The Flower Pot Smoker is the type of project that virtually anyone can do and would be highly useful in a survival situation, mainly because it does not take a lot of space or effort to build it and use it.

You would need power, but with some simple modifications, you could eliminate that need as well.

Disassemble Burner, Drill Holes

I took apart the entire burner and fed the wires through the bottom drain hole of the flower pot. I ended up elevating the burner on the bottom of the flower pot with some scrap steel tubing I had around the garage.

Use the masonry drill bit to drill holes in the lid for the thermometer and the handle mounts. I tried to widen the holes with a regular bit, but it got pretty hot and I didn't get anywhere.

Install the Hardware

Before you install the hardware, cut out pieces of the automotive gasket material to be the same size as the washers, and the outline of your handle that will contact the terra cotta.

Then put everything together. I used two washers, of increasing size in between the nut and the terra cotta. I wanted to distribute the forces as much as I could so I wouldn’t weaken the points of contact. I ended up just wedging the thermometer in the hole, and it stayed pretty well since. Not too worried about that hole since it isn’t load bearing.

Modify the Skillet

Make sure the skillet you get is actually going to fit in your pot before you cut the handle off. I imagine you would have a hard time returning a skillet sans handle if it doesnt fit.

I used a circular saw with a metal cutting blade. You could use a high speed rotary (Dremel) tool, angle grinder, hack saw, etc. Then I rounded the edges down a bit with a bench grinder

Assemble!

Feed the wires for the burner through the bottom hole, and set your cast iron skilled on top of it with some of your favorite smoking wood. Set in your grill grate, and drop the lid on and you're ready to go.

The electric burner is a nice addition, but with some simple modifications, using this basic design, you could assemble a smoker that only used coals.

Either way, this project is quick and easy as well as a great way to smoke and preserve meat.

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