Plans for a Large Steel Smoker

If you're serious about barbecue and ready for a major project, you can find extensive free plans online for building a full-size smoker and trailer setup from old propane tanks. These plans typically walk you through converting one or more tanks into a large offset smoker mounted on a trailer, complete with firebox, cooking chamber, stack, and storage.

This is a substantial build that demands solid welding skills, access to suitable propane tanks (properly purged and safe to cut), metalworking tools, and a significant time investment. It’s not a quick weekend job; it’s a full-scale fabrication project.

The payoff is a competition-ready pit that you’ve built yourself. With detailed photo guides showing each stage of construction, even intermediate welders can follow along and gradually assemble a serious rig. If you’ve ever imagined rolling into a cookoff towing your own custom-built smoker, this kind of project can turn that dream into reality.