SmokerBuilder.com

It's your site to build your way (or the way the Mighty hosting platform requires?)--and Smokerbuilder has been great--I have it as one of my home tabs for 8 years. But I browse anonymously unless I have something to say or want to see build pictures only available to members. Put yourself in the po...

Nicely done Jim!

I confess i'm not sure about if 155% is too much, other sharp folks on these forums will be able to give you guidance on that. If it's too much, a few thoughts. It's hard to tell from the pictures--is that firebox single wall construction? You might be able to add a 2nd wall to the interior to bring...

Been a while since I posted, but I did a Christmas Brisket, so I figured I'd share--My source for brisket dried up when Sam's club closed its doors last January. The local chain store has some really slender flats sometimes, but they're terrible. In late November though Costco opened up and LO THERE...

In the end, this is why I went to a local tank-building shop and had them roll me a tube to spec. I'm not saying it can't be done safely, just that the risk was more than I was willing to take. I could see that flare lighting my house or the woods around it on fire pretty easily. Ouch!!

Did a mock-up of FB to frame today, and really glad I did. I found 1 piece of tubing I welded in the wrong place (The one that supports the diffuser). What a PITA. Cut out old part, ground down, and go it in the right place now. I'm a few days behind on this thread but it sounds like exactly the sa...

I've been pencil-and-paper engineering a roll-up canopy for a month now. I never considered competition rules preventing canvas overhead as part of my design spec. I don't compete right now, but if I ever do, I'd hate to be sent home because my canopy design involves canvas. Back to the drawing boar...

A 20 lb propane tank is approximately 18 inches high by 12.5 inches in diameter, which pencils out to slightly larger than 14x14 in terms of cubic inches, if that helps? Also, Welcome aboard.

Edit--it would if it were square an not round. Backing away from the keyboard slowly, ignore me.

Inkslinger, seeing those real-life ones I want them right on my CC doors so I can pass temp probe wires through or 'peek' without opening the whole door.

Overkill? Absolutely. But totally.bad.ass.!

That would be beautiful--where might one put that where someone could actually see it in its mechanical magnificence though? External firebox vents is all I can think of but holy cow would it be cool! I'm not sure how it would react to uneven heating though in terms of binding up--lots of slender bi...

Rodcrafter mentioned on a different thread (he said he got it from Frank) pre-staging your splits inside the firebox but away from the coals far enough it won't ignite. They light almost instantly without the smoky phase with ambient temp splits. I wonder if that would help in this case? Also, if yo...

That looks good .Some times you just gotta make smoke ,i fired my new one last weekend with nothing in it . How much heat for how long and what rub ? Brine: After trimming most of the fat I brine my brisket overnight in a solution of beef broth, pickling salt, a few dashes of worcestershire and som...

It's May 13 and spring has been slow this year. There's still a tiny bit of snow in my back yard in fact but I was long overdue to fire up the big smoker (which was arguably overkill) to make a brisket for some friends today. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cz4OmTFDOAksdubtYDaCGpgXCVbOfnVJspEtPBNM...

A few more sessions: Not all the interior CC is welded, mostly tacked but it's coming along... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sJGcJ8YQlWw3KnlTatLYhSDeU4TuxnUvjagjA76g968K0pfeJHLqzLEIG4qzgsA-kuKtpuYaGOnsHh0hVQM3GjTtHuTaaT2OCCzHDLgnXIwpi85-uSQOi189PQfu3Qn_c11ktTsVegVFet4Z2cpoVT5xZVltRR5_d2X0CZUMK8a...

I'd like to add that size matters (that's what she said--to preempt the peanut gallery). A larger cut is far more forgiving of being on the heat too long or too hot, or a bit heavy on the rub vs. a smaller/thinner/lighter one. Don't be afraid to cut away a thin tapering flat either--it'll wick away ...

I totally agree. How big is your smoker? And how much meat did you have in the smoker for that much condense? Do leave the drains open or do you periodically drain them? I have a 30" dia. x 72" long that combined my favorite bits from two sets of plans I got on this site. I don't recommend that by ...

StorkQ, Great questions. I'm not going to try to convince you of what's better, because I imagine that's like inviting discussion on what brand of truck is better. I did deliberate these things with my own smoker. Here's how that turned out. I've seen some commercial RF vendors claim the grease fall...

Overnight temps are still below zero, but there's enough sunlight I'm getting anxious for build season again. I dragged the RF out of the snow and got started again on my mini build. Built the sides of the frame, then realized I didn't insulate anything. That was fixable though. https://lh3.googleus...

I have a Shun chef's and chopper. Aside from being crazy sharp though, the edges are brittle. I've read reviews about folks chipping the edge on bones by using the wrong knife for the job. I let my girlfriends 10 year old aspiring chef cut veggies and now note the tip is missing. I didn't see it hap...

I think most people put it level with the CC and then raise/lower the end away from the firebox to fine tune (trailer jack or whatever)

How do you like the stainless plow blade? I'm guessing it's a bit easier on the front end than regular steel? We get some snow from time to time, so I'm always interested the next generation of toys to deal with it. The bottom half of my yard: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OvwWcUU_qIdRTJma422cJ0...

Don't be embarrassed! Life happens. I purchased my plans 2 years ago and it's still not done! (but I can cook on it).

I purchased more plans after that, and started that project last year and it's not done either!

Good luck on Saturday!

Bb

Also I trim back the skin on the shoulders and hams. I use yellow mustard as a binder and I coat the bejesus outta that lil squeeler with rub. I'll second that. You basically can't over-season especially the parts Stewart mentioned. Although I've only cooked one whole beast (small, ~85 lb), and tha...

Squiggle's observation is spot on as the biggest reason based on the pics (well spotted!), but the location of the fire in the firebox in relation to that cook chamber entrance may be messing with things somewhat as well. The grate is offset to the left of the cook chamber entrance. It looks like th...

Here's maybe the most helpful photos on how I went about putting them on and where they live. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KxxFg_x1iw9cnBP8QUuh85h5cjjLTN6lcdFzzwToAaWKDSm0oiIhNVYeaJTsriBJMG_wBeHDBtdx19RD-HRkDIdJ_nGa-nKkFluhq80zf1GiNvi7ckIpZvwl7UpOoCSH1LnGPA=w1006-h569-no https://lh3.googleuserc...