First time smoker build

V

Voodoo Wings

Guest
I just finished building my first smoker. I got my hands on a nice 80 gal vertical air tank and decided to keep it simple. Everything is hand made except the propane burner I used from an old turkey fryer. Tomorrow will be its first use. Gonna smoke a tri tip, pork butt, wings, deer loin, jalapeno poppers and maybe a wild turkey breast. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
 
That is a lot of different stuff to try first time out. I would start slowly, just in case there is an issue so you don't end up wasting a bunch of food.
 
Probably true, but I'm thinking "go big or go home." I do have a smaller smoker I can fire up if things go south with this one.
 
Here's a few pics of the smoker during the build.
 

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pappy i used to live in troy il right over by granite shi**y. if you want some good q there i used to eat at big mommas bbg in bellville all the time
 
and as far as smoking all that stuff at once.. wow.. it all takes diff times temps ect. and id think opening the smoker a bunch of times checking things from time to time you are asking for trouble
 
I'm sure you are right. I'll probably use my smaller smoker to cook a couple things on to make it a little easier.
 
Time, ease of temp control, laziness and I had the burner just laying around
 
Wow! That smokers looks amazing! I've got to keep my eye out for a tank like that. I would agree with a couple of the other guys on here. You might be trying too much stuff! Pick a couple of your favs for the smoker and then cook the others on the grill. Or maybe make some killer sides to go with your killer meats! We're going to need some pics of the final products!
 
So far, so good. Smoker has been going since 8:30 am and holds a constant 200 deg temp without much effort. Started with the pork butt and just added a trip tip a little while ago. Also through a dozen wings on the top rack for lunch. they were good considering I didn't put anything on them. The tri tip I went with some Santa Maria rub mix I found online. Anxious to see how that goes. The pork butt I coated in yellow mustard and applied a red rub. Popper will be going on soon. They are pretty low maintenance. They are jalapenos cut in half with a chunk of chicken breast and wrap the whole thing in bacon. Smoke for 45min, flop around in some Honey teriyaki and smoke for another 45. They are delish.

I'll attach a couple more pics of the smoker. I'll get a finished inside shot next time I check the meat. I plan to make a shelf to hold the water pan, but for now the stand I made to go inside my cast iron skillet / wood chip pan is working nicely. Only mods I need to make is add a flap inside the stack to control smoke and make a bigger vent in the bottom for the fire. I have to leave the bottom door open a pinch right now or the fire goes out. Not a big deal.
 

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Just added the poppers so I snapped a quick pic. One nice thing about propane, when i lose heat from opening the door, I can quickly get it back to temp with a quick knob adjustment.
 

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