Garbage can smoker

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..

interested but never seen one...have any pics?

You mean like this one?



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

Garbage can smoker... sounds perfect for your steelhead Zee.

Here is a link if anyone is interested.

http://winecanine.com/smoker.html


-craig

Here is a link if anyone is interested.

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.

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

I was thinking about doing a terra cotta smoker. 



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.

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"

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

I'm an AB fan

i think a lot of us are.

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.

ahh, glahsshopper, i bow to your welders wizdum... yeh i see where you;re headed, and that's essentially what i had in mind.

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.. 

Garbage can smoker... sounds perfect for your steelhead Zee.