Weber kettle conversion to smoker

Food & Cooking
1

So I dug through the garage for some sheet metal to build an extension on top of my kettle to better use it as a smoker.

Unfortunately, I have only galvanized sheet metal.

I’ve read that the heat from the smoker won’t get hot enough to release the zinc coating, but I’m skeptical.

Lowes sells sheets of aluminum, but I think that is also coated with something.

Any thoughts?  Is galvanized a super-bad idea?  Is aluminum just as bad?

I can probably find some sheet metal that’s not coated, but not in my garage (I have some stainless, but I think it’s very thin and I stashed it way up in the rafters and buried it under a bunch of other junk last summer).

2

How hot does your smoker get?

3

I haven’t built it yet…

But I don’t imagine over 250.

4

I believe that would be fine, I’ve read galvanized is good up to 375F+

5

I’ve read the same thing, but I’m skeptical.

I’m trying to find some regular old rusty sheet metal.  If I can find uncoated aluminum I might go with that.

6

How much is the pre-fabbed one?

7

I think the ez-smoke is like $300.

The thunderbelly is no longer available.

Haven’t seen too many more.

For $300 I’ll just get a char broil or a masterbuilt and modify it.

8

A WSM 18" is $300. I would opt for that if you’re planning to spend that much.

If not I would look at McMaster-Carr for some sheet metal. They can probably get you a 6 ft long piece.

9

This is only 60 bucks plus shipping. I’m getting one this year.

10

Thanks, fellas.

The smokenator looks intriguing.

Don’t know why I didn’t think of McMaster Carr.

There’s still one piece of sheet metal stashed in the garage I can’t get to, but it also might be galvanized.

11

This is slightly off topic, but I have been thinking of increasing the size of my cold smoker to handle more malt with the idea that I could sell custom-smoked malts to small breweries.  Right now my smoker holds about one sack (50#) and I have been “contracted” to smoke 150# four times now.
Galvanized is the material I have been considering, but the smoke doesn’t get much warmer than ambient temps.  I was also thinking of adding a cooler or heat exchanger to the “stack” to get the smoke even colder.
What do you guys think?

12

The main concern with galvanized is the toxicity of zinc oxide that is created upon heating the coating. Zinc melts at about (787F). Here’s the msds.

http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927329

But you say you aren’t heating the metal. right?

13

If the smoker already doesn’t get much warmer than ambient I wouldn’t worry about it.  I’d be tempted to do it in plywood instead of galvanized, just because it is easier (for me) to work with.

14

What about black stove pipe? Not sure of the dimensions you need, but a  piece of 6-8" round pipe flattened out is pretty large.

15

I found some food grade drums on craigslist for $14.  $20 if you want the locking lid.

It’s a bit of a drive to get them, but beats paying $50 for sheet metal.

I think I’ll get two, just because the drive is so long.

I may still try to play with the stainless I have in the garage, but it seems like the UDS may be the way to go.

16

I’ve been looking for a stainless food grade drum. They are hard to find used.

17

I just gutted a 50 gallon electric water heater and that tank is screaming “Make me into a smoker”.  I’m thinking vertical with electric elements at the bottom and I don’t mean the 5200 watt mega heaters that were in it.

18

Hmm… Hadn’t thought of a water heater.  I just replaced mine a couple months ago.

I kept the burner with the thought of someday using it to fire a kettle, but I know that’s a project I will never get around to.  NEVER.

I don’t know that the food grade drums are stainless.  They were used to hold ice-cream and/or juice according to the posting.  We shall see.

19

I’ve bought food grade drums and they were just coated steel, definitely not stainless.

Water heaters are supposed to be glass lined, so a smoker made from one should last a while. It’s also fairly heavy gauge steel. I’m not sure I’ll get to it either. It’ll probably just end up being something a lays around and pisses off the wife.  :smiley:

20

For $14 each I seriously doubt they are stainless.