Calling all Smoke Hollow owners!

[unclebubbas bbq]

 
I have owned and used the 44241G2 (44") for about 2 years now and love it!  I had been using the 2 cooking grates and the 2 jerk grates for smoking anything from chickens, to turkeys, to pork butt, to ribs.  I found cleaning the jerky grates a bit more difficult than the cooking grates so I order more cooking grates.  Now I'll have 5 cooking grates and the capacity to smoke 15 racks of ribs!  On a side note, I've not used the rib grate after reading that it doesn't smoke/cook the ribs as well since a lot of the fat drips away before flavoring the meat, plus I think cleaning the thing would be fairly difficult.

I've done no modifications to the smoker but am interested to learn what others might have done.

One bit of strangeness about the smoker is that I suspect they redesigned the water pan after creating the owner's manual because the owner's manual shows a fairly large water pan that would directly slide into the side supports.  What I have a smaller pan that sits in a metal grate that slides into the side supports.  Has anyone questioned that?  Initially, I thought that I'd rather have the larger pan so it would catch all of the drippings and keep the wood boxes clean, but I suspect something like that would block the smoke from rising to the meat.  Anyone have any comments about that?

Happy smoking!

I use a large tin foil pan and it covers the entire bottom of the smoker, it hold 2 gallons of water, when done I throw it out...easy clean up! I have also added 1/8" x 1/2" nomex to seal the 2 doors

 

[xblume]

The pan doesn't hinder the smoke coming from underneath it?

 

[unclebubbas bbq]

 
The pan doesn't hinder the smoke coming from underneath it?

Not even a little bit

 

[xblume]

I will definitely give it a try!  Thanks!

 

[jaxrmrjmr]

xblume,

This is my third or fourth year having a 44" propane version.  I have the one with the tray that slides out which holds the water pan.  I would have to disagree with some of the advise you have been given.  Not that it is completely wrong, but this is a thin walled, open bottomed, cabinet smoker that uses propane - lots of air flow.  The propane burns up O2 really quickly, which makes air flow very important.  If your smoke runs through your gas flames, then you have pretty much burnt your "smoke" flavor to start with.  Your smoke source needs to be above or well beside the gas burners.

Those that want tight seals are smoking in one of two situations:

1)  They are using a rig where flow out the chimney matters - not that stagnant smoke is good, but read the ump-teen hundreds of threads on chimney size to get max flow.  How they have to be heated for hours to get the right air flow going.  In some rigs, the size (length and diameter) make a huge difference in how well the smoke moves through them.  The chimney size doesn't really matter in a 44" propane cabinet.  As long as smoke is coming out the top of the door and not the bottom, then all is good.

2)  The other person lives up north and has the opposite trouble than they think they do.  It's not so much the hot smokey air escaping their smoker that causes the trouble (unless the temps are polar bear cold) but rather that the small gap around the door sucks cold air into the smoke chamber.

It makes a big difference where you live and what the temps are outside.  I deal with high temps and high humidity, so a leaky cabinet is no problem for me - I want air moving.  Now consider someone trying to smoke in 20-30 degree temps - cold drafts coming into the box would not be good.

Hope it helps.

 

[unclebubbas bbq]

 
xblume,

This is my third or fourth year having a 44" propane version.  I have the one with the tray that slides out which holds the water pan.  I would have to disagree with some of the advise you have been given.  Not that it is completely wrong, but this is a thin walled, open bottomed, cabinet smoker that uses propane - lots of air flow.  The propane burns up O2 really quickly, which makes air flow very important.  If your smoke runs through your gas flames, then you have pretty much burnt your "smoke" flavor to start with.  Your smoke source needs to be above or well beside the gas burners.

Those that want tight seals are smoking in one of two situations:

1)  They are using a rig where flow out the chimney matters - not that stagnant smoke is good, but read the ump-teen hundreds of threads on chimney size to get max flow.  How they have to be heated for hours to get the right air flow going.  In some rigs, the size (length and diameter) make a huge difference in how well the smoke moves through them.  The chimney size doesn't really matter in a 44" propane cabinet.  As long as smoke is coming out the top of the door and not the bottom, then all is good.

2)  The other person lives up north and has the opposite trouble than they think they do.  It's not so much the hot smokey air escaping their smoker that causes the trouble (unless the temps are polar bear cold) but rather that the small gap around the door sucks cold air into the smoke chamber.

It makes a big difference where you live and what the temps are outside.  I deal with high temps and high humidity, so a leaky cabinet is no problem for me - I want air moving.  Now consider someone trying to smoke in 20-30 degree temps - cold drafts coming into the box would not be good.

Hope it hel

He asked the question what other modifications others made, I added a nomex seal and love the way it work for me. You make it sound like it's 5 below zero every time I use my smoker. The bottom of the smoker is wide open along with 2 very large side vents so no matter where you live air flow is no problem

 

[fdguy0619]

We bought the SH Pro Series at SAMs Club and the Sear Burner, gas grill and charcoal grill are awesome....as for the smoker, it SUCKS!! Doesn't keep temp, coals/logs go out (even with intake vents wide open)

 

[jaxrmrjmr]

 
He asked the question what other modifications others made, I added a nomex seal and love the way it work for me. You make it sound like it's 5 below zero every time I use my smoker. The bottom of the smoker is wide open along with 2 very large side vents so no matter where you live air flow is no problem

I didn't mean to step on your toes and didn't mean to come across like I know how each person uses this smoker, just givng my opinion.  Really good smoker, as is, for my climate and what I use it for. 

 

[papad]

Well, Smoke hollow has screwed up a decent smoker. My wife bought me the new model Smoke Hollow 44" Pro Series from Sam's Club as a surprise. We had been looking at the previous model for a while and liked the way it looked. The reviews on it were very good, so we decided that was going to be the next smoker for us.

Well, when she went to get it for me, she didn't notice that the design had been changed. Instead of a separate door to access the smoking wood, there are now two slide out trays with slotted lids on top for wood chips. Well, I was skeptical but we decided to put it together and try it out anyway.

I'll start with the good part first. Assembly was a breeze. Everything fit together perfectly. It heats up quickly. It is easy to dial in the temp you want and it will hold that temp forever.

Then it was time to season it and that is where everything started to go bad.

Those wood trays are a total failure. They are pretty much like the trays and pans that come in most smokers that everyone replaces with cast iron pans. On the old model, there was a separate door to access the wood. That made it easy to add more wood. Just open the door, pull out your cast iron pan, throw in more wood and close the door. There is no access to that area with this model, so there is no way to use a cast iron pan in place of the chip trays. When the wood starts to smoke, it pours out heavy smoke and then the wood bursts into flames. I tried different things for hours to get that wood to smoke, but everything I tried resulted in the wood catching fire.

I've been trying to come up with a way to modify this thing to use a cast iron pan and can't come up with anything that won't require major surgery.

Anyway, here are a couple of stock photos from the web site. I don't have a camera or I would take some detailed photos to show what I'm up against.

0018650500079_A.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

0018650500079_B.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

 

[tundra]

White vinegar will clean it up great !

 

[eppbbq]

Well, Smoke hollow has screwed up a decent smoker. My wife bought me the new model Smoke Hollow 44" Pro Series from Sam's Club as a surprise. We had been looking at the previous model for a while and liked the way it looked. The reviews on it were very good, so we decided that was going to be the next smoker for us.

Well, when she went to get it for me, she didn't notice that the design had been changed. Instead of a separate door to access the smoking wood, there are now two slide out trays with slotted lids on top for wood chips. Well, I was skeptical but we decided to put it together and try it out anyway.

I'll start with the good part first. Assembly was a breeze. Everything fit together perfectly. It heats up quickly. It is easy to dial in the temp you want and it will hold that temp forever.

Then it was time to season it and that is where everything started to go bad.
Those wood trays are a total failure. They are pretty much like the trays and pans that come in most smokers that everyone replaces with cast iron pans. On the old model, there was a separate door to access the wood. That made it easy to add more wood. Just open the door, pull out your cast iron pan, throw in more wood and close the door. There is no access to that area with this model, so there is no way to use a cast iron pan in place of the chip trays. When the wood starts to smoke, it pours out heavy smoke and then the wood bursts into flames. I tried different things for hours to get that wood to smoke, but everything I tried resulted in the wood catching fire.

I've been trying to come up with a way to modify this thing to use a cast iron pan and can't come up with anything that won't require major surgery.

Anyway, here are a couple of stock photos from the web site. I don't have a camera or I would take some detailed photos to show what I'm up against.

0018650500079_A.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

0018650500079_B.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

 

[eppbbq]

Maybe you could add fire tile to the bottom of the trays, or may 1/2 inch sand, just to see if it helps.

I just got one but its the previous version. I just added a needle valve for greater flexibility.

You would think smoke hollow could make one of the two burners 6000 btu for low temp smoking.

 

[kaper]

no all cap

 

[thunderball]

 
Well, Smoke hollow has screwed up a decent smoker. My wife bought me the new model Smoke Hollow 44" Pro Series from Sam's Club as a surprise. We had been looking at the previous model for a while and liked the way it looked. The reviews on it were very good, so we decided that was going to be the next smoker for us.

Well, when she went to get it for me, she didn't notice that the design had been changed. Instead of a separate door to access the smoking wood, there are now two slide out trays with slotted lids on top for wood chips. Well, I was skeptical but we decided to put it together and try it out anyway.

I'll start with the good part first. Assembly was a breeze. Everything fit together perfectly. It heats up quickly. It is easy to dial in the temp you want and it will hold that temp forever.

Then it was time to season it and that is where everything started to go bad.

Those wood trays are a total failure. They are pretty much like the trays and pans that come in most smokers that everyone replaces with cast iron pans. On the old model, there was a separate door to access the wood. That made it easy to add more wood. Just open the door, pull out your cast iron pan, throw in more wood and close the door. There is no access to that area with this model, so there is no way to use a cast iron pan in place of the chip trays. When the wood starts to smoke, it pours out heavy smoke and then the wood bursts into flames. I tried different things for hours to get that wood to smoke, but everything I tried resulted in the wood catching fire.

I've been trying to come up with a way to modify this thing to use a cast iron pan and can't come up with anything that won't require major surgery.

Anyway, here are a couple of stock photos from the web site. I don't have a camera or I would take some detailed photos to show what I'm up against.

0018650500079_A.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

0018650500079_B.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

I can see by the photos and your description that the newer model has screwed the pooch on the wood trays. I apparantly have the model before this one and it is a real pleasure to use whether I smoke on it for 6 hours or 15 hours. I also hear so many talk about "It wont go under 225 degrees" But, it will. You just have to light it then move the knob between the "High" position and the "Off" position. You can make your flame very small by doing this.

Back to your problem and a work around for mine. I like to do a brisket for 13 to 15 hours and like to start it late at night ( 10 PM or so) and then go to bed and wake up and complete the process. When I do this, I dont get to re load the wood chips three times, only once. I just kinda like to use smoke for about 3 hours or 3 loads worth for the mesquite I like to use at the begining of my smoke. Eveybodys different, but thats just how I prefer to do it.

So I was reading these forums and some suggested that they use this smoke tube made by these folks: http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=amnts

The 18 inch tube may be the answer to both of our problems. The tube come highly recomended by many older members of these forums. Ive ordered the 18 Inch model because it states it will smoke for about 6 hours at 225 degrees, so If I can get 3 or 4 hours out of it and not mess around with my wood chip holders.....and go right to bed in addition, it seems like a win, win situation for me and for you.

Im giving it a try. Good luck to you.

 

[demosthenes9]

 
Well, Smoke hollow has screwed up a decent smoker. My wife bought me the new model Smoke Hollow 44" Pro Series from Sam's Club as a surprise. We had been looking at the previous model for a while and liked the way it looked. The reviews on it were very good, so we decided that was going to be the next smoker for us.

Well, when she went to get it for me, she didn't notice that the design had been changed. Instead of a separate door to access the smoking wood, there are now two slide out trays with slotted lids on top for wood chips. Well, I was skeptical but we decided to put it together and try it out anyway.

I'll start with the good part first. Assembly was a breeze. Everything fit together perfectly. It heats up quickly. It is easy to dial in the temp you want and it will hold that temp forever.

Then it was time to season it and that is where everything started to go bad.

Those wood trays are a total failure. They are pretty much like the trays and pans that come in most smokers that everyone replaces with cast iron pans. On the old model, there was a separate door to access the wood. That made it easy to add more wood. Just open the door, pull out your cast iron pan, throw in more wood and close the door. There is no access to that area with this model, so there is no way to use a cast iron pan in place of the chip trays. When the wood starts to smoke, it pours out heavy smoke and then the wood bursts into flames. I tried different things for hours to get that wood to smoke, but everything I tried resulted in the wood catching fire.

I've been trying to come up with a way to modify this thing to use a cast iron pan and can't come up with anything that won't require major surgery.

Anyway, here are a couple of stock photos from the web site. I don't have a camera or I would take some detailed photos to show what I'm up against.

0018650500079_A.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

0018650500079_B.jpg

• papad
• Sep 21, 2015

Try using a single wood chunk in each tray.  If you don't get any more flareups but want more smoke, then try 2 chunks in each tray, but put some distance between them. 

 

[gmiller7018]

Good morning All,

  I'm not sure how this thread is suppose to work, so I'm just going to jump in here to ask a question.

Has anyone tried to insulate their 44" propane smoker? I'm not to concern with losing to much heat in the summer but when old man winter comes to town, that's alittle different. I usually do the 2-2-1 method on my baby backs but this winter when it was around 10 degrees out it was more like a 2-2-2 to get them where the wife likes em. I was having a tuff time keeping the temp under control too.

I was just wondering if anyone has tried it??

 

[clubuilder]

I also just started smoking with my SH44 and do far love it... I live in Michigan so I know what you mean Gmiller.. I went to Harbor Freight and bought a welders blanket.. Seems to help a little... When I smoke I also remove the lids of my chip pans and use chunks of wood... Seems to smoke longer also...

 

[pokes fan]

I bought the 30 inch LPG. At Menard's this last weekend, and I did manage to get it seasoned. Had some problems with the burner going out. I just kept moving the thing around until I found a good spot. Finally got it to stay lit. I'm thinking about making a skirt to go around the legs to see if that might help. So far that's my only problem with it.

 

[lonestarmedic]

Can someone with a new style 44 inch take a picture of the chip pans with the lids off and chunks in them. Friend is looking for a new smoker. So far I have not recommended this unit as I cannot see if there is room for wood chunks.

J. B.

 

[goose57]

Bought a SH36 after Christmas. I converted it NG. Took me 1 1/2 hours to put together, working good.