Featured Smoker Build from old boiler

[Whisky Creek]

Nice looking build. Any details on the burners and how they are configured?

It is a single tube burner (48") that I purchased from Tejas Smokers in Houston, Texas. I have it sitting in the bottom of the unit, under a piece of 6" x 6" angle iron, 1/2 inch thick, to act as a flame deflector and provide uniform heat. I fabbed a metal box on top of that, in which to put my wood chunks. Seems to work decently!

 

[kmmamm]

Glad the folks at Tejas were able to fix you up with something. Did you end up going with a high pressure set up? It will be interesting to see how it works in the winter.

 

[bill1]

Nice work and craftsmanship Whisky! But there's something about those big rivets top and bottom, and the angle of the legs that really gives a "steampunk" look to it. It's really quite striking. Wow!

So how much propane does it take for a 5 or 10 hour smoke?
I might ask the same question when the weather turns colder too.

 

[mneeley490]

Nice work and craftsmanship Whisky! But there's something about those big rivets top and bottom, and the angle of the legs that really gives a "steampunk" look to it. It's really quite striking. Wow!

So how much propane does it take for a 5 or 10 hour smoke?
I might ask the same question when the weather turns colder too.

I was thinking more "lunar lander", but steampunk is appropriate, too. Nice build, well done, sir!

 

[Whisky Creek]

Nice work and craftsmanship Whisky! But there's something about those big rivets top and bottom, and the angle of the legs that really gives a "steampunk" look to it. It's really quite striking. Wow!

So how much propane does it take for a 5 or 10 hour smoke?
I might ask the same question when the weather turns colder too.

You know, I can't answer that just yet. I started that smoke show with a full 100 lb'er and it was really heavy. I finished after 10 1/2 hrs and.... it was really heavy!

I should weigh it to find out, but I was surprised that it didn't take much at all! If I had to guess, I'd guess it was less than a 20 lbs. May be 15 - 20??

 

[bill1]

You know, I can't answer that just yet. I started that smoke show with a full 100 lb'er and it was really heavy. I finished after 10 1/2 hrs and.... it was really heavy!

I should weigh it to find out, but I was surprised that it didn't take much at all! If I had to guess, I'd guess it was less than a 20 lbs. May be 15 - 20??

Well I'll take a guess. I should maybe do a calc, but I'll bet the energy to heat up that amount of steel is still small compared to what gets convected away during a 10 hr smoke so I think it comes down to exposed surface area. At 4' dia, that's about 3x the size of a "normal" gas smoker; and 2x as long at 6', so the area is 6x. Normal gas smokers (NGS's) use maybe a 2-3 pounds of propane for a long cook? So your SLLS (Steampunk Lunar Lander Smoker--yes it has a name!) will come in at 12-18# I'd guess, pretty much exactly your estimate. Keep us appraised, Sir!

 

[Zolloneer]

Your burner setup sounds practical and effective for maintaining consistent heat. Have you noticed any particular benefits or drawbacks to using the single tube burner compared to other configurations? It's often the straightforward solutions that work best in BBQ rigs. Have you experimented with different wood types for smoking, or do you have a favorite? If you have any issues, I recommend checking out rowlen.co.uk. They've got a good reputation for quality service.