DIY Terracotta food smoker
Using Dave Naffziger’s blog as reference, I decided to try and build my own food smoker using parts available in the UK.
His terracotta smoker (like most you’ll find on the web) was inspired by a segment of Alton Brown’s (American) Food Network programme (link).
As it turns out, all the parts are pretty easy to get hold of – with the exception of a bowl-shaped pot for the lid of the smoker. Instead, I’ve used a terracotta drainage tray which will be a problem if you want to cook anything particularly tall (whole chickens?!) but for my purposes it’s worked out really well.
To see the build coming together, along with some photos of my first attempt at smoking; click the read more link below.
Part List
- 15” Terracotta Pot £4.99 Homebase
- 15” Terracotta drainage tray £4.99 Homebase
- 3 x Terracotta pot feet £1.99 Homebase
- Kampa (brand) 1000W single electric hob £11.50
I managed to purchase a customer return unit from the Kampa eBay outlet saving about £10. http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/kampafactoryshop - 12” hinged BBQ grill £5.75 Blackspur
This came as two grills sandwiched together with a handle, I cut off the handle and hinge to get 2 grills for the price of one. - BBQ thermometer £4.68 eBay
- IEC Chassis Plug (kettle socket) £1 eBay
- 3m High-temperature wire (1.5mm) £5.40
eBay seller: http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/cateringparts - Maplin project box £4.29
- 1m of 10mm diameter heat-shrink cable wrap £2 eBay
The build
It’s important to find an electric hob with a thermostatic control, this can then be mounted externally from the pot allowing you to adjust the temperature so you hit the ideal smoking range (between 110 – 130°c). Most hobs come with a metal or plastic surround that you will need to remove before the ~6” circular element will fit into the bottom of the pot. This is a fairly easy process, but it helps to take a photo of how it’s wired up before you start pulling it to pieces.
Then it’s just a case of extending the wires from the element by using some high temperature rated wire – allowing you to mount the thermostat in a project box some distance away. For ease of storage, I fitted mine with a kettle socket, allowing the mains power to be unplugged from the unit – rather than hard wiring a huge extension lead.
Needless to say, be careful when re-wiring high voltage equipment. I’ve been deliberately vague in my guide as I encourage you to read around the subject a little further before building your own.
The Results
The Food: For my first attempt at smoking I opted for Pulled Pork. All-in-all the process took 7hrs but it tasted amazing! I found this article really useful when deciding on cooking time, seasoning/rub & wood choice (I opted for hickory). Weber sell hickory chips in Homebase, a 3lb bag runs around £6 but you don’t need very much at all if you soak them for ~30mins before using them - they will last the whole smoking period.
Enjoy!