- Jul 16, 2018
- 17
- 22
I've had my Smoke Hollow 44" profane smoker for a little get two years. Since my very first smoke I have detested the constant telling of chips as they smoke out in less than an hour. Cooking for 200 (I think it was) guests for my son's wedding reception had me feeding chips for the better part of two days as I cooked 8 or 9 butts and a couple of brisket.
It was then that I decided I wanted to do a mailbox mod. I kept saying it for another year, without actually doing it. Until now.
Taking my wife around town for the city wide garage sale, I saw a large, black mailbox in the driveway of a house. I wanted it, so I happily paid the $1.00 asking price.
Picked up some 4" duct collars, aluminum duct tape and a semi rigid vent hose from the Home Depot and started putting it together.
The build is pretty simple, and there were plenty of threads online, with pics, that I could look at how others have done it.
When I had it all finished I gave it a try with a couple of pork steaks. I couldn't keep it smoking. I was very frustrated and demoralized.
I turned, once again, to the magic Google Machine. A thread caught my eye that discussed the size of the exhaust causing the poor smoking issues. I read it, twice, and realized that the stock smoke stack was insufficient for the amount of air moving from the smoke box.
I headed back to the Home Depot and got another collar, a 24" duct, and a vent cap.
After adding the new stack, I fired it up again and lit the pellets for a whole turkey breast.
SUCCESS!
The fix provided 9 hours of steady smoke, and would have provided more of I had filled the tray.
After 2+years, I can now practically light it, load it and walk away and let my equipment do all of the work. The smoker looks like a freak, but it now puts out some of the best smoked meats I've ever made.
Adding pics to show how my Frankensmoker looks these days.
It was then that I decided I wanted to do a mailbox mod. I kept saying it for another year, without actually doing it. Until now.
Taking my wife around town for the city wide garage sale, I saw a large, black mailbox in the driveway of a house. I wanted it, so I happily paid the $1.00 asking price.
Picked up some 4" duct collars, aluminum duct tape and a semi rigid vent hose from the Home Depot and started putting it together.
The build is pretty simple, and there were plenty of threads online, with pics, that I could look at how others have done it.
When I had it all finished I gave it a try with a couple of pork steaks. I couldn't keep it smoking. I was very frustrated and demoralized.
I turned, once again, to the magic Google Machine. A thread caught my eye that discussed the size of the exhaust causing the poor smoking issues. I read it, twice, and realized that the stock smoke stack was insufficient for the amount of air moving from the smoke box.
I headed back to the Home Depot and got another collar, a 24" duct, and a vent cap.
After adding the new stack, I fired it up again and lit the pellets for a whole turkey breast.
SUCCESS!
The fix provided 9 hours of steady smoke, and would have provided more of I had filled the tray.
After 2+years, I can now practically light it, load it and walk away and let my equipment do all of the work. The smoker looks like a freak, but it now puts out some of the best smoked meats I've ever made.
Adding pics to show how my Frankensmoker looks these days.
