Aussie insulated reverse flow cabinet smoker - 1st timer

[smokinjoemurphy]

G'day guys and girls, my name's Mike and I'm currently in the design stage of an insulated cabinet smoker. I've pulled the design concept from a bunch of different concepts and real world units. It's not a big unit, all based around fitting 4 gastronorm 1/1 racks 10mm apart and a GN 1/1 stainless water pan at the bottom. Big enough for 4 briskets, no more.

I've drawn the designs on tinkercad if you wish to have a look:
https://tinkercad.com/things/15oVLRxbxhf

I've run the calcs and think it's come up pretty well but just felt my way through it.
Link to BBQ Pit Calculator

Intended materials are stainless steel for the cooking chamber, mild steel for the RHS structure/skin varying from 2mm to 1mm. Insulation is thought to be the ceramic 25mm insulation blanket.

Any questions, comments or complaints please let me know.

I need to stress that I have no idea what I'm doing so no comment will be too obvious.

[Pete Mazz]

IMO RF isn't needed in a vertical cooker. Overly complicated and no real benefit. I'd also use the steel inside and the stainless outside, if you're set on using stainless. Stainless expands more than steel with heat so it can be problematic. Once the interior has seasoned there's no need of stainless. 2 intakes on opposite sides help with fighting wind direction. I'd make it a little larger but if that's the size you know you'll be happy with, go for it.

Oh, and welcome!

[Squiggle]

Welcome & G'day! I've just finished my insulated mini gravity feed cabinet smoker & it's a corker, the plans are available from smokerplans.net(which is a sister site to this one) &, except for the conversions, I could not fault the plans & could not fault the unit. It's easy to use & stable as all hell in the temp department. I fired it up this morning before work, got the missus the whack half a wallaby in at 10, wrapped it when I got home in the arvo, pulled it off when my mate & his missus arrived, rested for an hour & it was awesome, simples!!

I'm sure whichever way you go will work & these guys will keep you on the right path but seriously consider one of the mini GFs as an option, well worth the effort.

[Rodcrafter]

Welcome to the crew!
As Pete said vertical insulated smokers, don't really need the pit calculator those are based on offset smokers. That being said it would still work just fine as long as you seal the FB and have ball valves as intakes so you can really control the air you can use it just fine


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[Big T]

[smokinjoemurphy]

Hey guys, thanks for the welcoming and feedback. I like the idea of the gravity fed smoker; I will definitely look into it and see what I can find. Didn't think about the stainless steel expansion, actually makes sense for everything inside to be the one material for even expansion.

I'll come back once I've thought it over further. Cheers,Mike

[Rodcrafter]

As far as stainless goes Smoker Tom aka Tom Heath told me that he rather had made his big GF out of mild steel because the seasonings don't stick to stainless.

Just a thought


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[smokinjoemurphy]

Ok well I've modified the plans and am now looking into a gravity feed concept. I've used 250x150x10mm RHS steel for the gravity feed section, with some 10mm plate down the bottom for the ash tray. I've noticed that most coal chutes are not straight but inclined on at least one side, I assume to prevent the coal bridging on the way down. Has anyone tried a straight chute and failed?

I've scrapped the stainless steel from the plans and am using 1.6mm mild for the sheeting.

In order to put something different into the build I decided to look into a recessed door frame so all the doors are flush with the body, I think I'll probably shy away from this complication but I wanted to see how it improved the aesthetics.

[Rodcrafter]

I would suggest you get the already proven plans for this design from our sister site. Smokerplans.net
The money isn't much and the actual function is great. The reason the top door isn't flush is to help prevent rain from getting in the shoot. The straight sided coal shoot is a big mistake. The way your design shows the smoke coming into the CC will cause that side to be hot and the bottom opposite side cold.


Making memories!

[Squiggle]

& the reasons the side door isn't flush is there will be a lot of heat coming out that when you are lighting it & adding chunks, that will either discolour or burn the side of the smoker & if you're going to spend all that time making it only to ruin it with a simple design fault then I know I'd be pissed off with myself.

Also, as RC mentioned, the transfer tube where the heat comes out of the FB is definitely needed to even out the heat in the CC.

You'll also want to keep the ball valve on the inlet outside the smoker in case it breaks or seizes, can't imagine the amount of work it would take to replace it when it's inside the unit like in your design.

Oh yeah, & there's no stack to let the smoke out of the CC, might need one of those.

[RouletteRun]

I love your drawings, that's very cool. Mine is being designed in my head as I go.

[smokinjoemurphy]

Thanks for the feedback guys, some of it I think is personal preference so I think I'll hedge my bets with the flush doors and see how it goes. For me buying the drawings doesn't really solve much as they're all in imperial which means I have to redraw them all myself anyhow.

As for the gravity feed section, I agree the straight design is asking for trouble so I'll amend that.

The ball valve needing a service is again another gamble, I personally think a ball valve hanging out in the wind just isn't that aesthetically pleasing and the lack of actual workload means a fault is highly unlikely.

Oh and yeah a chimney and a bunch of other things are still missing, still a concept but that's a notable omission.

Thanks for the positive comment rouletterun; I knew there had to be at least one at out there ;)

[Rodcrafter]

I agree you do some great drawings.

[Squiggle]

drawings are sweet dude!

[Gizmo]

The key to success on a vertical is a well-sealed cabinet and accurate air control going in and out - otherwise they are stupid stable on temp - especially if they're insulated. I really like the 'Ely' I built like this - that build is on here somewhere. Very similar layout.

[Rodcrafter]

This is the thread Gizmo is talking about, epic build by the way.

http://www.smokerbuilder.com/forums/vie ... &hilit=Eli


jm2cw

[Gizmo]

RC is my court-appointed forum guardian - see how he snapped that link right in here?
Thanks RC!

[Squiggle]

The man......The myth......THE LEGEND!

[Rodcrafter]

Anything for you Rick, I mean Gizmo.

[smokinjoemurphy]

Thanks Gizmo/RC, looks like an interesting build. Do you have any way of getting the pics to show up? The links have expired when I view it?

[Rodcrafter]

Gizmo may still have the pics.


Making memories!

[Gizmo]

RC can you remind me of the picture posting process? I remember something about photobucket then I'm lost.... sorry

[Rodcrafter]

Sure Gizmo this is the Frank made.

http://www.smokerbuilder.com/forums/vie ... =50&t=1874

This is the Pete made.

http://www.smokerbuilder.com/forums/vie ... =50&t=5216

[Gizmo]

Sorry, when I try to attach the old pics I discovered they are now too large (2.3M) apparently the photobucket was sizing them for me back when and now I need to re-save them smaller...? 1M?

[Rodcrafter]

Gizmo can you open them on your phone? I mean you would need to save them on your phone first. But it will do the same thing


Making memories!