a little brown egg in Maine: terra cotta smoker

My fiance has mad cooking skills, but he doesn't have a smoker. I wanted to make him one, but I also wanted it to be good looking in my backyard. Without the funds for a Big Green Egg, I googled "terra cotta smoker", and hit a jackpot. But no instructable! I wanted to make one of those too, so I'd found a twofer.

My favorite site was created by a guy from Atlanta who documented many of his steps, and cooking on it, too. If this instructable can be as helpful to someone else as his site was to me, then I'll be pleased.

Step 1: Assembling the parts

The first step (after prowling the web) was assembling the kit of parts. Here they are, arrayed on my front porch:

on the bottom step, the item I was most worried about finding, the single burner hot plate. The last time I saw something like that , it was an illegal object in my dorm room, in a time before the web. (Yes, I am OLD!) Most web authors claimed I'd need 1000 watts. I found a couple in on-line hardware stores and at Amazon, but for $20 plus shipping. (lower wattage ones were about $14) Since my target total expenditure is $60, and I found a commercial smoker for $38.40 at Home Depot, that was outta budget. But a local remainders store (Big Lots!) had one for $7.99, and another local low-rent chain (Reny's) had one for $9.99. This is a Maine adventure. I figured I needed to have the burner in hand to know the size of the base of the cooker, hoping to find a lot of variety in pots and other enclosures. So I started by spending 8 bucks at Big Lots! (yes, the ! is part of the name)

In the middle, the cookery gear. I found a small saucepan for $2.99 at Christmas Tree Shops a and a "grilling skillet" with folding handle for $3.99. Without their handles, these looked just about right for the wood chips container and the food grill. Also in the middle is a candy/frying thermometer with a range of 100°F - 450°F ($6.99 from a local hardware store), a rubber stopper to hold it ($1.50) and a rubber washer to block the bottom hole. This turned out to be unnecessary in that role but handy in another.

On the top, the pottery. an azalea pot ($9.99) will be the base, and a bulb bowl ($6.99) will be the top. Yes, I made sure the top fit inside the base at the garden store. These are standard unglazed terra cotta pots, roughly 30 cm at the top, with 2.5 cm holes in the bottoms. They might be a bit small for the kind of cooking Phil wants to do, but I'm going to start here and see how it all goes. Oh yeah, the cute little feet were $1.99 each, but who could resist them, and they make a space for the heater cord. So sweet.

Comments

[NoVAN8iv]

To seal the lid better, tear off a length of heavy-duty aluminum foil about equal to the circumference of your cooker, wad up into a "sausage" about 2 inches wide, mold it around the edge of the cooker, then squish the lid down, compressing the aluminum foil "gasket" so it fits snugly between the lid and cooker..

[pcorbett]

I laughed hard when I saw you drilling that pot in your lap. Please don't take this the wrong way, it was funny to me at that moment but wouldn't be funny to you if you slip..........Dig? I'm sorry but it's still funny so please be carefull. pcorbett

[Berkana]

 I recommend that you don't use non-stick or teflon coated pans; when they hit 460 degrees, they start breaking down and giving off toxic smoke. If you're smoking your food, the wood smoke may be obscuring any flavors from the breakdown of the teflon.

[datgnat]

This is true, & important to know about teflon, real barbequeing (as opposed to grilling) takes place attemps around 220-250 F...

[Momotaro37]

My understanding is that a small cast-iron skillet dedicated for the smoker is the way to go. Garage sales are a great place to find them.

[Spokehedz]

Also suitable are disposable aluminum pie-pans which come in stacks of zillions and are cheap enough that I only re-use them about 4 times before i crumple them up and toss them in with the aluminum cans.

[zoof]

I'm not so sure about disposable aluminum pans -- sandwiched between the heating element and the hardwood, the temperature can get pretty hot at the point of contact. My smoker burned through one of them before my brisket was done. I had to quickly find another solution.

[Spokehedz]

That is strange... I have never had one come close to melting on me before. Then again, I use sawdust from a local furniture shop where they only use hardwoods, and not chunks of hard wood. You can get a cast iron skillet that will never melt, warp, chip, or crack from a local kitchen-supply store... Or that new-fangled world-wide-internets. Guaranteed to last more than your lifetime. http://www.google.com/products?q=cast%20iron%20skillet

[Berkana]

You can also use those durable aluminum cake pans which have much thicker metal. They last longer, and the thick metal heats more evenly so all the wood in contact will smoke. With thin metal disposable aluminum pans, you get hot spots.

[rocktopotomus]

I made one of these with some minor changes, as I could not find the bowl or grill thermo. I used a smaller pot for the top which sealed it very nicely and i used a temp probe with a brick to limit the amount of smoke that it let out. I have the 1000w hot plate from Wall-greens but my problem is that the thing got WAY TOO HOT. on the lowest setting the temperature kept increasing, so I'd have to unplug/ remove the top. Which of course released all the delicious smoke. and then wait for the temp to fall and then replug the hot plate in. I measured the temp with to different thermometers and they both gave the same reading. What can I do to keep it from getting to hot without creating a thermostat switch? do they sell wimpier hot plates? (<1000w)

[Colonel K0rn]

Haha, pots still in one piece :D. I guess if they weren't, then you'd have to buy another bottom pot, and then go over budget.

[akshay_chak]

Thanks for a wonderful idea This kinda stuff is getting popular in India now...i mean the bar-be-que and stuff but the traditional earthen oven called the " TANDOOR" had always been a hot favourite . kinda reminds ne of that

[jkayner]

why not just buy an "old smokey" charcoal grill (~$40) and the hotplate and put the hotplate inside the grill? Than you have the best of both worlds.

[joelshults]

We've been using one of these for years after we saw one on Good Eats. We've gone through a couple of hot plates but those are cheap to replace. This thing is great for chicken, ribs, a boston butt, or just about anything else that can handle a nice, slow smoking. We use a cheap hotplate from Walmart or someplace like that, and take the element out (it has a wire that unplugs inside there). Then run that wire through the hole that is already in the bottom of the pot and plug it back into the hotplate. Then you have all of the controls and parts that could be damaged by the heat, smoke, and meat juices safely outside of the smoker. We also use a little, rectangular cast iron pan set directly on top of the element to put the wood chips in.

[kmpres]

I really like this instructable. I used to smoke beer-can chickens in an "all-in-one" smoker before we moved into a new house, but now I don't have space to store it so out it went with the trash on moving day. Pity, as my chickens were soooooo juicy and delicious! This idea could solve that problem as the "egg" could stay in our tiny yard and need not be stored at all. Your smoke generation might work a bit better if you use a cast iron smoke box designed for a kettle BBQ. They're about 4"x6"x1" and might just fit in the saucepan over your heating element. The cast iron will contain and retain the heat for quite a while giving you a more complete burn on the wood. You can even sprinkle a bit of beer in the saucepan from time to time for a lovely beer-steam effect. Love the dog! We have a white miniature poodle just like him. Best pet we've ever had.

[mrdiablo9]

Make a basic flour and water dough to make your seal.

[quiviran]

Maybe you could make a gasket out of this stuff? http://sugru.com/

[Spokehedz]

Sugru is not food safe--yet. They are working on it though.

Your best bet would be to get a smaller 'ash grate' from the hardware store which looks like a wee-little version of the grill grates that is intended for people who use chunk charcoal.

Also, you can scale up the pot and everything to quite large sizes and keep the same sized burner. I have quite a large pot where I can fit nearly 4 pork tenderloins with the same size hotplate and pan working just fine. I did have to add a small fan to make the smoke circulate a bit.

[jamina]

Silicon is your food safe, heat resistant material.

[coachmachado]

What if you got a LARGER pot for the lid? This would make it easier to grab using pot holders, so no handles needed...

[BeeRich]

Actually, a larger pot for the lid could also rest on the lip of the lower one, so that there is a better seal as well. The problem with this setup is that any condensate that forms on the lid will run down and to the outer lip on the top pot lip. But yes, I agree, this could be a better setup. Maybe construct some kind of clothes hanger hook system, mounted in the lip of the top pot lip for lifting. That way no mess from inside of lid, and a cool way to remove instantly.

[BeeRich]

Try stuffing aluminum foil around the sides. In the commercially available smoking world (Weber Smokey Mountain, etc.), the forum guys use foil to seal up holes, lids, etc.

[rhbama13]

Thank you Alton Brown.

[Momotaro37]

I was thinking the exact same thing. This instructable is great, but Brown detailed everything a person would need on the show, and it can be found in "I'm Just Here For The Food" as well his website. And this isn't to take away from prof_jellis, excellent documentation and wonderful pics. This is something simple that just about anybody can pull off and when a person is done with smoking that meat, just repurpose the pots!

[Goddess of Travel]

This is Alton Brown's smoker. He created it a few years ago in his show "Good Eats" Alton is a Culinary God.

[w0x0f]

You can buy rubber stoppers with holes at places that sell wine-making supplies.

[speedysk1]

I'm not certain, but do you like Guinness? ;) Great Instructable!

[gaffertape]

To seal between the two pots, try rolling up a bunch of aluminium foil. It compresses under the weight of the top pot to make a reasonable seal. Its food safe, and it will handle the heat well. Thanks for the instructable.

[Ericc815]

I will relate an extremely effective smoker built by a friend more than 30 years ago... take a tall school locker, line it with foil covered fiberglass HVAC insulation duct material, mount window screen over all the louvers, and install toaster oven in bottom... set bake thermostat and put small pan of wet wood chips into toaster oven, and thermometer thru wall near the top will give you accurate reading on your progress.

[dacker]

Alton Brown did this in a junkyard episode sometime in the last 5-8 years. Maybe he stole the idea from your friend?! I'd probably sandblast the interior to remove the paint before heating it with my food inside.

[sc13nc3]

sounds tasty

[srharvey]

You typically find pots with matching drip trays that go under them, why not use a large trap as a lid on a larger/deeper pot to keep the weight of the lid down to a minimum. Make 2 or 3 more and then you can experiment with doing small batches of different woods / spices to make a whole feast at once. Loved the instructions.

[lej619]

interesting I wonder how well it would work with say.. charcoal? line the bottom with tin foil. put the charcoal on top of the tin foil you could still use the "grilling skillet ". as for the pan on the bottom you would not need it. just put the wood chips right in with the charcoal. Yes?? nice idea might just have to try it, maybe with the charcoal in stead tho.

[srharvey]

With charcoal you need to be able to regulate the air flow into the coals to regulate the heat. So drill some more holes and make some sort of damper.

[srharvey]

Why not push the rubber stopper through from the inside (like / \ vs \ / from the outside) that way it can't be pulled up out of the lid when lifting it? I think the risks of smashing your pot out weight the risk of loosing your stopper into the smoker.

[skidoggeruk]

How about getting a bung from a local homebrew shop? Bungs for use with airstops already have a hole in them. Would that do?

[roamin_ronin]

I think I know why you'renot getting smoke. Unlike the hotplates we used "back in the day" these have a safety chip in therm to keep them from overheating and catching fire.... However! you can just hack the case of the hotplate (some more) and extend that sensor out through that bottom hole. I saw it done either on here or another hack site, but I can't find it right now. Thanks for the inspiration! I'm thinking of making one this weekend, now to replace my old one.

[gothycdesigns]

The smoker looks like a fun project....but the main props goto sticking a Guinness bottle in just about every shot. Loves me the Guinness a PROUD member of the 1759 society....lol. Thanks for sharing your project.

[M F]

yes, it is a good idea to consider what materials give off toxic gasses. don't use glazed pots. unless you are sure they don't have lead or cadmium in the glaze. also don't use regular rubber stoppers. they give off toxic fumes. Ps: I use the heat elements out of the George Forman Grills. Lean Mean Grillin Machine. They are always available at thrift stores by the bunch. 2 to 10 dollars.

[ceekay]

Brilliant idea. Pretty too.

[feltonite]

All in all, a good instructible, with one exception. It's not a good idea to hold your project in your lap while using a power drill on it. One slip of the drill could be disastrous.

[Sequimania]

You can buy oven seals at parts stores. Trim to fit the circumference of your pot, glue on and it should provide you with a reasonable seal. In August garden supplies go on sale and it will be cheaper to pick up a bigger pot if you wait until then. CostCo sometimes has big Italian clay planters for a very low price. With a big pot I would use a saucer for the top - less weight to pick up and hold while you're checking out dinner. Thanks for the Instructable.

[wheelnawheel]

Killians Red goes good with these also.

[jimheinen]

Another way to control the heat is to use a dimmer control. Get a heavy duty one that can handle the current. Wire it in the cord to the hot plate and you can control the heat with a knob.

[79spitfire]

Putting the rubber stopper in the freezer overnight will make it easier to drill.

[KEUrban]

Nice tip on drilling the stopper!

[jim cannon]

 Excellent!

[rickym]

So i have been wanting to make one for a while now but i just got a guestion how do you tell when the pork is done?

[yoyology]

I want to congratulate you on a clear, concise Instructable, an attractive finished product, and an excellent choice of object for comparing scale. :-)

[pdehay]

I really love this project and will probably try to make one when time permits, but i would personally shy away from any nonstick coatings on the bottom sauce pan as these coatings can become volatile if heated for long and high enough.

[jimahs]

Rather than taking the handles off a pan and a grilling skillet, I used a heavy duty pie pan and a small grill. Both should be cheaper than your options. The grills can be found at any hardware store's BBQ dept.

[tandem25]

Teflon coated pans really shouldn't be used for this project or any other that is similar in nature. Before you respond... I know that it can be safe up to 600 degrees. But why take your chances? Or the people that you are feeding. Use an iron skillet or stainless steel pan. They can both last forever. Using anything galvanized, cad, or zinc plated is just as dangerous in the long run. They can be used for exterior hardware. Now that I've been critical, I'd like to say that this is a wonderful pit. very industrious.

[Mandrew]

Shouldn't silicone caulking work well to seal the lip. It's good up to 675°F (357°C) and is totally safe for food. You could even eat it. If you were to lubricate the lid, and apply a seal along the inside of the pot, then apply the lid, you could allow it to set in place. You might want to lift it off and let the silicone caulk set not attached. Hope I help.

[draconis93]

I was wondering if polymer clay would work since the heat would harden. Therefore a seal can be made to fit. Thank you so much for your post of all the terra cotta smokers on here I really like this.

[marcintosh]

You mention- "So, for functionality, the garbage can versions of this idea, ". Please do not cook in a galvanized container. The fumes are quite poisonous. Instead, just make another system so you have twice the finished product Try using a small charcoal grill insert and ditch that black punctured platter to get a better seal. You know, one of the $2.99 ones you get at the China store. I appreciate the glass bit for drilling terra cotta. Thanks M,.

[dagwoodtsrw]

It takes galvanized metal 900 F before they will off gas heavy metals. As we are smoking at about 220F, there is hardly any danger. Just be sure to use a new, clean can. The best home made smokers I have seen were made from old 120 gallon propane tanks. They require the use of welding equipment and some serious welding skills but they work the best.

[trebuchet03]

Hello, please add an image to the introduction step. I'm unpublishing this for now -- once you've made this correction, republish and I will delete this note.

[prof_jellis]

hm ... i don't know why it took me so long to get back to this. it stayed unpublished all summer, and someone else published something really similar in July. fooey on me! his is pretty good, and it includes recipes and food pix, so maybe I should pull this. Mine does address the issue of of how to adjust the hotplate during smoking, so maybe that's a worthwhile addition. Is there an instructables policy on close copies?

[Freakin Einstein]

This was done on the Food Network. It's always helpful to see different versions. Everyone adds something new. Eventually we have "Perfection!" Thanks.

[trebuchet03]

Is there an instructables policy on close copies?

Nope - always welcome :D

[prof_jellis]

I just found the answer in the "Life's Burning Questions" area. Cool. Thanks for the quick reply.

[weconway]

Wow, I'm the guy from Atlanta, and I'm glad I was so helpful. I keep burning out my pie plates, so your idea to use a cheapo pot is brilliant. I'm going to run to get one before smoking season really picks up!

[starthorn]

I found a small cast iron skillet that I use in place of a pie pan. It works beautifully, and is still going strong after 3 years of heavy use.

[alexanderm]

Actually, the thick pan being used is the likely culprit for the lack of smoke. Pie plates work great, because they transfer the heat to the wood more efficiently. Make sure you soak the wood chips... they should smolder, not burn. Most people soak for at least one hour prior to use, and it's not uncommon to have to restock during the smoking process. You might also find a better seal around the edge by trying some sort of round cookie-cooling rack that's a little smaller... or get your husband to use some more of his power tools, and trim the edge down on that food grill you have. And, since he's so good at drilling holes, try making an adjustable vent on the side, just slightly below the level of the wood chip holder... which will increase the oxygen flow, while not letting all the heat out the top, where the food is. Oh, and don't forget that a good marinade/brine will make or break the end flavor! (i grew up in Alaska, and we smoked a lot of fish.)

[Ima_user]

re: a food-safe material for sealing - How about the silicone that is used for baking pans, etc? Perhaps you can use one of these and cut strips that will give you a better seal?