoker.html (http://winecanine.com/smoker.html)
-craig
That's pretty much it, but I use a smaller tabletop grill. I found the Kingsford Tailgating kit at Home Despot on sale for less than $20 bucks. I also only use one vent near the bottom and one in the lid for better heat control. Other than that, that's it on the button.
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FFT,
I would be interested in some more pictures. LIke what the vent on the bottom looks like, what are you using for the chip "container" and just some overall information. Do you ever smoke stuff when it's cold outside? Just wondering how the tin metal of the trash can will "loose" heat....
Thanks in advance for the information.
pete
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I was thinking about doing a terra cotta smoker.
(http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FSB/CK7G/F2AX8P28/FSBCK7GF2AX8P28.MEDIUM.jpg)
Basically you take two pots and nest them, add a therm on the top, and just a pan on the bottom filled with some wood chips in a disposable pie tin, or cast iron on an electric hotplate, add a grill rack...
Somehow i think i might have more luck with the gf with flower pots vs a trash can smoker...
http://pkrdlr.blogspot.com/2006/08/low-slow.html
You just need to make sure your using new, unglazed pots.
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hey, PSR, alton brown did that one , too..fact is, i like that idea lots better.
being a wet blanket here, should there be any worries about poisoning from the galvanization of the can?? i mean, most metal garbage cans are galvanized metal.. somewhere in the back of my mind i hear warning bells about galvanic metals poisoning.
like Ginger said in Swordfish, "Just a thought"
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hey, PSR, alton brown did that one , too..fact is, i like that idea lots better.
Yes, I was watching an episode of GoodEats when he built one and have been interested since. He also made a fish smoker out of a large cardboard box and basically the same setup, except long wooden skewers or dowels to support the fish, instead of the grate. Might try it out, if I have a day to kill, just babysitting it.
I'm an AB fan
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I'm an AB fan
i think a lot of us are.
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hey, PSR, alton brown did that one , too..fact is, i like that idea lots better.
being a wet blanket here, should there be any worries about poisoning from the galvanization of the can?? i mean, most metal garbage cans are galvanized metal.. somewhere in the back of my mind i hear warning bells about galvanic metals poisoning.
like Ginger said in Swordfish, "Just a thought"
I doubt you'd get any more exposure to the galvanization by smoking, than you would just dragging it around your yard with bare hands. The smoking process won't be getting the galvanization layer anywhere near the vaporization level that normally happens when you try to weld galv'd metal.
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ahh, glahsshopper, i bow to your welders wizdum... yeh i see where you;re headed, and that's essentially what i had in mind.
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WR....... dont get any ideas.. i like the terra cotta pot ideal better and it would be more appealing to look at on the patio then a garbage can.. ;D
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Garbage can smoker... sounds perfect for your steelhead Zee.
:laughing6: :laughing6: :laughing6:
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WR....... dont get any ideas.. i like the terra cotta pot ideal better and it would be more appealing to look at on the patio then a garbage can.. ;D
Busted! :whip2:
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hey, PSR, alton brown did that one , too..fact is, i like that idea lots better.
Yes, I was watching an episode of GoodEats when he built one and have been interested since. He also made a fish smoker out of a large cardboard box and basically the same setup, except long wooden skewers or dowels to support the fish, instead of the grate. Might try it out, if I have a day to kill, just babysitting it.
I'm an AB fan
****Hijack alert****
Anyone else DVR all the Good Eats episodes besides me?
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we didnt dvr them but i think I and WR has seen every episode.
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WR....... dont get any ideas.. i like the terra cotta pot ideal better and it would be more appealing to look at on the patio then a garbage can.. ;D
Busted! :whip2:
heh, not even..
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You guys know you can pick up a Brinkman smoker at Fred Meyer for ~$65, right? I'm all for DIY, but not when I can buy something my wife will actually permit food to go in for nearly the same price. The terra cotta planter idea looks like a real winner though.
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I'm all for DIY, but not when I can buy something my wife will actually permit food to go in for nearly the same price.
:laughing6:
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Thanks insayn! I was somewhat concerned with the galvanized fumes issue myself. Who cares about me and the boyz back in school, but feeding the family is a whole other issue. I seasoned the can with a few smokes with no food (to seal it with carcinogens from wood smoke ::) ), but knowing that I'm probably not vaporizing zinc is reassuring. I'm still a bit cautious about hot coals directly in contact with the bare metal though.
There are other, some might say “prettier” ways to do this, but none more elegant. I’d put my garbage can Chicken, Brisket or Boston Butt up against anybody’s high faluting rig!
I use two 2”x3” vents, one on the lid and one at the base of the can. I cut the holes with a pair of aircraft snips and if you’re careful, you can use the off cut as the vent. If your not (I was not), any piece of metal (beer can, folded aluminum foil,,, your get the idea) will do. Just make sure they cover the hole and you can adjust them. With both vents closed and the lid on, the coals should go out.
The bottom vent has much more of an effect than the top vent. You have to play with them, but a half vent on both should run about 330 degrees. A little hot for barbeque, but you can vary it a little with the top vent or a lot with bottom, and close both to kill a flare up.
Chip box? I don't use no stinkin chip box! ;D I use soaked wood directly on the coals. Let them heat up bit, then close the vents. Kicks out the thickest, richest smoke that will really irritate your neighbors. About the only draw back of this rig is adding more wood and coals. You have to take out the rack of food to add either. I've saw those grills with the hinged opening, but I was too cheap to buy it.
Last really good cheap tip: Welding gloves from Harbor Fright make excellent barbeque mitts. 3 pairs for $10.
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Reach deep into your pockets, get a Bradley and forget about it.
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You guys know you can pick up a Brinkman smoker at Fred Meyer for ~$65, right?
Had no clue Yarjammer, thanks for the tip. Looks like good reviews on them, and sweet price! Thanks
http://www99.epinions.com/reviews/hmgd-Lawn_and_Garden-Outdoor_Cooking-Grills_and_Smokers-All-Brinkmann_Sportsman_Charcoal_Double-Grill_Smoker_and_Grill_815-3060
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Reach deep into your pockets, get a Bradley and forget about it.
That's a horse of a different color (or at least temperature). The Bradley is a cold smoker (<120oF). That's what Alton Brown made the cardboard box smoker for (and the way cool locker smoker in the bacon episode). You can do it with the can, but its really more a barbeque/grill.
(Those Bradley biscuits and feeder are slicker than snot though).
The Brinkman works well as a grill but runs a bit hot for barbeque and smoking for my taste. The bottom is open and closing the top vent does not slow it down enough.
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I had a problem.. I like gas grills for the convenience (no messing around when I just want to grill a burger quick), charcoal grills for the taste (esp. for roasts), and sometimes I like to smoke up some ribs or a boston butt.
Then I found this... gas grill on the left, charcoal on the right, and a smoke box for the charcoal side on the far right.
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/0/103_16_06_08_12_28_12.JPG)
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That's a nice machine and I seem to remember it appearing father's day (?) or so a year or two ago. Still have not seen what comes out of it though. ::)
:D
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One good thing about moving is that sometimes you get to upgrade. I left he old grill with the folks and I'm now in the market for a new one. Might just have to take a look at that one B!!!
-Allen
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That's a nice machine and I seem to remember it appearing father's day (?) or so a year or two ago. Still have not seen what comes out of it though. ::)
:D
Sounds like you're looking for a dinner invite Wali. ;D
Anyway, those that made it to the Pacific City tournament last year got to taste some ribs I smoked up the day before.
Brian
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I believe galvanized products are coated with pure zinc. Zinc is not one of the metals that people pay a lot of attention to with regards to toxicity. This is mainly due the lack of health risks in the general population from exposure to zinc. Zinc is one of a number of metals that the we actually require in trace quantities. However, it can become toxic if consumed in large amounts. Other examples of tasty metals are sodi-yum, calci-yum, and potassi-yum.
Zinc melts at a relatively low temperature and you may be vaporizing some zinc which may end up on the food being smoked. However, I wouldn't think that there is a sufficient quantity to cause a toxic effect. Some people believe that relatively large doses of zinc protect them from the common cold and take regular zinc supplements. I would personally eat some yummy fish from your garbage can smoker than take supplements. The problem is, if I eat to much fish, I have to worry about mercury toxicity. I can't win for losin'! :'( I guess I will have to drink some green tea to get those heavy metals out of me.
Now the question you all have to ask is, "Do I know what I am talking about, or am I full of crap?". ;) I guess that was two questions.
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The only issue with Zinc fumes is breathing them in. You can get flu like symptoms and feel like crap in the short term, but you have to be doing something like welding, or something similar to get it hot enough to vaporize in quantity in a given area.
Zinc's melting point is of the lower end of the metal spectrum it is however quite hot. In fact it's close to 800ºF, and the boiling point is over 1600ºF.
At this point you get Zinc Oxide (the white stuff you put on your nose if you're a life gaurd). Zinc oxide isn't toxic externally, but inhaled in quantity over an extended period of time can be hard on your lungs and nervous system in the long term.
If you are getting the bulk of the garbage can up to those temperatures, you aren't smoking anything, your torching it. Briquettes can get up to over 800ºF near their core, and will eventually work off the zinc layer of the garbage can where they sit in direct contact. You can eliminate this by just putting a layer of rocks, sand or bare steel pan down first. Again, to have issues you would need to be right over the coals sucking in as much fumes as you could. Craiggamesh makes a great point that your body needs Zinc naturally, and what little Zinc Oxide you'd ever be able to get from your smoker would be less then what you would take as a supplement to your diet.
Smoke away! :violent5:
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Thanks Insayn.
With all the available information, I see nothing but benefits to eating a fish that comes from a garbage can, provided its smoked.
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I know it is high dollar, but it is a multi-tasker like Alton Brown always recommends...
I have one, and let me tell you.....MMMMMMMM
http://www.biggreenegg.com/
You can smoke with it... (I can generally keep it around 150-160' F) Though not cold smoke, though I have thought of putting some duct out the top into a smoke box to reduce the heat. I have the Medium and smoke a Turkey every year for Thanksgiving/Christmas.
You can grill with it, I can sear a steak at over 700' F, or slow cook some ribs at 170-200' F for 6-8 hours.
You can even bake a cake or make pizza in the thing...
Temperature control is awesome, and you can shut it down to save unused charcoal.
The only downside besides cost... It weighs a friggen ton...
But, MMMMMMM... Does it cook some food!
YotF