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Go to the lumber yard--not one of those fake "lumber yard" big box stores--and see if they don't have a slightly damaged commercial fire-rated door with metal jambs. Or one that they got stuck with on an order; they are always looking to reduce that kind of inventory. I bought 2 of them for less than $100 [for both] for 2 jobs that I was trying to cut the customers a break. No problem with wood jambs deteriorating and they are made to handle the heat. Just paint them well before using.

If you really want a wood interior, there's a reason why some of the best closets are made of cedar. (resistance to rotting, resistance to insects, ect...)

Grandpa had a good smokehouse made of cedar interior, and with flat rock/concrete exterior. Worked really well for about 50 to 60 years. Part of the success was the indirect venting.

It was removed before the advent of pictures. He also had a cellar built in the same fashion. It remained cool in the hottest of days without cooling systems.

Tom Mason

You might be interested in an older design, from Mount Vernon.
http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explor ... m/pid/287/" target="_blank

cinder block should work, but curing them will take a while since they're rather porous. Used brick should be fine, but you can get specific fireplace brick which would be better. But, you won't have a great result until the brick/block/stone is cured by the smoke for a while.

bloke wrote:

eupher61 wrote:cinder block should work, but curing them will take a while since they're rather porous. Used brick should be fine, but you can get specific fireplace brick which would be better. But, you won't have a great result until the brick/block/stone is cured by the smoke for a while.

That's an interesting point as well. At least there is plenty of hardwood around here (hardwood that doesn't even have to be cut down) to do this.

Several of the websites that I've found point out that it is important to choose a wood that burns with a good aroma...not just any hardwood.

I have seen and eaten the product of a cinder block smokehouse here in Washington State. The owner had built it himself and has used it for years. Up here, alder is almost a trash wood and can easily obtained for free and delivered by the truckload (unsplit and in 20' lengths) for just a little bit more than free. I don't know if it is 'superior' to what you are using but it works great here. I guess you'll have to take the advice of people who know and be selective.

I've seen some good smaller 'smokehouses' here, too. A number of them are old, 50's vintage refrigerators with a vent cut in the top and a firebox in place of the compressor. One low-rent friend has one made from four solid core doors. He lashed them together and made one of them swing for the door, topped it with some corregated metal and used a metal 5 gallon bucket for the firebox. He used some recycled oven grates to set the meat on and was good to go. It has lasted about five years so far but might need to be rebuilt soon.

Jeff "Cheap is good" Benedict

Dean E wrote:You might be interested in an older design, from Mount Vernon.
http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explor ... m/pid/287/" target="_blank" target="_blank

Many people seem to think the Mount Vernon smokehouses were some of the best smokehouses ever made, and believe them to be superior to the smokehouses later made in Elkhart. The quality of recent smokehouses has generally been considered to be hit or miss, despite the advances in manufacturing technology.

what wood works best with that, Marty?

one of the local outfits built second and third locations, with pits. But, they failed to use cured stone/brick/whatever in the pits, and the meat just didn't taste right for quite a while. I still prefer the original location by far.

Back home, in Michigan, there is a pig farmer not too far from where I grew up that built an earth berm smokehouse. Lined the berm with fireplace brick and closed it up with a steel door. After a few years in Georgia, I've yet to find a better flavor here than what he would produce out of that thing. If I get a chance, I'll snap some pics for you when we're back at Christmas time.

The very best smoked meat I have ever eaten was at a once a year choir party between 1990 and 2003. A friend from my church choir had a method he said came from his South Carolina beach roots. He would put a whole hog on a spit about 18 inches off the ground. He would build a fire about 4 feet to the side of the pig on the bare ground. While the fire was burning down he erected a simple tin enclosure, 4 sides and a flat roof reinforced with metal fence posts. There was a small door section to get into on the fire side which enabled him to tend the fire, and another to turn the pig ocaisionally. We would start on a Friday afternoon and tend the fire for 24 hours, fueled ourselves by adequate quantities of excellent bourbon. I'm not sure whether it was a result of the smoker or the bourbon, but that's the best meat I have ever tasted.