Great Outdoor Smoker Instructions

Smoked meat is infused with flavor.

Smoking meat not only tenderizes your next meal, it adds a ton of flavor. Mild meats like chicken and potentially tough meats like venison benefit from a night in the smoker. If smoked long enough, you can even preserve meat by making it into homemade jerky.



If you don't happen to have a smoker, don't worry. As of 2010, the materials to make your own smoker cost a little less than $50, and that's only if you have to purchase most of them.

Things You'll Need

• 2, 5-gallon terracotta pots
• 2 bricks
• Hot plate
• Extension cord
• Stainless steel plate
• Wood chips: hickory, fruitwood, oak, etc.
• Round wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. Place two bricks on the ground about 8 inches apart. The bricks should be level and well seated. They shouldn't move easily or on their own.

2. Set one of your terracotta pots on top of the bricks, making sure the pot sits on them easily without tilting or shifting. If necessary, stabilize the pot by moving the bricks closer together. Just make sure neither brick covers the pot's drain hole.

3. Slide your hot plate down into the bottom of the pot. Slip the cord for the plate through the drain hole. Make sure the hot plate is well seated in the bottom of the pot. Connect the cord to an extension cord and plug the extension into an outdoor outlet.

4. Soak your wood chips in cool water for about two hours. Place them on a steel plate and set the plate on top of your hot plate.

5. Place your round cooling rack down into the terracotta pot. The tapered sides of the pot should hold the rack in place. This is where you'll place your meat.

6. Turn your second pot upside-down and set it carefully over the first pot as a lid.

Tips & Warnings

• To use, place up to a pound of meat into the smoker and turn the hot plate on medium high. Let the meat smoke for eight to 12 hours for optimum tenderness. Apply any sauces or rubs as necessary before smoking.

References

• Consumerist: Make a DIY Meat Smoker Out of Some Flower Pots
• Cruft Box: How to Make a Smoker from a Trashcan