New smoker EATS charcoal- help!

[Ranjer59]

just a thought but why couldn't you insulate the outside and add another skin to the outside?

Could- and it'd be WAY easier than gutting and trying to fit panels inside with insulation sandwiched between. I don' t know how well insulating/ skinning the outside with the 3/16 steel *inside* would work. That mass (about 350lbs) would have to come up to temp- but once there, it should hold pretty well I'd think. Is something to think about again...thanks for poking me in that direction.

[Ranjer59]

/snip Even an ez-up with side walls might help.

Another thought, a bit off on the silly side, but could you have it sprayed in bedliner like a truck bed? The material is thick so would offer some insulation and the texture might slow down the wind (on the surface) to decrease heat loss. It would look better than wrapping it in insulation. I don't know that the heat rating is but it be easy to find out.

Other than that, I'd get a Costco membership and ask about pallet discounts.

Have considered a wooden folding "wind screen"- that would help with the north wind for sure . I did google some "hi tech" spray on insulation and contacted a couple of companies. 2 or 3 were very promising- except the cost was obscene, the application technique was very unforgiving (not very durable, required pristine cleanliness, needed a uv coating, LONG setup before use...etc) I think the best solution is to use it for what it is: A large cooker that can do a TON of food- load it up and it burns as much fuel as it takes- charcoal, wood or both. OR Use tubing, insulation and and skin over it with 16 or 18gauge- it has to help some. Sell it- take what I've learned and start over from scratch- build an insulated vertical with thin steel and 1 to 1-1/2" insulation. I was too hard headed to do that in the beginning- but I can learn from my mistakes.

[mp4]

Smoker build #2 seeds are planted!

[BitBucket]

It might offend your sense of 'rightness' but I read someplace wool has a very high ignition point--around 600c/1200f. Whipping up a (100%) wool blanket 'cooker cozy' might save you some bucks and at least give you an idea about what consumption rate for charcoal will be with an insulation layer. Wool tends to have a smell that might creep into the cooking but you could always snorkel the intake as long as it didn't impact the overall breathing of the cooker.

Boiler plate "stuff burns, do your homework and be careful!" warning applies. You can always dye it camo or something to make it more visually acceptable.

Just a thought anyway,
Bb

[Ranjer59]

I have pondered on and weighed all the much welcomed advice. While I'd sure like to be able to run this like my UDS- it's not gonna happen. Even if it ate three times as much fuel, I could be happy- but 5 hours on 18lb of KB is just sad. No, it won't break me to run it 20 times a year- it's just the principle. My pbc ,UDS and mini wsm have spoiled the tar out of me - they are so fuel efficient. Brother in law has some downed hickory on his property about an hour away from me- I can have all I want to cut and haul. Might be better off just running it mostly on wood splits- it liked a full wood diet the one time I tried it. I may play with a smaller diverter or get rid of it entirely and just using a dry catering pan-or using some firebricks to line the firebox. I can't really afford to spend a ton more money on reskinning/insulating and a brand new build is pretty much out of the question.
Thanks for the advice- you guys are great!

[Weldun]

Not sure what your steel and insulation prices are but 16 ga. Sheeting weighs 2.5# pr sq. ft. And around here cost about $70.00 a 4'x8' sheet, I paid around $60.00 for my roxul 2'x4'x1 1/2" insulation (6 pieces). Just thought some cost estimates might help.
Keep your chin up bud my first two builds were at best disappointing, make the best of it for now and take your time deciding the best course of action.

[Dirtytires]

Or.....you could factor in the cost to eat quality smoked ribs out and suddenly the $8 bag of charcoal is not a big deal. You have a great smoker and can cook great meals. Everything has a cost....yours is paid in charcoal.

For the record, my old horizontal offset used 10-12 lbs of charcoal on a 6 hour cook. I think your consumption is in line with home smoking. You could spend another $150 and 100 man hours to insulate it but you would never recoupe your cost in charcoal savings.

My advice.....use it. Have fun. Cook lots and stop counting briquettes.

[Brisket Envy]

Curious to know what your resolution was!
I am very tempted to build something very similar.

[Brisket Envy]

...or did you sell it?