The Flower Pot Smoker

If you're a fan of the Food Network like I am, then you probably know about the show Good Eats, with Alton Brown. In one episode about barbeque, he used a smoker made out of a flower pot, an electric hot plate, a tin pie pan, and a thermometer to smoke a pork shoulder. When I saw it, I thought it sounded like a good idea for a fun project. Plus, the glorified tin foil "box" smokers cost about $100, and his was built for less than that.

So, when my brother wanted to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving, I decided that it was time to make one. Since I knew I wanted to use this device quite a bit, I decided to make it as easy as possible to use and reuse. I read a few blogs by other people who had made (or attempted to make) a smoker like this and read about some of the typical pitfalls: the hot plate not getting hot enough; not being able to control the temperature; and having to pull everything out to change the wood chips. So, I set out to my local hardware/gardening superstore to purchase the needed parts.
The Parts

• 17" plain terra cotta pot ($30)
• 17" plain terra cotta basin ($17)
• Barbecue thermometer ($10)
• 1000 watt electric hot plate ($20) This model has a cast-iron heating surface.
• 15" replacement round barbecue grill ($8)
• One 600 watt, 110 volt dimmer switch ($10)
• Two, 6' 14 gauge, high heat utility cord ($8)
• Chrome handle ($4)
• Chrome hinges ($2)
• Chrome cabinet pull ($2)
• Assorted stainless hardware ($3)
• Plastic electrical junction box and switch cover ($4)

Grand Total: ~$116
As you can see, the total ended up over $100, but I didn't mind because I knew this unit would be quite a bit more customized than the one Alton built, and hopefully, much easier to use.
The Assembly
First, I used a masonry bit to drill holes in the overturned basin for the handle and the thermometer. Using the stainless hardware, I attached the handle to the bottom of the basin, which is now my lid.
Next, I got out my air powered rotary tool and used a cutting wheel to slice open a rectangular opening in the pot about four inches wide by three inches tall. Then, I drilled holes for the hinge and drawer pull into the pot and the remaining rectangular cut-out. (Note: I should have put the hinge on the side of the hole, as it would have been easier to use.)
I used a couple of broken brick chunks in the bottom of the pot to get the hot plate to sit level, and then a couple of bricks on the bottom to allow for air flow beneath it. I wired the hot plate into the junction box with the dimmer switch and the utility cord. All that was left to do was insert the grill rack into the pot and turn it on.
Problem #1: It Won't Get Hot Enough, and I can't regulate the heat.
When I first plugged it in and turned the hot plate up to "high," the smoker only reached a temp of about 150 degrees. After a little more research, I discovered that the temperature control on the hot plate uses a bimetallic strip that cycles on and off when it reaches a certain temperature. For safety's sake, it's set to 150. So, I had to strip out and bypass the control , then wire my utility cord directly into the fused terminal inside the unit. This allowed the unit to heat up to the target of 220 degrees.
When we put the turkey in and started to smoke it early Thanksgiving morning, the hotplate quit working. It turned out that the fuse on the terminal block blew out because of the prolonged heat and current. So, I bypassed it with a small piece of wire I cut off of the ground wire. (Note: this device is definitely not going to be listed by the UL)
My research online paid off, because I was able to use the dimmer switch to control the temperature accurately. The turkey came out delicious, though one could argue it was over-smoked due to one too many applications of wood chips.
Problem #2: Changing Chips is a Pain
If you're smoking a large piece of meat, you have to change the wood chips a couple of times. Taking off the lid loses the heat, and it's a nightmare to pull out your turkey/pork roast/ribs/whatever out of the device and set them down so you can pull out the pie pan and replace the chips. Here's where the online research paid off again. The"hatch" I cut into the pot was cut at exactly the right height for reaching in and changing the pie tin. I used my tin snips and a hammer to beat the pie pan into a rectangular shape that would fit through the hatch and then attached a coat hanger bent into a loop for a handle. The first time we used it, the aluminum pie pans burnt up due to the high heat on the hot plate, so I fashioned a new one out of a #10 tin can. (See picture.) This allows me to change chips without having to take off the lid and disturbing the meat being smoked.




Problem #3: The Wiring Burnt Up


After a couple of uses, the original wiring under the hotplate burnt up and caused it to short out. So, I used two 6-inch pieces of solid copper wire (12 gauge 120 volt household wire) that were stripped of all insulation.  I then dipped each piece of wire in silicon caulking.  I then connected those to a utility cord.  When I cut the cord in pieces, I left a short connection (about a foot) next to the hot plate, which allows me to disconnect it from the dimmer switch and pull the hot plate out for cleaning. I can also disconnect the dimmer switch assembly and store it inside the house, away from moisture, while the smoker sits comfortably on the back porch. (NOTE: You need to be careful if you do it this way because if you don't first unplug the unit from the outlet, the other end of your assembly will still be "live" and you can shock yourself or short it out!) Again, this thing is not UL listed!



Problem #4: Too Much Direct Heat and Flames from Dripping Fat

The Thanksgiving turkey was a bit burnt on the bottom because it had too much direct heat from the burner, and when I cooked my first pork shoulder, I had a flash of flame. So, I'm using a roasting rack which raises the meat a couple of inches off the barbeque rack inside the pot. Also, I place a small drip pan (about 12" square) made of heavy-duty tin foil underneath the meat to catch drippings and protect it from direct heat. I've had excellent success on the most recent pork shoulders and a chicken.