Diy Electric smoker ventilation advice

john jameson

Well members very good evening.
Looking for some advice !
I'm planning on putting together a DIY electric meat smoker and using timber boards and a single hot plate to heat a cast iron skillet in side my wooden box smoker but I'm wondering on ventilation!
I do smoke meat on a weber kettle using charcoal the top ven is normally wide open but the bottom is barely!!
Since I plan on using a hot plate to provide the heat should I include some ventilation.?? How much ventilation and where ... top and bottom or just some at the top?
Any advice is very welcome ...il try include a picture of my intended build

john jameson

My intended build

10-10-20

Tricky.
I would not have thought that you needed vents as your heat source isn't combusting fuel in the normal sense, but you are using the process of pyrolysis to create the char and volatile products to impart flavour.
I have read that there are desirable volatiles and non-desirable and I would think that you should be at least venting a small % of the smoke products so that you exhaust those non-desirable volatiles over the duration of the smoke.

But you also have another two factors to consider:
1. you're smoking in a wooden box therefore it's flammable, especially with excess added oxygen
2. you're going to create a wet mess of byproducts when the smoke and steam condense on the inner walls especially on cold days, a creosote of sorts.

So I think that the answer is that yes, you need some ventilation, but you need to research more as to how much is right.

This site seems to cover off what I was discussing:
https://madfeed.co/2015/the-madfeed-guide-to-smoking-foods/

john jameson

10-10-20 wrote: »

Tricky.
I would not have thought that you needed vents as your heat source isn't combusting fuel in the normal sense, but you are using the process of pyrolysis to create the char and volatile products to impart flavour.
I have read that there are desirable volatiles and non-desirable and I would think that you should be at least venting a small % of the smoke products so that you exhaust those non-desirable volatiles over the duration of the smoke.

But you also have another two factors to consider:
1. you're smoking in a wooden box therefore it's flammable, especially with excess added oxygen
2. you're going to create a wet mess of byproducts when the smoke and steam condense on the inner walls especially on cold days, a creosote of sorts.

So I think that the answer is that yes, you need some ventilation, but you need to research more as to how much is right.

This site seems to cover off what I was discussing:
https://madfeed.co/2015/the-madfeed-guide-to-smoking-foods/

I'm now thinking the same ...regardless of the heat scourse the smoke will need to escape so that it does not build up in to a creosote on the walls !! As for the combustion issue I think it's a safe enough build I'm not to concerned at it going up in smoke 😆😆!
I will be keeping this unit in doors in a shed out back out of the elements in use or not ! I do my grilling and smoking in the shed anyway!! Its large enough for that.
I suppose what I can do is start off with maybe a 1" hole as a smoke vent and c how we go!!

10-10-20

You'll need to create a flow, so I'd match any vents at the top with the same diameter below the smoke. Also I'd suspect that 1" isn't enough, but again not knowing how to measure & manage the non-desirable volatiles makes that the tricky part.
How are you going to keep the char at the recommended temperature? Is a burning-pot used to contain the wood/char?

john jameson

10-10-20 wrote: »

You'll need to create a flow, so I'd match any vents at the top with the same diameter below the smoke. Also I'd suspect that 1" isn't enough, but again not knowing how to measure & manage the non-desirable volatiles makes that the tricky part.
How are you going to keep the char at the recommended temperature? Is a burning-pot used to contain the wood/char?

The hot plate will hold steady and il extend its dial to out side the box so I can increase or decrease the temperature!! Il be placing a skillet or some thing similar on top of the hot plate and in that will be the wood chips il use for smoking !!
Not sure if there is any need for ventilation at the base as il be using a hot plate for my heat scourse and also I can increase the size of the top vent if needs be !!