- Location
- Draper, UT
I've wanted to build an offset smoker for years but never got around to it.
With the recent addition of pellet smoker I was assuming that I'd never want an offset smoker again. I was wrong.
There is one single thing about a pellet grill that I despise and that is the noise they make.
Cooking is probably my favorite hobby and I really enjoy hanging around outside while the food is on. It's kind of my happy place.
The noise from the pellet grill just ruins that.
So I guess it's time to finally build a smoker...
I started with an 80 gal propane tank I scored on KSL for a mere $20 and a 26 gal air tank courtesy of @Kevin B.
The propane tank had been stored for years with the vent open and I was able to unscrew a fill port to fill it with water and about a quart of cleaning ammonia in hopes that it would tone down any odorant left in the tank. It worked surprisingly well.
With the contents flushed, I cut out the bungs and cut the tank in half with the plasma cutter with plans to have enough material to make two smokers.
After some pondering about the size and the looks of the tank with one domed end and one flat end I decided go with a larger smoker. To do that I spliced the dome end of the half with the holes (to the top edge of the hole second from the top above), to the other side and patched the one hole in the side.
Now came the nasty part. I decided to strip the paint off. Mistake, big mistake. I should have just hit it with a wire wheel and called it done or maybe slap some paint on it, but no, I had to slather it up with paint stripper. I started with citrastrip and thought I was being clever by wrapping it with plastic wrap to keep the stripper wet longer. Mistake, big mistake. All the plastic became one with the tank. grrrr. Wire wheeled it again, slathered on a more betterer kind of stripper (nasty smelling stuff) and after 2 coats you get the nastyness below. ( why can't I just have some good old MEK )
I finally got it done by stripper, grinder, wire wheel, and cursing. Time for the fun part.
Full size layout for the legs is the easiest way. Used a left over piece of the tank to draw the circle.
Legs will be 1-1/4" square tube.
Here's my setup to do 45* miters in the cold saw. I leave the saw set for 90* and clamp my 45* square to it.
I then clamp the work to the square and don't use the saw's clamp.
When welding up the legs I just clamp the pieces onto the cardboard, make sure it all lines up, then tack it together.
Here is todays result, a mobile smoke bomb...
coming soon will be the firebox, door, cooking grate, and chimney
Oh, and todays fun PSA, don't weld above the trash can full of rags that you used with acetone to wipe the grease off the tubing.
I got a large "Whooomp" and a warm rush of air, but nothing left burning.
With the recent addition of pellet smoker I was assuming that I'd never want an offset smoker again. I was wrong.
There is one single thing about a pellet grill that I despise and that is the noise they make.
Cooking is probably my favorite hobby and I really enjoy hanging around outside while the food is on. It's kind of my happy place.
The noise from the pellet grill just ruins that.
So I guess it's time to finally build a smoker...
I started with an 80 gal propane tank I scored on KSL for a mere $20 and a 26 gal air tank courtesy of @Kevin B.
The propane tank had been stored for years with the vent open and I was able to unscrew a fill port to fill it with water and about a quart of cleaning ammonia in hopes that it would tone down any odorant left in the tank. It worked surprisingly well.
With the contents flushed, I cut out the bungs and cut the tank in half with the plasma cutter with plans to have enough material to make two smokers.
After some pondering about the size and the looks of the tank with one domed end and one flat end I decided go with a larger smoker. To do that I spliced the dome end of the half with the holes (to the top edge of the hole second from the top above), to the other side and patched the one hole in the side.
Now came the nasty part. I decided to strip the paint off. Mistake, big mistake. I should have just hit it with a wire wheel and called it done or maybe slap some paint on it, but no, I had to slather it up with paint stripper. I started with citrastrip and thought I was being clever by wrapping it with plastic wrap to keep the stripper wet longer. Mistake, big mistake. All the plastic became one with the tank. grrrr. Wire wheeled it again, slathered on a more betterer kind of stripper (nasty smelling stuff) and after 2 coats you get the nastyness below. ( why can't I just have some good old MEK )
I finally got it done by stripper, grinder, wire wheel, and cursing. Time for the fun part.
Full size layout for the legs is the easiest way. Used a left over piece of the tank to draw the circle.
Legs will be 1-1/4" square tube.
Here's my setup to do 45* miters in the cold saw. I leave the saw set for 90* and clamp my 45* square to it.
I then clamp the work to the square and don't use the saw's clamp.
When welding up the legs I just clamp the pieces onto the cardboard, make sure it all lines up, then tack it together.
Here is todays result, a mobile smoke bomb...
coming soon will be the firebox, door, cooking grate, and chimney
Oh, and todays fun PSA, don't weld above the trash can full of rags that you used with acetone to wipe the grease off the tubing.
I got a large "Whooomp" and a warm rush of air, but nothing left burning.
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