Gravity feed smokers , why cook in pans ?

[JC in GB]

Yes, that's what I saw with Stumps Baby GF, he has an angled deflector .

From what I can tell from video and pics, Assassin has a direct flow into the cook chamber. But they may be the only ones.

But frankly, both of those are well out of my price range. when it gets to over $3,000 before shipping, you can stick a fork in me, I'm done.

The price was fairly high and it took me a while to save the green for it but I will never have to buy another one. I would also likely never trade my Baby Sarina for any other brand of smoker cabinet. The craftsmanship and quality of the Stump's smokers are fantastic. I can't speak for any others. Hope you find a unit that will serve you well.

JC

 

[Smokin Okie]

The Stump's has the fire out below the lower rack. It has a heat distribution/grease plate above the firebox output. My smoker comes up to temp quickly. I used to fill the charcoal chute and light it from the inside of the smoker but that turned out to be such a PITA that I got a Weber charcoal starter chute. That was the ticket.

The smoker comes back to temp quickly when opened. The insulated walls help a lot. I live in Wisconsin and smoke year round so having an insulated cabinet was a must.

The smoker is well constructed and I am sure it will outlast me. There were 2 small drawbacks on this design though.

1) Charcoal bridges in the feed chute so you have to occasionally use a stick or some other tool to tap the charcoal and break the bridge. Not really a big deal. IMHO

2) Smoke stack output is right in the middle of the cabinet. During cooks when the temp is low, I will get condensation in the stack and it drips ugly black water onto my food. Doesn't really affect taste but looks crappy on a slab of bacon.

When you order your Stump's smoker, you get put on a Mfg. list. Just ask for a side output stack and any other extras you might want when you order. I got the heavy duty wheel package and slam door latch. That was well worth it. The guys I spoke to at Stump's were very friendly and helpful.

Lastly, I use my own home brew temp controller on my smokers. Looking at the smoker design you posted, using a forced fan blower for thermal regulation might make all the difference for that design.

Hope you found this helpful.

JC

Found it very helpful, thanks !

 

[G8trwood]

For competition, the dripping ruins the color for presentation. Plus they cram so much in a tight spot, no cool zone for grease.

No one wants poultry dripping

Taste wise, a brisket under pork butts……….

 

[Smokin Okie]

For competition, the dripping ruins the color for presentation. Plus they cram so much in a tight spot, no cool zone for grease.

No one wants poultry dripping

Taste wise, a brisket under pork butts……….

That makes a bunch of sense.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I actually laid eyes on an Old Country GF today at Academy. First time I've seen one in person. Its far more substantial a build than a Masterbuilt.

If I can live with the two 90* angles on the port between the firebox and cook chamber, this may very well be the GF for me.

I did see a potential problem with the one I looked at, however. This piece that covers the port between the firebox and cook chamber, is only spot welded. It would leak like a sieve, but I'm not sure its a big deal if it does leak.

Here's the piece I'm speaking of , this is not a quality control issue, its part of the build and every one of these should be like this. I would think that would allow the right side of the cook chamber to run hotter ??

And pics of the spot weld and opening on the front and back

And this one on the showroom floor had a door that was not exactly square with the frame, but best I could tell , it sealed. This is a quality control issue. I would try to find one that did not have this issue, but Academy's history is , just point this out to the store manager and they will discount the unit.

 

[seenred]

The smoker is well constructed and I am sure it will outlast me. There were 2 small drawbacks on this design though.

1) Charcoal bridges in the feed chute so you have to occasionally use a stick or some other tool to tap the charcoal and break the bridge. Not really a big deal. IMHO

JC

JC, are you using lump charcoal in that chute? I've heard others talk of bridging issues when using lump in a gravity smoker. I've used nothing but B&B oak briquettes in my chute since day 1 - never had a single bridge problem.

I like using lump in my kettle grill because it burns hotter...but I like the consistency and longer burn I get from the B&B briquettes.

Red

 

[seenred]

I actually laid eyes on an Old Country GF today at Academy. First time I've seen one in person. Its far more substantial a build than a Masterbuilt.

If I can live with the two 90* angles on the port between the firebox and cook chamber, this may very well be the GF for me.

I did see a potential problem with the one I looked at, however. This piece that covers the port between the firebox and cook chamber, is only spot welded. It would leak like a sieve, but I'm not sure its a big deal if it does leak.

Here's the piece I'm speaking of , this is not a quality control issue, its part of the build and every one of these should be like this. I would think that would allow the right side of the cook chamber to run hotter ??

View attachment 664109

And pics of the spot weld and opening on the front and back

View attachment 664110View attachment 664111

And this one on the showroom floor had a door that was not exactly square with the frame, but best I could tell , it sealed. This is a quality control issue. I would try to find one that did not have this issue, but Academy's history is , just point this out to the store manager and they will discount the unit.

View attachment 664112

I've looked at these in Academy myself several times over the years. They are definitely much better than any other box-store smoker I've come across. Thicker steel, welded construction instead of bolt-together or riveted. But I have noticed some inconsistency in their quality control...mostly fit and finish issues that probably wouldn't affect performance much. That wouldn't matter much as long as you could look until you found the one you were happy with.

My guess would be that that spot-welded plate wouldn't have much effect on air flow and performance...but that's just a guess.

Red

 

[Smokin Okie]

This is when I wish I'd taken that course in welding at the vo-tech. I think something could be built similar to what Southern Q and Stump do, that would direct the air into the cook chamber more efficiently.

No one moves air with 90* angles. Whether its duct work on the A/C in the house or exhaust headers on an engine, its just not done. It needs curves.

 

[seenred]

This is when I wish I'd taken that course in welding at the vo-tech. I think something could be built similar to what Southern Q and Stump do, that would direct the air into the cook chamber more efficiently.

It absolutely can be built. I'm an amateur welder, and before I finally bought my Southern Q, I was planning to build one. There is a site - Smokerbuilder.com - that sells complete build plans for several sizes of gravity smokers.

I talked myself out of it after pricing the steel and materials I'd need to complete the build. I estimated that the total material costs would be close enough to the price of a new Limo Jr, that I might as well just buy the factory pit instead of building it.

Red

 

[Smokin Okie]

I'm just thinking of that piece that covers the port between the firebox and the cook chamber.

Just looking at it, I could cut that piece off just below that bottom rack and build a deflector plate that would angle across the bottom. I think that would open up the air flow into the cooker.

I also noticed the exhaust on this smoker was small, it was 2 X 4 inches. On offset cookers, the length of the stack can impact pull through the smoker. I gotta wonder if these are the same and maybe adding a foot of the exhaust would help air flow into the cooker.

 

[JC in GB]

JC, are you using lump charcoal in that chute? I've heard others talk of bridging issues when using lump in a gravity smoker. I've used nothing but B&B oak briquettes in my chute since day 1 - never had a single bridge problem.

I like using lump in my kettle grill because it burns hotter...but I like the consistency and longer burn I get from the B&B briquettes.

Red

I use briquettes. I used Royal oak generic briquettes for a while but have now been trying B&B and Blues Hog briquettes.

I have only done short cooks with them but am looking forward to doing a pork shoulder with the B&B. I will see if they bridge during that long cook

JC

 

[Smokin Okie]

This Assassin is way out of my price range, but I really like the port for air to enter the cook chamber. The charcoal grate is almost even with the bottom of the cook chamber. There's no restriction for heat and especially no 90* turns. This cooker probably has good air flow.

I've got this video set to start showing the exchange and flames can be seen, which tells me the wood in the firebox is flaming, which means clean smoke. I don't think charcoal would flame like that.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I went back this morning to test the seal on this door. It failed. I'm not gonna pay $1500 for a smoker with that kind of air leak, especially a GF .

I was able to easily slide a $20 bill through the seal, and it extended halfway across the top of the door. Did not bother with the side.

This was the only OCGF in the OKC metro. Just too many problems for that kind of money.

More internet research, and people have had problems with the spot welds on that baffle/deflector. There's a fella who runs a OCGF Facebook group whose had flames come through the opening. Others have had it completely welded or use RTV sealant . Just depends upon the size of the opening.

It also likely contributes to the the diff in side to side temps that some have reported.

 

[seenred]

I went back this morning to test the seal on this door. It failed. I'm not gonna pay $1500 for a smoker with that kind of air leak, especially a GF .

I was able to easily slide a $20 bill through the seal, and it extended halfway across the top of the door. Did not bother with the side.

This was the only OCGF in the OKC metro. Just too many problems for that kind of money.

More internet research, and people have had problems with the spot welds on that baffle/deflector. There's a fella who runs a OCGF Facebook group whose had flames come through the opening. Others have had it completely welded or use RTV sealant . Just depends upon the size of the opening.

It also likely contributes to the the diff in side to side temps that some have reported.

My observations of the OC products that I've inspected at Academy over the years are that there are inconsistencies in quality control in all their pits. You could look at 3 models of the same pit, and the fit and finish on the first one might be unacceptable, the next one might be just OK, and the third one might be pretty good. That fits with the impressions I've gotten from guys who've purchased an OC pit, the consensus is that if you are patient and look around at multiple stores, you can eventually find one that's good. If you are correct that there's only one OCGF in all the OKC area, that doesn't really help you much.

But fit and finish doesn't resolve your concerns about the design - or potential design flaws - of that heat exchanger plate. I don't blame you for not wanting to shell out that kind of money if it's something you're not sure you'll be happy with. Seems that once again, the old adage, "you get what you pay for" might apply.

It's always easy to spend another guy's money...but if it were me, and I had my heart set on owning an insulated GF smoker (which is no a stretch to imagine - this WAS me a few years ago lol) I'd save some more dollars and bite the bullet on a Limo Jr. Looks like they're almost $1K more than the OC...before shipping of course. I appreciate that it's hard to spend that kind of money on a smoker, but the old saying "buy once, cry once" could be applied here. I've never heard of any QC issues at all with this pit builder... and I can personally attest to the quality of this smoker. It's built to last a lifetime...and after many dozens of cooks on it, I know it performs as well as advertised.

Here are a few threads with my Limo Jr. featured, if it helps. And if you have more questions, or want more pics of any part of the smoker, just let me know. I'll answer to the best of my knowledge or just shoot some pics of anything you might want to see.

Red's New Southern Q Smoker!

Good Saturday Afternoon, Smokin Brothers! Some may recall that I sold my old Southern Q gravity feed smoker last month, to make room for a new pit I had on order. Well it arrived a couple days ago. It's a shiny new Southern Q Limo Junior Gravity Feed Smoker - same as the old one, but bigger...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Red's Spare Ribs - First Run in the New Pit w/ Plenty of Q-View

Evening Friends! I've been biding my time waiting to get something cooking in my new Southern Q gravity feed smoker, which arrived last week. Well, between Mrs. Red catching the flu late last week, and the weather not cooperating for a few days, today was my first chance. Just a couple racks...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Red's Sunday Brisket

Howdy Friends! I hadn't cooked a brisket yet in my new Southern Q pit, and was hankering to do one for a while now...but we've been having a hard time of late finding any decent briskets locally that weren't priced ridiculous. Every time we've been in any meat deptartment for the last month...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Red's Ribs! A Simple, Single Rack of Baby Backs

Evening Friends! It has occurred to me that I haven't posted any q-view in quite some time. Since I was smoking a rack of Baby Backs today, I figured I'd rectify that. A little background story to go with the ribs. Mrs. Red lost her father just about this time a year ago. Since I had lost...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Red

 

[Smokin Okie]

I'm still thinking that baffle/deflector could be completely redesigned and a welder may not charge much to do it. I could take the thing out with an angle grinder.

It could me modeled after the Limo Jr. Instead of a 90* turn down, make it a 45* slant. And use 1/4" steel, though there would still be some radiant heating on that side.

But right now, I'm just gonna wait. There's no fix for that door and I think a GF needs a tight seal. IDK why OC would put that expensive gasket material on all three doors ........ and then leave a large gap ........ makes ya wonder.

 

[Smokin Okie]

How bout this ? Will this solve the OCGF air flow issue ?

I've thought a taller stack might pull more air through a OCGF. But I would not go as far as this fella did. I found this on Facebook. He says it gets up to temp 3X's faster and he's not running an ATC.

He cut out the old stack completely. I would not do that, I would get some thin sheet metal and make a stack that would slide over the 2X4 " existing stack. That's something that could be undone if problems arose.

And I wonder if the pull would be strong enough to pull ash into the cook chamber.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Aaron Franklin doing similar with a BGE. He says it did improve the draw through a BGE and he get much better air flow. He cooks a brisket his way on the BGE with this stack extension.

 

[seenred]

How bout this ? Will this solve the OCGF air flow issue ?

I've thought a taller stack might pull more air through a OCGF. But I would not go as far as this fella did. I found this on Facebook. He says it gets up to temp 3X's faster and he's not running an ATC.

He cut out the old stack completely. I would not do that, I would get some thin sheet metal and make a stack that would slide over the 2X4 " existing stack. That's something that could be undone if problems arose.

And I wonder if the pull would be strong enough to pull ash into the cook chamber.

View attachment 665621

I don't really know much about the physics, but I do believe that extending a stack is supposed to increase draw. Now if that would be enough to overcome an air-flow design flaw...that'd be anyone's guess. It seems reasonable to believe that it would help - but I suspect that the only way to know for sure is try it and see.

Aaron Franklin doing similar with a BGE. He says it did improve the draw through a BGE and he get much better air flow. He cooks a brisket his way on the BGE with this stack extension.

Might be comparing apples to oranges, since a BGE is such a different design than the OCGF. Again, I don't claim to really understand the physics...but a stack extension seems like a reasonable possibility.

Red

 

[Smokin Okie]

I would start with a one or two foot extension on the OCGF. It has a shorter stack than Limo Jr or Assassin 17, who both look to have about a one foot tall stack.

Couple a stack extension with opening up the deflector/baffle and the OCGF should draw a lot better.

 

[Smokin Okie]

BTW, I'm sure that a taller stack will have a stronger draw. I put a 2 foot extension on an OC Brazos offset a few years ago. I could take it on and off easily. And I had TelTru gauges on both ends of the cook chamber.

When I put the extension on the stack, the heat would build on the stack end of the cook chamber and the temp would increase. When I took it off , the temp would go down. Happened almost instantly.

I ended up not using the extension because it was not designed for higher air flow.

Also, I gotta wonder if stronger air flow though a GF cooker, would pull ash into the cook chamber. I have to vacuum ash out of the manifold on my Masterbuilt gravity feed.