Dream Smoker

[bruno994]

If you were to build your dream smoker...what would it be like?  I am looking for opinions and input from everyone on tank and / or pipe size.  Earlier this year I finished my 150 gallon tank RF build and after doing several comps and really noticing other pits in the last 6 months from a builders perspective, I have several ideas and wonder what everyone else has to say about them.  The 150 gallon tank I used is 24" in diameter and 5 feet long, which is to me about the perfect size.  I installed slide out grates, but at 24" deep, slides were not completely necessary, nice, but not necessary.  So my thinking in going bigger on my next build, to be able to cater and vend, what would the perfect size be?  After much thought, I am leaning towards staying with a 24" diameter, but going longer (maybe 10 to 12 feet long) obviously to increase my Qpacity.  As far as if I want this one to be a RF or not, I have yet to decide, I really like my RF rig, but am leaning towards making the new one a direct flow version.  Back to the size issue, my thinking on staying at 24" diameter instead of ramping up to the typical 250 gallon tank and 30" diameter or even the 36" diameter 500 gallon tanks I have seen is the ease in heating up a smaller space quicker and getting more use out of every inch of heated space instead of the cavernous larger diameter tanks.  This will be mounted on a 16' trailer with burners, prep countertops along with serving countertops for vending, sinks and all the other bells and whistles.  Also a warmer box mounted on the top of the firebox.  Just thinking out loud...any and all input and thoughts are appreciated.     

 

[oldschoolbbq]

I would like a pit just like this , but in 24"dia. and 60"long and of course  , with the Cabinet :

My Tejas 2040CC with extra therms 001.JPG

• oldschoolbbq
• Oct 22, 2012

once Baffel and Plated , the control is great , cook hard and hot on the barrel and slow cook in the cabinet... even grill over the FB.

 

[ribwizzard]

Bruno,

Im sure youve seen my build, and Im pretty happy with the results, but.....

If I would do another trailer build, Id do a 250 gallon tank simular to this Meadow Creek, of course Id lay out the trailer differently.

But I would run twin propane burners so that I could grill on it as well.  But I would really like the 30 inch width better than the 24" I have now. And I like the doors on both sides of the cooking chamber, and the warming box above the firebox.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I dream small! LOL

My dream smoker is a small tailgatin' type reverse flow.

Made by Divine Creations......

Know any other makers?


~Martin

 

[so ms smoker]

  If you want to go 10-12 ft long, I guess to do large smokes, why not do a doubled RF smoker. @ 5-6 ft long smokers connected with a center plate between. That way you would not have to heat the entire smoker for smaller cooks. And for larger cooks, you could do two different temps at the same time if necessary. Just something that has been in my head for a while...

  Mike

 

[ribwizzard]

Bruno,

Dream smoker to do what? Competition?....Backyard?......Catering?.....

Man, I have so many builds in my head I still want to do.........different designs for all of them.

 

[bruno994]

Nice 'lil' setup there DiggingDog.  I have the small ones, dreaming big now!

  If you want to go 10-12 ft long, I guess to do large smokes, why not do a doubled RF smoker. @ 5-6 ft long smokers connected with a center plate between. That way you would not have to heat the entire smoker for smaller cooks. And for larger cooks, you could do two different temps at the same time if necessary. Just something that has been in my head for a while...

  Mike

Solid idea especially for multiple meats and temps as you are suggesting.  Would love to see this one through.

Bruno,

Dream smoker to do what? Competition?....Backyard?......Catering?.....

Man, I have so many builds in my head I still want to do.........different designs for all of them.

Catering, vending, etc.  As I stated earlier, I love my 150 gallon, so moving up to a 250 gallon, probably won't cut it.  And at this time I don't need this 'dream' smoker, but when I do, I want to go big and long, somewhere in the 10-12' long with probably three doors, so that the meat that needs more attention can be behind 1 door, while the briskets and butts, which just need to cook longer and be in more stable temps, can stay behind closed doors.  My biggest question is on the design of this 'dream' smoker, would be the sheer size in diameter, is staying smaller at 24" better than moving to 30" or even 36" diameter? 

 

[ribwizzard]

I think that 30" diameter or more would be nice, especially with the twin doors like the Meadow Creek has. =For Catering

Competition = probably go with a 120 gallon, just think you would have more control and your not worried about cooking bulk, I do not like cooking on an empty smoker, everything seems to cook better when its at least at 1/2 capacity or more full.      Have you noticed that as well with your smokers?

 

[bruno994]

Absolutely, cooking comps or semi-large family gatherings, my 150 gallon works out great.  I use my old Chargriller with SFB if I'm doing something small, no need to heat up the big one for some yardbird or 1 brisket or butt.  My lower rack is 23 1/2" x 48", so for comps I usually cook 1-2 briskets dead in the middle of the grate, 3 racks of St Louis spares on the left side and either some food for me to munch on while I'm cooking or 2 butts on the right side when we do pork around here (rare to find pork butts in Texas comps!  Doing one in Louisiana next weekend and we are doing pulled pork there.).  My upper rack I use to cook my comp chicken (in shallow foil pans of course, don't want salmonella on my briskets ya know) because the temps are 30+ hotter on the top.  Works out great. 

I guess 30" would not be too big, really don't want to hit 36" since I am planning on making this all fit onto a trailer to cater or vend off / out of.  Need to have room to work around it.  If I went 24", it would probably have to be direct flow due to size constraints on the opening under the RF plate, where as if I went 30", I should have plenty of room to not restrict airflow...thoughts...

 

[bruno994]

At 30 x 120, the calculator says I would need 262 sq in of firebox to chamber opening, so even at 30" diameter pipe, I would still be shy of what I need to build a RF pit with the RF plate 4" below the center line, i would have approx. 231 sq in.  Firebox would have to be at least 31 x 31 x 31, and with a 6" stack, it would need to be 4' tall, although I might have to extend it to exit through the roof of the trailer.  Direct flow with a baffle might be the way to go with this long of a pit...

 

[meatinc]

My suggestion would be to leave room to add a Santa Maria grill - even a 24" x 36" would be great.  A show piece and a great way to have another type of cooking surface / temp for different things.

 

[ribwizzard]

Im sure at the competition's, you have seen the style of pit where the firebox is centered on the back side of the cooking chamber,  usually you see them on the extra long smokers. Always fiqured thats why they build those that way. Might be something to consider. I always centered the cooking chamber on my larger verticle smoker builds.

We have two smokers here , one has a 8ft long,x 3ft tall and x 6' wide cooking chamber, the other has a 12ft long x 4ft tall x 6 ft wide cooking chamber.  Both fireboxes are the same size, 32"tall x 32" deep x 4' wide.  Neither use a reverse flow,but the are horizontal cookers with offset firebox. they both use 8" pipe cut at different lengths inside the cooking chamber , tuned to cook evenly. both only have 6" round by 1' tall stacks ( 2 per unit).

I have never entered any of these measurements into the bbq calculator, becouse I know that they will be so far off.............

But let me say, we have used these pits( that were built while I was still in diapers) half a dozen times a year, for the last 25 years, for groups of 200 - 300 people at a time, and they cook like you would not believe. Even heat , stay right at 275 no matter what you do....I'll try to get some pics of them tomorrow to show you.   I call the big one"the horse trailer cooker"

 

[ribwizzard]

Heres one of the smaller ones, this one is only 5 ft wide. I have not cooked on this one but its the same set up as the others with the pipes. They fill the bottom of this one with water and use it as a water smoker. You can see that it leaks, just came back from a cook out this weekend.  needs some paint for sure.

 

[ribwizzard]

I wanted to share this with you, something I just started thinking about.  Instead of building the smoker on an open trailer, what about mounting it inside of a trailer like this and cut the sides into big doors that opened up like awnings?

That would make a nice competition smoker...???

 

[bruno994]

Those trailers, only larger are very common on the comp circuits.  I have attached a video from Pitmaker here in Texas and a custom trailer they made for a Houston area comp guy (he is quite successful, just got back from the AR and has gotten calls at the Jack as well.).  This of course, would be the 'Ultimate Dream Smoker Rig Comp Trailer Extraordinaire' (is that a long enough title?)

 

[ribwizzard]

That is cool.

I had trailer build that had the smoker inside a screen room on a 14ft trailer, but it did not work out for me well becouse I did not like having to climb on and off of the trailer. Im thinking of a 8' or 10' enclosed trailer that you can access everything from the ground, awnings opening up like a roach coach. Very compact when not in use , but a real nice set up when opened up. Lights, sink, small generator and all.    Access everything from the ground.     Dont know what I would do with it when done, but will be fun to build.