Bell Fabrication Smokers

[BBQMAN3]

Yes I would buy it again the way he builds it. It’s easier to take something off than put something on. So if you don’t like the baffle plate you can always cut it off.

Random question, how wide across in inches is the ash clean out hole? I have a wild idea!

 

[Danblacksher]

Random question, how wide across in inches is the ash clean out hole? I have a wild idea!

I am not sure but seems like around 5-7 inches

 

[mike243]

Well I am not sure where TnJake is but He has a lot of cooking time on 1 and would be my goto guy to ask ?s

 

[BBQMAN3]

I am not sure but seems like around 5-7 inches

Hear me out, for overnight smokes / when you don't have time to babysit offset smoker, you can buy a pellet hopper assembly. So get pellet hopper assembly, put on a couple of concrete pavers to raise it up, get pipe to insert over pellet firepot and into the ash hole. Heat and smoke goes into firebox and boom. You've got an easy pellet conversion system. I wonder how it'd perform?

 

[BBQMAN3]

I am not sure but seems like around 5-7 inches

 

[Danblacksher]

That may work, but I would look at a warming cabinet and cooking the day before and doing a long rest. I started doing long rest and it has been fantastic, but the picture looks like it could work if the auger and pot are long enough to connect to the ash dump hole.

 

[Displaced Texan]

That may work, but I would look at a warming cabinet and cooking the day before and doing a long rest. I started doing long rest and it has been fantastic, but the picture looks like it could work if the auger and pot are long enough to connect to the ash dump hole.

That's how I do it. Cooking overnight is in my rear view mirror.

 

[Danblacksher]

When I looked at my grill this am, did not have time to measure it, but got to thinking. I think it would fit, but not sure with the firebox on the side the pellets would create enough heat without running it wide open which would use all the pellets pretty fast. So I know you could get smoke
All night, but it would probably be a cold smoke not a low and slow cooking smoke in my opinion.

 

[kevin james]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but there are a couple things that bother me too much about the Bell Fab's that stopped me from considering them when I was in the market. I ultimately settled on a Blue Smoke Smoker from Big Phil's which is another high quality 3/8" pit at a great price.

First and most importantly Craig is a die hard "bottom up" guy, as in his pits are designed for the heat and smoke to flow from the bottom of the cook chamber up. A Youtuber named Smoke Master D bought one of his pits and Craig mentioned to him that he strongly believes that is the best design and is how all of his pits are built. As such, since the heat source is coming up from the bottom, it is recommended that meats be placed fat cap down. I don't like that, I wanted a true Texas style "open pit" with no baffle, designed for the heat and smoke to flow over the top of the food, which means you cook fat cap up (like all the Texas top 50 places.... Franklin, Goldee's etc.)

Second, I don't know, there is something about the aesthetics of the Bell Fab's that bugs me. I just don't like the way they look compared to other traditional flow offsets like Big Phil's (Both his regular line and his Blue Smoke line), the Work Horse Pits, the Mill Scale, the Franklin and several others.

I'm sure the quality on the Bell Fab's is outstanding, and I see most owners are very happy which is all that matters, but I'm just giving an opinion from the other side of the coin.

 

[Danblacksher]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but there are a couple things that bother me too much about the Bell Fab's that stopped me from considering them when I was in the market. I ultimately settled on a Blue Smoke Smoker from Big Phil's which is another high quality 3/8" pit at a great price.

First and most importantly Craig is a die hard "bottom up" guy, as in his pits are designed for the heat and smoke to flow from the bottom of the cook chamber up. A Youtuber named Smoke Master D bought one of his pits and Craig mentioned to him that he strongly believes that is the best design and is how all of his pits are built. As such, since the heat source is coming up from the bottom, it is recommended that meats be placed fat cap down. I don't like that, I wanted a true Texas style "open pit" with no baffle, designed for the heat and smoke to flow over the top of the food, which means you cook fat cap up (like all the Texas top 50 places.... Franklin, Goldee's etc.)

Second, I don't know, there is something about the aesthetics of the Bell Fab's that bugs me. I just don't like the way they look compared to other traditional flow offsets like Big Phil's (Both his regular line and his Blue Smoke line), the Work Horse Pits, the Mill Scale, the Franklin and several others.

I'm sure the quality on the Bell Fab's is outstanding, and I see most owners are very happy which is all that matters, but I'm just giving an opinion from the other side of the coin.

Wow those look nice. I just could not afford $3,500 for a smoker. My 24x36 was $850. I have cooked everything fat side up with no problems I just run the smoker at a lower temp and it has been great. I do see your point and if I had had the money, I would have gotten one, but I think Craig’s compared to an old country Brazos which was my price range, is 100 times better.

 

[Displaced Texan]

I don't recall Craig ever suggesting to me to cook my brisket fat side down.

 

[kevin james]

Wow those look nice. I just could not afford $3,500 for a smoker. My 24x36 was $850. I have cooked everything fat side up with no problems I just run the smoker at a lower temp and it has been great. I do see your point and if I had had the money, I would have gotten one, but I think Craig’s compared to an old country Brazos which was my price range, is 100 times better.

Makes sense, you can't beat $850. The Blue Smoke smoker is a little larger at 24x48 so bigger than you were looking for anyways, but just for clarity purposes it's Big Phil's regular line where the back yard pit is $3,500. His Blue Smoke smoker which is a totally separate product line is only $1,700 for the base model, which is 24x48 made out of 3/8" pipe for the cook chamber and firebox (1/4" end caps, collector and stack), single cooking grate and single Tel-True guage. That is one of the best value's available for a 24x48. I only wish he offered the same pit in a 24x60.

 

[kevin james]

I don't recall Craig ever suggesting to me to cook my brisket fat side down.

Not saying Craig ever said that specifically. Just basing that on the common suggestion to place the fat cap towards the heat source, and in this case the heat comes up from the bottom. Sorry for any confusion, not trying to put words in anyone's mouth.

 

[Danblacksher]

Thanks Kevin, I will look into one of those. Does it go thru alot of wood? the Bell I have does not go thru alot of wood its been very efficient. My next smoker will be 24X48 So I will look into this. can you post a pic of your pit.

 

[kevin james]

Thanks Kevin, I will look into one of those. Does it go thru alot of wood? the Bell I have does not go thru alot of wood its been very efficient. My next smoker will be 24X48 So I will look into this. can you post a pic of your pit.

Sure. This is a picture from the day it was delivered. As to wood consumption, there's a lot of variables to that, the diameter of your splits, the moisture content and density etc. For the splits I use, it takes about 1 every half an hour at 250 degrees or about every 25 minutes at 275. But I use thinner splits, about half the thickness of what a lot of others use.

 

[Danblacksher]

Sure. This is a picture from the day it was delivered. As to wood consumption, there's a lot of variables to that, the diameter of your splits, the moisture content and density etc. For the splits I use, it takes about 1 every half an hour at 250 degrees or about every 25 minutes at 275. But I use thinner splits, about half the thickness of what a lot of others use.

View attachment 665174

nice and i am sure with the blackstone you can do anything. Awesome set up

 

[kevin james]

nice and i am sure with the blackstone you can do anything. Awesome set up

That's an old pic, here's a more recent one from last week. I feel like I can definately do pretty much anything at this point.

 

[BBQMAN3]

What are everyone's thoughts on reverse flow offsets? Not trying to cause debates, I know this can be like fat cap up vs fat cap down opinions.

 

[Displaced Texan]

What are everyone's thoughts on reverse flow offsets? Not trying to cause debates, I know this can be like fat cap up vs fat cap down opinions.

No opinions really. A lot of people seem to like them.

 

[Danblacksher]

I have never used one but would like too. I bet its like any other you have a learning curve on how it cooks.