DIY Smoker concern?

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    Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 2:05pm
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After being inspired on here, I’m doing my own DIY hot/cold smoker out of an old farm water pressure tank. The door is all marked out ready to be cut. Question is.. if the mild steel gets up to 80 degrees Celsius will it likely give off noxious gases & poison the food? & before anyone suggests it, I am not interested in spending over $1200 on a commercial one(I have other priorities). cheers for any advice

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Hairy Little Dwarf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 2:15pm
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Short answer?  no.

Long answer, as long as the surfaces are cleaned of any oils etc , then No.
The Dreaded Shark-Eating Man!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote floater Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 2:39pm
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Originally posted by Hairy Little Dwarf Hairy Little Dwarf wrote:

Short answer?  no.

Long answer, as long as the surfaces are cleaned of any oils etc , then No.
 
brilliant! that's what i wanted to hear. the tank is probably 50 years old & woulda seen a lot of water in it's day so i'd say it's free of any contaminants. appreciate the reply mate.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Bender Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 2:52pm
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If you're concerned the best thing to do is build it, then invite myself and a few of the boys from the site around for a smoke- up. After you've filled it with fish you've caught the day before and brined overnight, we can stand around and drink your beer until the fish is ready. Then we can eat the fish and drink more of your beer and if any of us keel over you'll know its dodgy.


Nobody has ever come up with a great idea after a second bottle of water.


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Fishful Thinking Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 4:40pm
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Have a look on the net at the cooker the yanks make out old propane tanks. Texas grills and smokers, big enough for a pig.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Finatic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 4:53pm
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Kiwi Sizzler smokers with LPG connection and temp control are on special for $599 if you'd rather spend that much Usually $799

Was going to buy one because that's a bargain in my books, but the bloody wonkers at IRD have stolen $1500 from me, so there goes that idea up in smoke! ... I'll just keep saving for my Bradley
What's the cheapest type of meat? Dear balls. They're under a buck.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote floater Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 8:26pm
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Originally posted by Bender Bender wrote:

If you're concerned the best thing to do is build it, then invite myself and a few of the boys from the site around for a smoke- up. After you've filled it with fish you've caught the day before and brined overnight, we can stand around and drink your beer until the fish is ready. Then we can eat the fish and drink more of your beer and if any of us keel over you'll know its dodgy.
 
lol, gentlemen we have our first guinea pig! Clap actually that's not a bad idea, except i don't carry light beers for you north shore girls, but i might be able to mix you up a shandy or 2 before you keel over. watch this space Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Seadoc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 8:30pm
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BBQ Factory recently had a special on the same smoker a s the Kiwi Sizzler (just rebranded as a BBQ Factory smoker) for $399 including gas bottle and regulator. I had to buy one!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Boz19 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 8:56pm
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Dunno anything about that water tank man but good on you for building your own.
I built a mean one out of bricks that were lying around the farm and it goes hard, smoked some kingi last week and it was tasty as.
Best thing was it cost $0 to build and costs $0 to run using ti-tree from the farm. Can't go wrong.
 
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Originally posted by Boz19 Boz19 wrote:

Dunno anything about that water tank man but good on you for building your own.
I built a mean one out of bricks that were lying around the farm and it goes hard, smoked some kingi last week and it was tasty as.
Best thing was it cost $0 to build and costs $0 to run using ti-tree from the farm. Can't go wrong.
 
 
Youre onto it Boz.. we have a brick one, with a tin roof and a wooden door.. and a dirt floor to make a fire on..   2.5 to 3 hours depending on fish thickness, and it can hold half an average size stripey in one go.. more often its a few big snapps, some big kahawai, and a few kingi or hapuka pieces..
 
Cant beat the taste.. and all it takes is a a few minutes to chop a bit of manuka.. and a few hours waiting while you read the paper and reflect on what must have been a good fishing trip...
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Fishful Thinking Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2009 at 11:16pm
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Mandy's, Sandy's no sweat, what is a Shandy.  The net suggests beer, lemons and aids might be invloved. Abreviation perhaps, Sub Human And Not Doing Yours? Strange habits they have away from the Shore side of the force, depraved in the ways of the dark side they are.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote deltadreams Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2009 at 7:00am
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Floater!!!
leave the Shore Girls at out in the swamp paddock and get the Southern Men out for a feed and a real beer, we will wait until you have all the Ranfurly fish smoked and then tell you that you will neeeeed to catch more so we can get a real taste.
DIY is where it is at, [as long as you catch fishOuch]
p.s. do I need to remember to bring the sleeping bag, and no more 40oz
Good luck mate
DD
Remember: it's not a fish until it's landed
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote floater Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2009 at 8:15am
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oh such cheek nellie! isn't it time for a nap?. i still need to scrounge a few bits-n-pieces yet.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote roddholder Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2009 at 1:46pm
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for what its worth , i built my smoker out of a large packing case, 1.85m x 850 x 900. 
i turned on its end and made the lid into 2x doors. 1x for the fire and 1x for the fish.
i made two trays out of 75x25 and covered them with bird netting. i fitted two 100x75 shelves to hold the trays near the top.
i put a 150x50 board across the bottom and filled the space with pumice.
i use an old oven dish to light my fire in supported by 4 bricks ontop of the bed of pumice. (sand will do fine)
this stops the fire from spreading if a spark falls from the oven dish.
i put a sheet of tinfoil ontop of the netting and put my fish on top of that. this alows you to remove the fish when still hot and stops it sticking to the chicken wire. poke a few holes in the tinfoil to let the juice run off if you need to.
i have smoked 16 trout at once in this.
 i use dry boxwood to get the fire going then feed it with 1/2 dry manuka or pohutukawa branches if i can get it.
if the fire gets too hot open the door a little and close it when the flames die down.
when its down to embers i place freshly cut green manuka leaves onto the embers and keep that up until the fish is that lovley dark brown colour.
once you have used it a few times it the inside wood gos black and is cured so you get that smoke flavour that you cant seem to get from a tin smoker.

p.s. i don't cut down any trees to get my wood but i scrounge driftwood or fallen branches etc. i trim the green manuka off the tree as i need it. cheers.
she was only a fishermans daughter, but she reeled at the sight of my rod!.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Contract Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2009 at 3:03pm
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I used to have the old steel dryer cabinet for about 25 years but the rust finally stopped holding hands a couple of years back. I cobbled by new one together out of a sheet of marine ply. I put two doors on this one. One for the fire access (gas ring from the red shed) and the top for fish access. The smoking racks are that Amplimesh aluminium stuff that they make security doors out of. Bloody easy to get out, remove fish & clean for next time. This particular shot shows some large salmon I smoked for friends at Christmas
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Raging Bull Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2009 at 7:32am
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Hey floater, the best thing you could do would be to do a dry run to burn off any crap before you out fish in it.

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