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Even heat zones

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archeryrob

archeryrob

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Oct 26, 2015
647
247
Western Maryland
How would you accomplish having even heating in the smokehouse? 

I smoked snack sticks and bologna this weekend. The snack sticks were make 6' long and hung over my top poles. Everything seemed fine but I noticed they got much more done on the ends close to the bottom.

The next day I just threw some peppers into be smoked and left my dual temp probes in there with one high and one low. At times running the fire box I noticed when cranked up I could have 199° at the top and 240° at the bottom. I let it cool down and I would end up with 1(( at the top and 175 at the bottom. It was like when in creasing it got hot at the bottom and took time to get to the top. When cooling heat floated up and it cooled at the bottom more even though the heat is coming in the from the bottom. 

Someone with a bit more experience have a solution on how you run you and if there is a trick to this? I was surprised to find there is that much difference in heat.

The fire box is 4' away and made of brick. Steel pipe in with dampers and heat exhaust on the pipe to the smoke house. Smoke house is 2.5' square and 4' tall. Chimney holes on each side under the roof. four of them that are 1 3/8" per side. 
 
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Try not raising the temp so fast...   I know that could be a problem...    partially close the bypass to only let a small amount of heat into the smokehouse...   Adjust the smokehouse temp using the bypass...    Place a thermometer in the pipe leading to the smokehouse so you can adjust the temp accordingly...

Maybe try the Wed-Domo river stone on a screen thermal mass baffle under the plate.... 

Baffle Plate.png

Baffle Plate.png

 
Smoker Exh and Intakes 2.jpg

Smoker Exh and Intakes 2.jpg


If you built the FB door with upper and lower air inlets, you can adjust the air to the fire with the lower air inlet and let in cool air to the FB and Smokehouse with the upper air inlet....  along with letting out extra hot air out the bypass...

Remember....   As the smokehouse heats up, it will try and suck more air through the FB...  once the smokehouse gets up to temp and at equilibrium, and you have the other inlets adjusted, it should idle along for hours with little attention....
 
So the rocks are to be a thermal mass to stabilize the heat? I did a google search but nothing on Wed-Domo really turned up. 

The fire box door us an old USSG barrel stove door and only have vents on the bottom. I crack the door to get more heat. Obviously when I load the smokehouse all the heat is let out and wood is not retaining any heat, so is this where the rocks help?

I have more stuff to cook with Bolonga and dried goose breasts. So I am wondering what to change. 
 
The rocks help by absorbing heat when it is increased...  and giving off heat when cooler smoke / heat is applied...

..Copied from Wedliny-Domowe website...

Gravel baffle. One of the easiest, most effective baffles can be made by placing medium size river gravel on a suitable screen. Gravel baffle placed on top of smoke delivery pipe.    http://www.meatsandsausages.com/smokehouse-plans/smokehouse-baffles
 
So, I assume if I make a gravel baffle one layer is plenty. The pipe entering is kind of high in the block. I can build an angle iron frame and supports and lay expanded metal over that.

They show rocks that are about an inch round. Any plus to using larger rocks, or does that allow for to large a space for air to speed around?
 
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 Add an upper air inlet to the FB door....  that will help....    Not all the will be sucked past the firewood and cause it to burn hotter...  will also increase the air flow to the smokehouse....   use a step drill and start with 1-1" hole in the top of the door...  run the smoker...  add another and run the smoker...  I would think 3-4 1" holes would be close...   my MES 30, I have 3 - 1" holes for air flow... 
 
Pick up a bag of drain rock at the big box store...   pea gravel is too small...  you want rock at least 3/4" or so.... even 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 should be fine...

If the firewood, in the picture is what you use......  you need to split it... down to tennis ball size ...  and as the smoker heats up, golf ball size might be fine...   Preheat the splits on top of the firebox...   mobetta...
 
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Damn, I thought that wood was split. Its all choke cherry pulled out of my normal firewood delivery. I also have 2 more cherry trees to cut down at a buddies. When you say tennis ball, you mean width of the split, but it can be 1' or 18" long. Why so narrow? 
 
Sizes like you have under the roof, cool off the fire when put in the FB...   Take toooooo long to warm up.....   Put out flame for too long a period..    and burn too hot once going....     It's like going from 50 mph when running... down to 25 when a new hunk of wood is put in the FB...  then up to 100 mph when it's burning with flame.... there's no easy way to control the temp or the smoke using wood that size in a smokehouse....  You do not want flame inside your firebox....   You want coals and smoke...   Flame is a no-no when smoking meat...
 
Roger and thank you Dave. You should write a few tutorials on here and save newbies like me some trouble. 
77.gif


Or teach me and I'll write them on my blog for the world to read.
icon14.gif
 
 
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Fire it up and check to see if air will move through the pile of stones....   You want a slow movement of air through them...    Run it for awhile...  hours or 4 and check temps..
 
I ran it Sunday for a little bit to test it. It seemed to work fine, except it didn't like pushing though the rocks until it was hot in the fire box. I did not get a chance to really test it good as I found my ET-733 was reading sometimes 20° higher on temp 1 than temp 2 and temp 2 looked right. They told me it  was a bad transmitter and send it in and they will replace it. 

So smoke flowed though it once the fire box was hot and pushed it good. I had to let the bypass run for a while and it really smokey until it gets hot. Kind of like over smoking. 
 
Try removing a layer of rocks until you see some gaps for the heat and smoke to flow through...  kind of a trial and error thing...   Shouldn't take much to get a good balance of flow and heat...   Should be pretty uniform when you find the right balance....    And I'm betting you will have even, stable temps when you get there.......
 
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