Electric Smoker Build

[Ishootwinchester]

A few years ago I saw a file cabinet smoker online somewhere and was really intrigued by it. Every time I would see a file cabinet being thrown out I talked myself out of the build because I had too many irons in the fire with projects. A few months ago, I acquired an old X-Ray file cabinet through a demo job at work. On the same job I found some metal shelving that I cut down to fit perfectly inside of the cabinet.





Step one:
Remove the existing paint on the cabinet. This didn't come easy. Aircraft stripper helped slightly but the majority of the paint had to be removed via cordless drill and a paint stripper bit. 2 weeks worth of 2 hour nights of steady grinding on this paint.



Paint removed and hardware added


Step two:
Assemble temperature controller box.
I ordered an inkbird temperature controller package from amazon ($28). It comes with the controller, a solid state relay, and a type K thermocouple. I purchased a junction box with no knockouts to house the controller ($15). I purchased 2 single electric burners from Walmart and stripped them ($10 ea.) I relocated the rheostats from inside of the burners to inside the housing as well. Amazon also sells high temp wire that I used for the inside of the smoker to withstand the higher temps.









Step three:
Paint smoker box and mount controller.
Since the controller assembly cannot stand up to the temperature of the smoker, I used 1" pieces of 3/4" EMT as spacers to allow airflow between the two. I also added an exhaust vent to allow some smoke to exit and hung the racks inside.











Step four:
Load it up and let her burn! I loaded some stainless steel chip boxes up with cherry wood and fired it up. Once it got up to temperature, I loaded a couple pounds of chicken wings, 2 whole chickens, and a butt.




She held temperature all night long. I got her fired up at 7:30 PM. By 9:30, the chicken wings were smoked to perfection. By 2:30 AM, the chickens were falling apart they were so tender. At 7:30 AM, 12 hours later, I struggled to get the butt off the rack without it falling apart.


I am beyond pleased with how this build came together and how easy it is to operate.
However, I'd like to attach a cold smoke generator to the outside to keep from losing the heat every time I rotate chip boxes on the burners.


Links to parts:

Inkbird °F and °C Display PID Stable Temperature Controller ITC106VH with K Seneor thermocouple and Solid State Relay (ITC-106VH + K + 25A SSR) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LQ8TPA0

BUD Industries JB-3956 Steel NEMA 1 Sheet Metal Junction Box with Lift-off Screw Cover, 6" Width x 8" Height x 4" Depth, Gray Finish https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UP9U1U..._uERIyb109H12R


BNTECHGO 10 Gauge Silicone Wire 10 feet [5 ft Black And 5 ft Red] High Temperature Resistant Soft and Flexible 10 AWG Silicone Wire 1050 Strands of copper wire https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017TGYW3S..._9CRIyb7TJ04KM

Arctic Monsoon Smoker Box Stainless Steel Grill with Lid, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C2I2PGY..._8ERIybJW668HD

IMUSA USA GAU-80305 1100W Electric Single Burner, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T0SN0K..._NGRIybGHE9PZ4

[Duck cutter]

that's pretty slick, how much $ and time you reckon you have tied up in it total?

[Moonlight Hunter]

I would cut a hole to put a window in so that I could bend down every once in a while, shine my phone light inside, and grunt approvingly while everything cooked.

Electric is witch craft, but I respect the build.

[Ishootwinchester]

I honestly could have almost purchased one for the amount i have in it. It nickel and dimed me to death with the 12/2 with ground power cord, the Misc. hardware for wiring, paint, stripper, paint stripper bits, etc.

If you could get a hold of a sand blaster you could save a lot of time and money.

[Ishootwinchester]

I would cut a hole to put a window in so that I could bend down every once in a while, shine my phone light inside, and grunt approvingly while everything cooked.

Electric is witch craft, but I respect the build.

I agree with the electric is witch craft comment, but curiosity got the best of me and I had to dance with the devil. I wanted a unit that I could literally set and walk away from and that's what I've got.

[murraywader]

Mighty fine work.

[hold'n187]

looks great. good job

[ChickenFlip]

Pretty neat! Nicely done.

[Fish]

The guy in the cover shot at the link below has a serious smoker setup. If you ever have any questions about anything to do with your apparatus, he'd be a good source for information. And he's on Johns Island.

http://www.meathousebutchershop.com/

[carolinaboy06]

After you painted it, did you burn it for a while/oil down the surfaces at all before adding meat?

Looks like an awesome project. A friend of mine did a big ugly 55 gallon drum wood/coal smoker. I believe it was a food grade drum and he still burned the shit out of it to help remove anything that was lingering on the inside.

[Ishootwinchester]

I burned it for 2 hours at 300 degrees which is the highest temp I could bring it up to. I didn't think about oiling it though.