Tighten your seatbelts! Making my first attempt at a reverse flow smoker!!!

[imsmokingpork]

pic of smoker.jpg

• imsmokingpork
• Apr 2, 2013

this is an example of what i will be constructing

ok i plan on using the vogelzang deluxe double barrel stove kit. here is the web address that i have found for it so everyone can get one if they like. http://www.northlineexpress.com/vog...ID=974975366&gclid=CIaUytfeqbYCFQo6nAode2QAmw     I plan on putting a double door on the top so as to have more access to more cooking area without letting out as much heat. i plan to have an upper and a lower cooking surface with slideable grates made from 1" square tubing and expanded steel. i will put a baffle plate in the bottom of the cooking chamber extending from the side of the barrel closest to the flue coming from the firebox or bottom barrel to a point roughly six inches from the opposite side, on top of the baffle plate will sit a steel tray that i will use for putting apple juice, beer, or water for moisure or charcoal for when i want to grille. the lower barrel will have fire bricks, a propane fire starter made from steel pipe with a steel cap and holes drilled in it, then it will have a grate to keep the wood off the bottom and allow the fire to breathe. i would like to put an ash box in the bottom but not sure how to do it with everything that i am going to have in the bottom. i had a drawing that i made in microsoft word processor but it will not let me import it here. it was just a rough sketch as i do not have the intelligence or software to make a CAD drawing. if any of you have questions, ideas, hints, or tips, keep them to yourself. lmao just kidding. i would love to hear them, i would like to refrain from making costly mistakes that others have made if i can, oh and by the way, i plan on being on here alot so any of you who get to know me will see that i just have a great sense of humor. if ur not laughing then ur going thru life all wrong! cant wait to hear from yall!

 

[doodleq]

I'm not sure where you live, but in the fall when the temps started coming down, I had a b of a time keeping temps in mine. I'm not sure what you'll gain with the double door...you might find one will provide more access, not less when you consider what you have to leave behind to support the doors.
I had a difficult time getting doors to behave with mine, so eventually I bisected a drum and built a frame out of 1" x1" x 1/8" square tube for both halves. Closes nicely and gave me somewhere to mount grates as well as hinges, and there is no flex.
The Vogelzang hardware is very brittle, so be prepared to support it, as the cast iron they use will not weld when, not if, you break something. That said, the doors are nice, although you may need to add airflow...I often had to run mine with the door open.
Here's a picture of mine...it's still at the house if there's something else you'd like to see regarding the build. It's for sale now, so ask quick if you do!

image.jpg

• doodleq
• Apr 1, 2013

Good luck!

 

[imsmokingpork]

did you seem to have a hard time recovering the cc temps? i started to go with a design such as yours. i was just worried that i would lose way too much heat with it opening like that? i have also thought about putting my door high enough that i can leave the small bung intact. if i do this then i can fabricate a propane fire starter that i can use and i can unscrew it and pull it out when im done with it and allow it to breathe more when i need it and reinstall the plug when i dont. if you dont mind me asking, how much are you asking for your smoker, just in case i decide to start building these and selling them. do you recall how much u have invested in this setup? thanks for your response!

 

[smokein man]

good philosophy. good luck on the build

 

[oldschoolbbq]

I'll follow , but you gotta send Q-view... we have

 about that.

Have fun and...

 

[imsmokingpork]

were you talking to me when u said "you have to have qview"? i am new to the forum

 

[good 2bthe dawg]

q view, is just posting pics. its funny, the more i posted, the more help i got, which is what i wanted.

welcome, now we just got to get together.

Dawg

 

[boykjo]

For it to be a reverse flow the smoke stack will be on the same side as the heat source

 

[doodleq]

It was more keeping the cook chamber consistent than anything...it seemed to need a lot of tweaking. I like that in a way...these aren't electric ovens after all, and that's part of the appeal, but it was too much. It recovered quickly.
If I had to do it again, I'd add another vent (without any forethought one way or the other, the large bung was at around ten o clock on mine...I like your idea), and lift the fire some...I largely used other logs to raise the fire.
To answer your other question...I'll ask around $150.

 

[imsmokingpork]

i could see how needing to tweak it alot....seems like it would give you something to do to keep you occupied during those looooong smokes lol. i am planning on welding a cold rolled steel grate to keep the fire off the floor of the firebox. i fully intend on putting fire bricks in the very bottom. the way i understand it, the fire bricks will help hold heat and keep the bottom of the barrel from burning out. where would you put the other vent? thank you for the info that you have bestowed upon me. i cant wait to get this project underway. also, what size exhaust did you use? i didnt see the exhaust on the pic of yours. once again thanks

 

[imsmokingpork]

yes sir....i guess i should have elaborated more on that post....i intend on putting a baffle in the bottom of the cc and moving the exhaust to the opposite side from the one in the pic above. i apologize for any misunderstandings. i would like to put some drawings on here that i have done on microsoft paint, they are crude lol but it would kind of give you an idea of what im wanting to change. i dont have any cad software or the know how to use it lol. anyone who could tell me how to put drawings from paint on here, i have few that i could post. thanks

 

[imsmokingpork]

ok so a little bit of info on the build....still at a standstill. i went to florence al today with the intention of buying the vogelzang kit for the legs, door, and exhaust. Home Depot in Florence, al does not carry this in stock but can order it. so i have opted to order it online myself and have it shipped to my home to keep from driving 2 hours round trip to pay the same price for it. In the mean time, i have been splitting and stacking hickory to dry and season for when i get my big baby going, as of right now, i am shooting to have it done no later than the 4th of july....i would like to get some experience on it before then because i would like to use it to cook for about 40 people on the 4th. anyway, cant wait to hear from yall

 

[maple sticks]

 

[imsmokingpork]

propanetorch.jpg

• imsmokingpork
• Apr 3, 2013

here is a setup that i am contemplating using. i think i may go ahead and get my barrels today. i am wondering if it is more cost and time efficient to use a propane setup like this to burn the paint off of the barrels or if i should just start a fire in them and burn it off that way? also i had originally planned to mount this tool in the bottom of my firebox to start my fires with, however, i am changing my design plan. i plan on putting a steel pipe in the bottom of the firebox with holes drilled in it to start my fires. i would assume that this would be more reliable and have less problems because of the simplicity of the setup. i will post more pics of tools that i intend to use in a few mins. any help that any of you can give would be greatly appreciated

 

[imsmokingpork]

flap wheel.jpg

• imsmokingpork
• Apr 3, 2013

twist knot wire wheel.jpg

• imsmokingpork
• Apr 3, 2013

if thiese pics oladed correctly, these are the ideas that i have contemplated using to remove the paint from the barrels. what do yall think? the first pic is a flap wheel and the other is twisted wire wheels.

 

[ribwizzard]

Go with the wire wheels, the flapper disck will remove metal as well, and you dont want to do that on these thin barrels. The knoted wire style will be the most agressive, ...I'd go with a cup style on a 5 inch angle grinder.  Wear a dust mask, and set up a fan to blow the dust away from you.    Have fun.

 

[imsmokingpork]

thank you so much ribwizzard.to be honest, i was actually worried about the abrasiveness of the flapper. i appreciate the info. honestly, i dont think i could do this build without u guys. i have smoked meat for years but didnt know anything about reverse flow smokers or that there was actually dimensions that needed to be used. cant wait to get it together and get the 25lbs of boston butt that i have in the freezer on the smoker. would u burn the barrels or not?

 

[imsmokingpork]

i have another question that i just thought of. if i build the smoker as i have described above with the baffle and moving the exhaust, will all of my dimensions be right as far as the exhaust, firebox size etc? i have always heard that you can go bigger on the dimensions but not smaller.

 

[ribwizzard]

I always like the way these looked and I have heard good things about how they cook.   I would burn the barrels, but be very careful as to not get them so hot that they warp. It really does not take that much heat to burn off the paint.   As far as re-designing the smoker,........The one in your first pic looks preatty good,  I just dont know where your air intake will be located....does the door have a vent in it?

You know, as far as the thin barrels keeping in the heat issue,... you could always build a box around this thing out of wood.  Designed right, could make a really nice looking unit.

 

[imsmokingpork]

thank you again rib wizard. i am hoping that i can build a small fire out in it with a few pieces of oak. i definitely do not want it to warp. that would be like twisting a car frame before the build lol. not good. the door has a vent in it and i am planning on placing my door above the small bung on the barrel so i can open that for ventilation of the fire if needs more O2. are you talking about building a box out of wood around the top, bottom, or both barrels? just wondering what ur idea was.