So Im thinking about building a smokehouse for sausage. Any suggestions for a heat source? Indirect or electric or propane? Any pics or tips would be very helpful.

how much do you want to do at a time?

Been thinking of doing the same thing..... Looking for imput from the experts

I built a 4x4 smoke house inside my shed:

First I framed up two 4x4 walls and the ceiling (the other two walls are that of the shed) and sided them with 7/16" OSB. After it was framed, I ran a bead of expandable foam (from a can) along all the places smoke could escape.

I used an interior 2' 6" door, that swings to the outside of the enclosure (if it swings in, you wont be able to get anything in it).

Put a 6" round A/C duct at the top of the enclosure, with 6" flex ducting leading to the side of the building. then I used a side mount 6" dryer/exhaust duct w/screen as my exterior vent.

At the bottom of the enclosure (the exterior wall), I cut a 6"x12" rectangle out of the siding and covered it with a screen soffit vent (to allow fresh air in low).

For heat, I simply use the Charbroil smoke box, which are accessories to the Chargriller backyard grill series. They are made to be added on to their pits. It has feet and handles, which is nice. I take the pit out of the smoke house, start the fire (so it doesn't get the smoke room all hot), get a good bed of coals going, then carry it back in (using cheap welding gloves).



For the racks, I simply nailed 2x4's horizontally to the interior walls, about 5 1/2 feet off the ground. Then used 3/4" metal conduit (cheap), cut to fit inside, for hanging the meat from.

I set the smoker on the floor, on top of a automotive metal drip pan (autozone, $8 bucks). The drip pan catches and debris that falls from the pit and juices that falls from the wet meat.

For the temp, I just use one of those remote weather stations you get for christmas every year. That way I can monitor the temp from a distance.

Done!

Oh, the 4x4 shed can do up to 200 pieces of jerky, or about 75 rings of sausage.

Really not sure on capacity. I would like the ability to smoke about 100# of.link sausage at a time.

What Im thinking is a 8' tall, 4' deep, and 4' wide smokehouse. The frame would be built out of 1.5' x 1.5' x 3/16" angle iron and skinned in some type of metal panel. I want this entire contraption built on a skid so I can move it. Then foam sealant along all edges. Im sure I will use horizontal pipe type racks. Still thinking about what I will use for a smoke source.

Should I use indirect heat from a seperate smoker or should I use a direct source (propane heating wood chips, etc.)?

I built mine out of a commercial refrigerator that is metal lined. I can nearly stand up inside of it. It's about 24" wide. I can smoke 100# sausage in this with precise temperature and humidity control. I used a 1500W electric element with a line voltage, capillary bulb thermostat. It will reach a temperature of 195 degrees with the dampers closed but smoke at around 160 max

For smoke, I use s cast iron skillet filled with hickory chips. I use two digital thermometers, one for internal temp of the sausage and the other for smokehouse temps. It works great and was cheap to build.

Wow. Cool smoker. Can you post more pics?

I like both ideas above !

My dad used to have a homemade smoker made out of an old refrigerator that was metal lined but would probably be rather hard to find one that isn't all rusted out. It worked very well since it was insulated and maintained the temperature extremely well. One could probably be fabricated out of angle or square tubing wrapped with sheet metal and lined with the foam insulation board.

We dug a hole and buried a metal trash can about half depth as the fire pit, ran some 1-2 inch conduit across slightly under ground with an elbow up into the bottom of the refrigerator. He then took another piece of conduit running vertically inside that was a few inches from the bottom up to almost the top with an elbow turned towards the back and a horizontal piece of conduit exiting out the back as the chimney that he made a flue to regulate smoke & temperature. This allowed the entire refrigerator to fill with smoke from the top down where the smoke exited out the internal conduit from the bottom. We used the metal racks in the fridge to put the meat on or hang meat from for jerky & link sausage. Dad had a thermometer mounted thru the door of the fridge a few inches from the bottom of the compartment and another a few inches from the top. He also made a flue device on the trash can lid to regulate the intake air flow too.

We would soak oak, mesquite, pecan (peach & pear work well too) with water and build a small (15-25 pieces) charcoal fire in the trash can until it started to ash on the outside, then put a piece of the soaked wood on top of the small pile of charcoal and put the lid on the trashcan. Every hour or so, we would add 10-15 more charcoal briquettes and another piece of soaked wood alternating the different types. When the trash can bottom finally rusted out, he put an old plow disk in the bottom to build the fire on. Later on, he made a little stand with the disk on top and put an old water heater burner under as the heat source and used smaller pieces of soaked wood or bark to better regulate heat over extended periods of time for larger types of meat like turkey, brisket and hams. Worked like a charm and seemed relatively simple design in principle.

I've been thinking about this too. I see some great ideas here.

It's at the farm. I will take more pics next time im there.

Just saw this thread. I have seen one made from one of those coolers you buy ice out of in front of convenience stores (the kind with the sloped face and metal doors). He sprayed the inside with high heat paint, and planked the exterior with Cedar. It was BA. He talked an Ice company out of a non-working unit for free and added venting and a smoke box.

Best one I ever seen my buddy built from an old walkin wooden Ice Box, the walls on that were 10 inches thick. He cut an 8 inch hole in the top and installed a weather cap and cut a 12 inch hole in the bottom and ran a 12 inch 90 and straight piped it about 8 ft out to a 1/4 inch steel lined box measuring 4x4x3 ft with a 1/4 inch lid. He could put several hundred pounds in and did all the heating and smokeing in the pit. Many years later they had a fire and it burned to the ground, that will teach you to keep the brush cut down.

Tag for some great ideas!!!