Building a Charcoal Smoker, looking for tips...

[potatoc]

I really like this design and would like to use it to base my smoker but with Charcoal and not wood:

http://www.thesmokering.com/pits/met...by/default.jsp

I find wood would be be above my experience level. I have only been propane smoking for about 4 years now. I want to build a large smoker to serve groups of people and really looking into charcoal. People out there with tips techniques advice they can pass and let me know I will appreciate. Any pros/cons also on the above links design being used with charcoal?

 

[deejaydebi]

There are few people here with those but dang if I can remember. One posted winning and contest - grrrrrrrrrrrr CRS!

Started with a V .... grrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[smoke-n-jr]

Holy Cow! I think I'm in love!

 

[moltenone]

potatoC,throw some wood chunks in there too.
three or four to start.

Mark

 

[richtee]

Sooo just where do ya think charcoal comes from? er...mostly?
Be brave! A stick burner's construction is about the same. That design would do either with a firebox that size.

 

[teacup13]

u can build this design and use it for either charcoal or wood, gonna use a lot of charcoal to maintain heat that baby though... you can buy the stove kits somewhere for them

 

[bbq bubba]

Pretty neat design, would take WAY to much charcoal to heat though...
Save some money and take 1 barrell and make a UDS!!
10# of charcoal will last ya about 12 hr's!!

 

[gooose53]

Chris_Harper built a drum with just one. He might be able to give you some pointers. The pic of his cooker is in his posts and here it is.

 

[potatoc]

Maybe make a smaller base so it won't burn up so much charcol?

 

[teacup13]

or build it the original plan, cover the bottom half of the burn barrel with firebricks thus giving you an option to burn with wood in the future. the bottom barrel when using that design will last about 3-4 years b4 you have to change it.

and as bubba said, build a UDS...lol

 

[potatoc]

What is a UDS?

 

[richtee]

"Ugly Drum Smoker"
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...highlight=ugly

 

[zapper]

Yep. I would say that you could use charcoal with that cooker but it might take a bag or three or six depending on what you were cooking. Like Teacup said, add a few more fire brick to the fire box. Raising the charcoal closer to the heat/smoke transfer duct work between the barrels might increase the efficeincy (SP). Maybe even a slide in and out charcoal pan close to the top of the bottom barrel? At any rate it is a good starting point and from there you could mod and experiment to see what you like. I would design the cooking chamber to accecpt extra cooking racks or varible configurations and also add a charcoal pan/grate in the cooking chamber to be able to convert to a grill (Smoking is great, but sometimes a grilled hamburger or chicken leg is good too) I would consider a heat sheild infront of the bottom barrel on the side that you open the cooking chamber from, even if I never bumped into it I bet my shins might get warm while I was tending the food! One of the pics in the link didn't open so I didn't catch the tuning plate or drip pan set up, but it could all be worked out in the end.

 

[teacup13]

heres what i was going to build, nixed it because i wanted something i could put on a trailer

 

[bbq bubba]

If your interested in an offset, here's my 55 gallon drum