Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi there,

A neighbor has come to me with a project he would like built. He wants a custom "china box smoker". I've attached a photo on the bottom to show what the components are. The idea we came up with is a simplified version of this, and it would not have a top grill like the one in the photo. It would be about 2'x4'.

My question is I am not sure what material to use. I could use 3/16 mild steel for the box and some thinner steel for the ash pan and lid, but I feel like the whole box would weigh a ton and I'm trying to avoid that. I would like to use some aluminum in the project if I could, especially for the lid and trays, but I have NO idea about the food-safeness of aluminum, or if it is even a good choice for BBQ/smokers because of how much of a heat sync it is. I don't know if aluminum gives off fumes if it is contact with smoker levels of heat for hours.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have built my share of smokers and grills and you can use aluminum but most builders don't because of the cost and, as you noted, the heat conduction. The idea is to keep the temp of the smoker as even as possible so steel is customary because it retains heat so much better than AL. There is alot of cookware that is made of aluminum so it is food safe but just not a really good material for smokers and grills but I have seen people use it. I am not sure about it's safety qualities near burning charcoal and/or wood. You can use thinner material if weight is a factor. Lot's of commercial smokers are very thin gauge material and they do a good job but lose heat really bad in the wind and/or cold weather. There is always a trade-off.