Men's Shed NIght Roleystone Perth

[hybridfiat]

Last weekend was a 'men's shed night' at my place. We made a smoker and smoked 3 very large chickens and some snags. BBQd them and enjoyed em immensely.
The smoker was made from a new galvanised rubbish bin 50L I think with a length of old 6" flue attached to the lid. A piece of 3" storm pipe directed smoke from a pressure cooker to the bottom of the bin. The pressure cooker was $8 at a secondhand shop. We cut a 3" hole in the side and a 3" hole in the side of the bin too. The idea is that the smoke created when heat is applied to the bottom of the saucepan/Pcooker doesnt get to the main smoking cabinet. This means that you can smoke as little or as much as you want without danger of over/undercooking the meat. Steel rods 3/16" were shoved through the chooks and inserted into holes near the top of the bin then a litre of sawdust (created by running a piece of sheoak through the thicknesser) was put into the cooker and the lid screwed on that was stood on a Primus gas stove and heated till copious amounts of smoke ran up the drainpipe into the bin and out the chimney.
It only took an hour to make the smoker and another hour to smoke the chooks. Then they were jointed and BBQd. Yum Yum
Ive wanted to smoke chicken for a long while and it is definitely worth the effort.
Ill take some pics and post them if anyone wants to try it.
The chooks were salted in a brine for 4 hours (1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar to 4 L water) before smoking.

This weekend we are making sausages. Ive got a sausage filler and some recipes for bratwurst and german franks so its a snag and smoke night :U

[HOOKED.UP]

What a great project.
The chaps at our shed have discussed building a smoker.
But we won't be making one till we have a permanent home.
I would like to see the photos if you have the chance to put them up.

Paul Fannon.
Coordinator.
TasmanMensShed

[Timeless Timber]

You smoked with sheoke? :?

I've milled and worked sheoke for about 20 years.

Allocasuarina fraserianna or some such is the latin name going from memory..

This means that the parent tree is a member of the alloes family - you might know alloes as the bitter alloes - think about the agostina bitters used in a lemon lime and bitters drink.

Whenever I sanded or machined sheoke I'd end up with a bitter taste in the back of my throat for hours from the dust. It tastes like the bitter goo out of a alloe - vera plant.

Alloe vera plant by the way - if you grow it in your garden will cure sunburn in about 2 minutes flat - you'll still peel but the pain will be gone within seconds.

Just get a Alloe Vera plant leaf and trim off the pointy edges with a sharp knife - then split the leaf with a sharp knife and rub the raw goo side onto the sunburnt area and the pain will just disappear - forget all the potions the chemists sell with alloe vera in it they seem too have some kind oil based potion that keep the heat in the burn so canceling out the good that the active alloe vera plant has in it for curing sunburn.

Now back too your sheoke sawdust for smoking chickens - doen't you get a bitter alloes taste thru your smoked chooks from using the sheoke sawdust?

I always used Karri in preference when smoking trout & venison etc, I always steered clear of the sheoke for worry about the bitter taste imparted?

Just find it interesting that you used sheoke shavings is all...

I'm not even sure the alloes isn't even poisonous in great enough dosage...

Are you all still alive?

Cheers!

[crowie]

I'd also appreciate seeing a couple photos of your smoker please.
Cheers, Crowie

[hybridfiat]

Allocasuaria = Sheoak yes, bitter? No.
Never had any problem with bitterness. I get the worse sore throat and nasal congestion whenever I forget to use a dust mask when working with sheoak. It is a bad irritant. But as a source of smoke it cant be beat.
Ive been away for a couple of days but will post pics as soon as it cool down. 36.5 here and no breeze. The shed is like an oven.

[hybridfiat]

Ok, I braved the 40 degree heat in my shed long enough to assemble the smoker.:C
Simple aint it.

Went shootin last night with a couple of mates from my home town. Got 12 foxes confirmed and 2 unconfirmed.
A good night for aussie wildlife:2tsup:

[BobL]

Nice work - I like it a lot.

Here's mine (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/camp-oven-110724/) - made it with smoking in mind but have only used it as a pizza oven - we even take it camping.

Scroll to the bottom of that post to see the pizzas we cooked while camping down at walpole.

[HOOKED.UP]

Thanks for the pics HYBRIDFIAT/

I have saved them.

BOBL, your oven looks great.

Paul.

[hybridfiat]

Whoa! thatlooks like a bought one Bob, no I correct that, it is better than a bought one. Nice job.