Reverse flow plate question

[2bears]

I am getting ready to start putting this 500 gal together and have a question on its design.

The RF plate that I see on a lot of smokers slant down a little going from the fire box to the other end. Is there a reason that it has to slope that direction vs sloping towards the fire box?

My thought is to slope it towards the fire box to allow the heat to easily move from the box to the cook chamber, then put a drain in the end close to the fire box to drain out the bottom.

 

[hemi]

Mostly to drain the grease AWAY from the firebox..

  Hemi..

 

[tom37]

Mine bows from all four directions. I just didnt want to have all the greese pooled at the hot end, in the event that I forgot to drain it everyonce in a while.

 

[gary s]

On the one we built we slanted the plate away from the firebox for grease drainage. Works great