I am building my first smoker. I want to know if I can put the fire box above the bottom of the cooking chamber. I guess it is going to be a vertical smoker with a fire box. Not sure if it could or should be a reverse flow smoker. I have a 40 gal soup cooker I am converting into a smoker. The main reason for raising the fire box is to allow for tending the fire without getting on my knees. I have a smoker now where the fire box is underneath the cooking chamber. I have learned to use that system but it is a lot of tending and tough as I have to get on my knees. I want to avoid that. I have attached pictures of my project to help readers visualize the Project.
The cook chamber is set in the housing with a 3 inch space surrounding the chamber. I was going to insulate with one inch of insulation and a metal lining. That leaves about 2 inches of air space around the cook chamber. The Idea was to have smoke enter the housing and fill the space heating the cook chamber then enter the chamber through a 6 round hole at the bottom and exit out the top. probably a 4 inch chimney. does this plan look like it will work? I could also direct the smoke through a plenum of some type, boxing it in, or 6 inch pipe to the bottom of cook chamber. Any advice would be helpful.
The cook chamber is set in the housing with a 3 inch space surrounding the chamber. I was going to insulate with one inch of insulation and a metal lining. That leaves about 2 inches of air space around the cook chamber. The Idea was to have smoke enter the housing and fill the space heating the cook chamber then enter the chamber through a 6 round hole at the bottom and exit out the top. probably a 4 inch chimney. does this plan look like it will work? I could also direct the smoke through a plenum of some type, boxing it in, or 6 inch pipe to the bottom of cook chamber. Any advice would be helpful.
