Fired the BIG smoker

RickyBobby

Don't know if you can see it in the pics or not, but I had to fire up my big smokehouse yesterday. Currently smoking around 100lbs of venison snack sticks and several hundred pounds of venison summer sausage for a group of friends. I love watching the smoke roll out of it!

I took an abandoned grain bin that is 14ft in diameter and built a two-level rack system up high inside it. It will hold a lot of meat! Most sausage I've smoked at one time is 1200lbs. I usually fire it half dozen times a year. I built it a llittle over 10 years ago & the word has gotten out. I smoke for local friends who make their own sausages, just as a favor. It works great! It holds the smoke like I've never seen. I can open the door when I refuel my fire & can't even see the sausage hanging inside because of the smoke. Pretty neat!

Griffin

Does it use a pitmaster iQ120? I hear those FREAKIN ROCK!! That is one impressive smokehouse. Got pics of the  inside?

RickyBobby

I'll try to take pics of the inside once this batch is done and all the smoke clears

DMW

I'm jealous!

minniemoh

I'm an old farm kid, that's a very cool repurpose.

jhl192

You should paint it green.  

cazzy

Pretty awesome!

RickyBobby

I cut a vent/draft door into the front of the man door going into it. It slides up and down on a chain. I can close it down on windy days or open it wide open on calm days to let my fire draw some. It has a screen in behind it just like the bottom vent on our Eggs. I use an old time little free standing wood stove to build my fire in and leave it standing right next to the vent I cut into the smokehouse door. I just don't hang any of the meat directly over it, because it will get hot there. I'm smoking this batch of sausage with Pecan and Apple wood.

Hi54putty

That's fantastic

TUTTLE871

I want that. I wonder if my neighbors would appreciate that beast in my back yard. One thing though I think when it's smoking away I wouldn't have Mosquitos anywhere near my house.

RickyBobby

There is just enough gaps around where the walls meet the roof and also where the cap is on top center of the roof, that my fire draws very nicely inside it. Another thing is it's air tight enough that if you get a REALLY windy day, it will still hold the smoke just fine.

RickyBobby

TUTTLE871 said:

I want that. I wonder if my neighbors would appreciate that beast in my back yard. One thing though I think when it's smoking away I wouldn't have Mosquitos anywhere near my house.

Yeah, I don't have any neighbors :-bd

Little Steven

Is your fier inside it?

Little Steven

Nevermind I read the rest of your posrs

SmokeyPitt

Wow, that is too cool.  1200 lbs of sausage!  

RickyBobby

Went down and refired it this afternoon. Tried taking a few pics while there wasn't so much smoke.

GATABITES

Nice, thats really nice. How much wood per load? what type of smoke wood?

Firemanyz

That thing is AWSOME. Wonder if I can find someone around me that has an old one that would give it up. How much wood do you go through when you smoke a batch?

Justacookin

Is that the xxl we have been hearing about. Very cool.

cazzy

That is pretty awesome!

I can't believe I just labeled something associated to Ricky Bobby as awesome...    L-)

RickyBobby

I smoke with mostly Hickory and then mix in either Peach, Apple, Plum, or even Cherry. I am currently out of Hickory(need to go do some cutting in my timber) so today I am smoking with Pecan. I heat my home with wood during winter and cut and split all my wood in 24"x8"x8" pieces. I just pull out of my home heating pile and cut it up into little 8x6x6 blocks and stoke the smokehouse with that. I typically do four or more 2-3 day smokes each winter and a pile that is maybe 3ft x 3ft x 3ft will get me by for all of them. I try to keep the wood stove inside my smokehouse choked down as much as I can to make lots of smoke, but yet reliably keep my fire burning. I use 100% dry wood. I don't soak it or wet it down.

SoCal_Griller

Oh man.  I have a 5500 Gallon metal water tank that is not being used.... yet