Beast of a build

[bbqbill]

It's been about 8 years since ive been on this forum but it's not like I stopped smoking meat during that time. If fact, I have recently decided to up my game. I found a large "oven" on marketplace and brought it home this evening.

I haven't been able to find anything that says what brand it is or any sort of information about it. It runs on gas but im not sure if it's propane or natural gas. Im thinking of building some sort of fire box and converting it to charcoal and would love some input on the design.

Another thing I was thinking about was because it is so tall, will there be a big tempurature difference between the bottom and the top? If so, I will install a fan that will circulate the air inside with the hopes the temps will become more consistant.

I'll spend this weekend cleaning it up and trying to figure out more information about it. If anyone has any info about this beast, I would love to learn more about it!

 

[indaswamp]

If you can measure the size of the orifice that the gas enters the burner, we can give you an idea if it is either propane or Nat. gas.

As far as temps....My smokehouse is about the same height. It is lined with 1/4" hardi board (concrete board) and has a thermal rating about the same as steel. Once it heats up, it holds within 5*F top to bottom.....

 

[bbqbill]

If you can measure the size of the orifice that the gas enters the burner, we can give you an idea if it is either propane or Nat. gas.

As far as temps....My smokehouse is about the same height. It is lined with 1/4" hardi board (concrete board) and has a thermal rating about the same as steel. Once it heats up, it holds within 5*F top to bottom.....

That is excellent to hear about the consistant temps! Tomorrow I will take some pics/measurements and report back. This "oven" hasn't been used in 5 or 6 years so there is a decent amount of rust and buildup on the pipes and burners. Im not convinced I wont have to replace everything. Hopefully I'll find a plaque with some information on it tomorrow as im cleaning it up as well.

 

[rjob]

What you have looks similar to a Town Chinese smoker. Or a knock off of their design. Search for townfood.com.

 

[bbqbill]

What you have looks similar to a Town Chinese smoker. Or a knock off of their design. Search for townfood.com.

Thanks! That was a good tip! That took me down a long rabbit hole last night. I found out that it does look like an old (10yrs) Town Chinese Smoker except for the gas knobs. Those look just like another brand. I guess it doesn’t really matter though. I’m strongly leaning towards building a firebox and heating it with charcoal. I’ll still pursue converting it to propane though.

 

[normanaj]

Looking forward to what is to come!

 

[bbqbill]

If you can measure the size of the orifice that the gas enters the burner, we can give you an idea if it is either propane or Nat. gas.

As far as temps....My smokehouse is about the same height. It is lined with 1/4" hardi board (concrete board) and has a thermal rating about the same as steel. Once it heats up, it holds within 5*F top to bottom.....

If I measured the correct orifice, it is .5” in diameter.

 

[babydocsmoke]

Post pics!! Can't wait so see how it turns out!

 

[indaswamp]

If I measured the correct orifice, it is .5” in diameter.

Measure the size of the small hole in the piece that screws into where you measured. That small hole is the orifice that meters the gas. What you are holding is the venturi tube that blends the gas with air and feeds it to the burner.

 

[bbqbill]

Measure the size of the small hole in the piece that screws into where you measured. That small hole is the orifice that meters the gas. What you are holding is the venturi tube that blends the gas with air and feeds it to the burner.

Attempt #2, Thanks for the help with this! If these are actually for propane, Ill clean them up and hook it up to a propane tank and look for leaks. I've only ever used electric and charcoal smokers. Propane would be a new adventure for me :)

 

[indaswamp]

First pic.....that tiny hole.....that is what you need to measure. That tiny pin hole regulates the gas flow into the venturi....

 

[bbqbill]

First pic.....that tiny hole.....that is what you need to measure. That tiny pin hole regulates the gas flow into the venturi....

Third time is the charm right?? Thanks for sticking with me indaswamp I really appreciate it!

 

[indaswamp]

What is the total number of burner tubes in the smoker?

EDIT-

I now see the picture with 4 burner tubes. Looking at the TOWN smoker website, you likely have a 75,000BTU model with each tube putting out approx.18,750BTU. Likely a Nat gas model. Maybe someone else could check my figures to verify....but that is what it looks like to me.

 

[bbqbill]

What is the total number of burner tubes in the smoker?

There are 4 in total

 

[indaswamp]

good info here:
https://hungrygrills.com/natural-gas-orifice-size-chart/

and here:

https://shuntool.com/article/what-size-drill-bit-for-propane-orifice

 

[bbqbill]

Update:
I reached out to Town via the contact form on their website at 10:30 pm and David Soohoo emailed me back within minutes. After some chatting, he concluded that, although there are several build similarities between mine and the Town Smokehouse, it was not made by Town. I have no connection to Town Foods but I gotta say, their customer service is VERY responsive!

I still haven't decided if I should convert the smoker to propane or build a firebox to use wood/charcoal. If anyone has any input on which direction I should go, I would greatly appreciate it!