How to measure draft in home made smoker?

ryanmn

Fire Starter

Original poster

Mar 20, 2017

45

12

Minneapolis

• Apr 10, 2017

• #1

It seems to me that creating a strong draft, pulling heat and smoke through the cooker, is an essential part of cooking good BBQ. If I am going to build a quality smoker then I need to make sure that heat and smoke are properly moving through the cooker, but how can I tell if this is working correctly? At what "speed" should the draft be and how do I know if there is too much or too little draft? 

 

fwismoker

Master of the Pit

Dec 31, 2012

4,279

1,033

North East Indiana

• Apr 10, 2017

• #2

Lets start with this.  What kind of cooker do you want to build?   The best answer for you will start with that.  Although the principle is the same there's lots of variances in the the type of cooker whether it be a offset, UDS, kamado, cabinet,  open air cooker etc...

 

Last edited: Apr 10, 2017

ryanmn

Fire Starter

Original poster

Thread starter

Mar 20, 2017

45

12

Minneapolis

• Apr 11, 2017

• #3

FWIsmoker said:

Lets start with this.  What kind of cooker do you want to build?   The best answer for you will start with that.  Although the principle is the same there's lots of variances in the the type of cooker whether it be a offset, UDS, kamado, cabinet,  open air cooker etc...

Click to expand...

I was thinking of building an offset cinder block smoker

 

ahumadora

Smoking Fanatic

Aug 28, 2015

561

75

Argentina

• Apr 11, 2017

• #4

There are no set rules or exact calculations to give you.

BBQ is still in it's infancy and pretty primitive.  

You want clean combustion on the fire to produce light smoke with a lot of hot air passing through the cooking chamber to aid cooking.

thick acrid smoke doesn't make good BBQ.

If you look at Aaron Franklin's style cookers, thats whats happening.

 

Last edited: Apr 11, 2017

fwismoker

Master of the Pit

Dec 31, 2012

4,279

1,033

North East Indiana

• Apr 11, 2017

• #5

RyanMN said:

I was thinking of building an offset cinder block smoker

Click to expand...

Yes like said there's no exact science, especially with a cynderblock pit.   Just make sure your fire isn't choked and your exhaust is clean.   Here's a video you might have seen for a cynder block offset. 

 

daveomak

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Nov 12, 2010

27,123

4,979

Omak,Washington,U.S.A.

• Apr 11, 2017

• #6

Plenty of air is important, as others have noted... A clean taste to the food is an indicator of good air flow... Below is what flows through my MES 30... I don't know how much flow there is... The food tastes really good.. Smoke coating, on the meat, is a good indicator... I shoot for a golden smoke color... Good burning pellets and lots of air... A pellicle formed on the meat is also necessary...

picnic done 002.JPG

• daveomak
• Apr 11, 2017

Turkey 2-2016 004.JPG

• daveomak
• Apr 11, 2017

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 23, 2020