Any tips for this smoker?

[Sean50]

Total noob with smoking, just got this and need to learn. Going to clean it up tomorrow and fire it up, and try and figure out how to control the heat. There is a small hole on the top, which i guess is for the thermometer. Any good brands that I should look at?

Do I worry about the heat inside the main cooking area, or in the small box in front where I put the charcoal/wood?

Thanks, Sean

 

[gmc2003]

What type of smoker are you talking about. I see you only have two posts so an admin. will have to clear your pic's until you reach ten posts I think.

Chris

 

[HalfSmoked]

Yup would help to know more about your smoker and a photo would help greatly.

Warren

 

[Sean50]

Ahh I didn't realize I couldn't post pictures yet. But I don't want to spam posts till 10 though.

I believe it's a custom built smoker.

 

[Sean50]

So I have some pics but I don't know how many posts I need before I can upload them.

 

[gmc2003]

Your showing 5 currently. I believe 10 is the magic number. Hopefully one of the admins will chime in soon.

Chris

 

[Sean50]

Ahh ok. Thanks.

 

[Sean50]

Ok so here is a pic of my Q, I believe it's a custom build. Tried it out yesterday and couldn't keep the coals going when I closed the cover as there aren't any vents. Any tips?

View attachment 372994 View attachment 372995 View attachment 372996 View attachment 372997

 

[willbeg4q]

I posted pics with my first post. The issue I found is that when hosting the pics and using the direct link with the image option in the toolbox, all that shows up is

(your image placeholder) in your first post. Depending on your image host, I’ve found that selecting the link for the image that already has the embedded image tags and placing that directly in the post (not using the photo toolbox option) will result in the pics showing.

 

[petehalsted]

I would say you are right , you issue is that firebox has to have a vent in it. Can't tell how thick it is, but if you can cut a hole in it easy enough, you can rig a tin can bottom as an adjustable vent, use magnets, etc. But one way or another you need intake air into the fire box and you need to be able to control how much.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I can't tell but it looks like the firebox in is front not off to the side? Maybe it's just me. That would seem like a very odd setup to me.

George

 

[petehalsted]

George, you are right now that I look at the pics again. That would be one way to "encorage" me to loose my beer gut, if it got burned everything time, I get into the smoker!

It kind of looks to me like they might have been building it as more of a cold smoke attachment, than as a hot smoke fire box.

 

[Sean50]

Thanks for the input! Yes, the firebox is in front, which is weird. I spoke with the person I got it from last night, and apparently her father (prev owner) had the same issues with the firebox, and I had thought that maybe I should somehow get a hole cut and put in a proper airflow control. Where would be a good place to put it? On the back of the firebox? Lower or higher?

I am sure I can find someone with an acetylene torch that can cut the steel, I am just unsure of where to cut it. Or, is it even worth my time, and just shell out the cash for a proper smoker? And then there is the problem of figuring out a good one lol.

I appreciate all the help you all have been giving me.

 

[petehalsted]

I hate to say it, but, proper smokers, that will maintain an even temp, and not burn charcoal like there's no tomorrow are complicated designs. They look simple but they are not, lots of calculations go into the size and placement of stack, the size of the hole between firebox and smoke box, size of the firebox and its vent, etc.

If the thing was even designed with a vent in the firebox, I doubt all the other calculations were done either, so you might be spending $ to get vent in firebox, only to find out, you got other issues. If you had the equipment to do yourself I would say why not, but if you got to shell out $, not sure it would be worth it.

If you want to "Play with fire", watch Craigslist for a COS (Cheap offset smoker) that is in good shape, lots of info available about simple mods that can turn them into decent smokers. Or a webber kettle, lots of info on way to use them for anything you can imagine.

If you just want a way to make decent smoke, you can usually find a used MES (Masterbuild Electric Smoker) on Craigslist for undere $50, add an AMNPS and you got one heck of a set it and forget it smoker for well under $100. Lots of info on here for MES as well.

If that thing is decent metal (looks like it is), you could have the firebox cut off and the hole sealed, and have one heck of a nice "keg" grill, that would have lots of grilling space and you could even do small smokes on it via Indirect/2 zone smoking.

Almost forgot to answer your actual question :-). Most common place for the vent is in the door of the fire box.

 

[Sean50]

Pete, that was a ton of info! Thanks I appreciate it. I'm in Canada, in Northern Ontario, so my best bet would probably be to buy a new smoker, as I don't believe many actually go up for sale around here. I do goto the States every so often, so buying a good one from there is an option, but probably not till next year.

The metal is pretty decent, very thick and I like what you suggest re: keg grill. It is pretty large, and I think it would do pretty well as an indirect smoker.

BAck to the vent, I may see if I can get a hole cut in the door, as its a lot thinner than the rest of the smoker. May actually be easy to do, and put a vent on it just to play around and see what I can do.

I have a lot of reading to do, and I really appreciate the help you have given me!

 

[Sean50]

Hey Pete, not sure if your still reading this thread, but I have a question. I have decided to get a guy I know to cut off that firebox and seal the hole. Now, inside the keg part, would it be a good idea to have him weld a few spacers and then I can have different sized areas for coals.

Or not even bother with separators. I'm kind of excited to get this thing going, because I think I can still do smoking in it if I want to.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Hey Pete, not sure if your still reading this thread, but I have a question. I have decided to get a guy I know to cut off that firebox and seal the hole. Now, inside the keg part, would it be a good idea to have him weld a few spacers and then I can have different sized areas for coals.

Or not even bother with separators. I'm kind of excited to get this thing going, because I think I can still do smoking in it if I want to.

Sean,

I am going to suggest that you stay away from adding anything that creates pockets in the bottom. They will act as grease traps unless you put some type of drain hole in each section. My other suggestion would to add a drain of some sort in the bottom to allow the grease from your cooks to drain into some kind of receptacle. The large grill is a great idea and if you want to be able to smoke with it then you could add a top vent to one side and then when you wanted to try to do a smoke type of cook put your food under the vent and place your fuel source on the other side of your grill. It's similar to the concept used on a weber kettle but your "smoking" area would be predefined by the placement of the top vent. Good luck.

George

 

[petehalsted]

Most folks use some time of diverter plate or something to accomplish the two zone or just stacking up briquettes on one side, and putting food in the other. I don't think you would want anything permanent in there, so you have flexibility.

Some folks build baskets using expanded metal like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...n-Plain-Expanded-Metal-Sheet-801417/204225783, but that is more for in a fire box than setting up a 2 zone inside a "grill"


If you google "setting up indirect grilling" in google images, you will get lots of photos for ideas from guys just stacking them up, to using foil pans, to using bricks, etc. Idea is you don't need anything permanent.

What you are going to need, if you are setting up the main box as a grill, you want a grate in the bottom, so your briquettes are off the "floor" and can get air under them, and the ash falls down under the grate instead of stacking up on your briquettes and smothering them. You are also still going to need an inlet vent to let air into the main box (just like you would have needed with the fire box). The "normal" place for that would be on one of the ends, but it would probably work fine in the area where he is removing the fire box as long as it is low enough, hard to say from the photos, that way you won't be sealing one hole, while making another, he should be able to create something that seals that hole and makes it a vent as well.

 

[Sean50]

Pete and George, awesome ideas! I am getting a good idea of what I want to do. Hopefully will be talking to the guy this week/weekend, and I'll see what he says.

There is a drain hole in the bottom already and I can add some hooks for a grease pan. K, getting excited lol

 

[JckDanls 07]

I'm gonna say the vent (intake) in the center where you cut the FB off won't be a good idea for indirect cooking... as you will put the fire at one end of the chamber (the end where you would want the intake vent, as mentioned above) ... I made a basket for my chargriller (your's will be the same thing) that just sat in one end (removable)... I made it 5" wide... about 5 " tall and then long enough for the ends to sit on the floor but will hold the center up off the bottom floor... This also let it set under the end grate (chargriller has 4 grates, about 5" wide each)... made it out of #9 expanded metal .. I'm sure I have pics.. just have to find em...