Vertical Smoker Mod

[banjo]

A few years back I bought a 'Great Outdoors - Smoky Mountain Series' smoker.  It had a lot of capacity, and I was looking forward to using it.

I was disappointed.

It leaked air everywhere around the door.  Try as I might, I wasn't able to control the temperature because of the air leaks - too much incoming air let the fire get too hot, and too much exhaust just contributed to the problem overall.  The damper controls were all but useless as low temperature controls.

I recently modified my vertical smoker to correct the problem with the air leaks.  I thought about trying to seal the door, but nothing I came up with was as easy to incorporate as a different solution - enclose the fire within the smoker!

Since making the easy mod, I've used this smoker a lot - just last night I smoked a big piece of Salmon (fillet) at 200 dF for 60 minutes, using charcoal and a big chunk of mesquite for flavor.

If interested, here's a link to my mod, with step-by-step instructions.

http://bbqandbanjos.blogspot.com/2012/06/vertical-smoker-mod.html

Hope this helps someone that has a similar problem!

Banjo

 

[brdprey]

hey nice job on the upgrade like the "t" shape idea.

 

[banjo]

Thanks brdprey!

 

[s2k9k]

I don't understand how this fixed a leaking door?

 

[banjo]

S2K9K,

(Man - I touch type, and that name killed me!  I must have typed it 20 times!)

Thanks for the question!

It did not fix the leaking door!  Nor was it supposed to.

Instead, I've enclosed the fire within the T, so I can now control all the air to the fire.  So the door air leaks no longer feed fresh air to the fire.  And, since I can now control the air to the fire, I can now control the temperature.

Hope that clears it up! 

 

[s2k9k]

Yes it does, Thank You!

Was that a charcoal smoker to start with?

How long will a load of charcoal last?

 

[banjo]

Yes, it was originally a charcoal smoker.  It just had a tray in the bottom.  I think I got it at HD.

It burns charcoal at a rate of about 20 bricketts per hour.  Not real efficient, but that's OK.  I sometimes make my own charcoal too.  

In the 'T', I can get at about 8 hours in it.  Not real sure yet, as I've only cooked ribs (3 hr) and Salmon (1 hr) since the mod.

See that you're in GA.  I'm north of Atlanta.

Ever been to the Big Pig Jig?  I go almost every year.  

 

[daveomak]

Banjo, very ingenious mod to solve a nagging problem.....  KUDOS.....  Dave

 

[banjo]

DaveOmak,

Thanks for the kind words!  I took a google maps satellite look at Omak - sure looks like a scenic area to live in!