500 gal reverse flow build (my first smoker)

[parrish15]

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• parrish15
• Jun 23, 2013

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• parrish15
• Jun 23, 2013

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• parrish15
• Jun 23, 2013

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• parrish15
• Jun 23, 2013

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• parrish15
• Jun 23, 2013

So did not get as much done as i wanted to but i did do the following

door hinges

sealing strip at the top of the doors

and working on the firebox now

there is a lot of talk here about welders if you look at the pic above of a weld. It was made with a Hobart 135 120v gas mig. I have welded 1/4 in with it no problem, if you prep right

 

[parrish15]

anybody have ideas on door gasket material.i will be adding 2 in strips of steel around the doors

 

[smokerct]

My Ace hardware has 3/4"x1/8" rolls of wood stove door gasket and glue, I was planning on using that if needed

 

[parrish15]

I am thinking about installing a flat rf plate INPUT REQUESTED  pros and cons thanks
 

 

[smokejumper]

I am thinking about installing a flat rf plate INPUT REQUESTED  pros and cons thanks
 

Pro: Flat RF plate is easy to fab & install.

Con: More thought needs to be given to grease drain.

 

[ribwizzard]

Dude, if it was a 30 gallon build, I'd say fine, but not on a 500 gallon. You have plenty of room to fab a proper drain pan/ reverse flow plate, and if you skimp on this vital design element, your probably going to regret it down the road.

 

[parrish15]

I plan on welding the chimney on the end of the tank, with that said the chimney will need an elbow or i will make a "shelf" for it to sit on

does anybody have pics of this done on there smoker

 

[daveomak]

Exhaust Plenum.jpg

• daveomak
• Jul 4, 2013

 

[parrish15]

working all day in it I will have some pics soon

 

[parrish15]

So I am cooking a whole hog this weekend (quartered)

I am thinking put the hams on first

then the front sholders a little later

followed by the rest some time later and advice is great

how long to cook the hams?

 

[ribrustler67]

parrish, I mounted my smoke stack on the end,and no issues so far

smoker1

• ribrustler67
• Sep 6, 2013

 

[smokejumper]

7/4/13
working all day in it I will have some pics soon

9/8/13

So I am cooking a whole hog this weekend (quartered)...

.....how long to cook the hams?

Dude, you totally dropped the ball on the build pics

But assuming you have a bitchin' borrowed smoker for your hog (BTW it is not a whole hog if you have quartered it), the hams are leaner than the shoulder (butts) and will not pull the same.

I usually only cook a fresh ham to 160 deg internal and slice after a good rest.

 

[parrish15]

So very sorry about the pics, it's not finished to my liking yet but useable so I have used it a few times.
Anyhow I have to cook an entire hog this weekend

 

[parrish15]

image.jpg

• parrish15
• Sep 9, 2013

 

[parrish15]

Ok so I really need to update my thread, as to help others with any questions , because I sure would not have been able to build the caliber of cooker I did without all of the help I received from this site.

My cooker is not quite complete but I have used it a couple of times and the results are amazing. The CC temps are within 10-15 deg from side to side, the ability to control temp is very easy, and I still have lot of leaks to resolve ( gaskets,door flanges ect)

The previous pic is where u left off with the build I have now acquired a proper trailer and in the process of attaching the trailer to cooker. Last night placed the cooker on the trailer and didn't like the lack of toung weight, so I will be moving the cooker foreword tonight
Pics tonight I also have some q view

 

[smokejumper]

You might want to consider moving the axel back instead of moving the cooker forward.
This will help preserve some room on the trailer for other additions later.

 

[parrish15]

image.jpg

• parrish15
• Sep 26, 2013

 

[dragons breath]

Pretty cool. You went from one axle to two in nothing flat!. Still looks a little light on the front.

Dave

 

[parrish15]

It is a little light in the front but I am adding a box to the front

 

[gary s]

Be sure and post some pictures as you build I talked to a guy yesterday that is wanting to build a 500 gal. Our next build we are going to do an insulated firebox positioned similar to the Jambo we will post as we go and let everyone know how it cooks

Gary