Mornin!

[scullman]

Hi, I'm based in hot and humid Trinidad, down at the bottom of the Caribbean.

Came across this goldmine while searching for ideas on smoker building. You guys have something amazing going here. Hope I can contribute in some way.

I've been running a Camp Chef 24" Smoke Vault for the last 4 years. Started as a hobby, and now I do small catering jobs.
I like the convenience of propane, and still manage to get some decent flavour using old oak rum barrels. My current setup can squeeze out 6 racks of spare ribs in 5 hours, but I want more capacity, and I want thermostat control, so I've come up with a vertical cabinet design, a burner and a thermostat control that I want to start building soon.

Would really appreciate any input from you guys on this build.

I'm thinking of a 1" square section frame with 16ga steel inside and out, with 1" rock wool in between.
Sheet metal grease tray at the bottom (would love to jimmy up a drain system on this), then the burner below a cast iron pan chip tray, then a 4" deep stainless steel hotel pan for water (ideally, I would figure out water supply and drain system for this too).
Approximately 4.5" between the expanded metal racks
Then two 3" exhausts with dampers on top.

This is the burner I've found
Low Pressure Propane or Natural Gas Two-Part Cast Rectangular Iron Burner - Adjustable Length Neck
● Produces up to 70,000 BTU/hr in an evenly-directed manner.
● Ideal for smoke houses, griddles and direct grills with grease shields.
● Burner head is 6" X 16", height from base to top of burner is 2 1/2".

And I want to use that along with a thermostat control from here: https://custompipeburners.com/Thermosta ... ontrols/13

I've got to work out where to locate the intake, and to determine whether I should separate the CC from the FB.

[mp4]

Welcome aboard - I like your plans!

[Dirtytires]

Welcome on board. We don’t do a lot of propane on here but a few folks have had good luck with it and will be along shortly I’m sure.

Have you looked into a mini gravity feed? They hold a fair amount of food, are efficient on charcoal and can be set up to run steady for hours. Best part is you get much better flavor than gas.

[Big T]

Welcome Aboard!

[ajfoxy]

Welcome to the crew. Yep, as DT and BigT said you might want to look at the GF. But if your heart is set on your plan and design go for it and remember to post pics.

[scullman]

Welcome on board. We don’t do a lot of propane on here but a few folks have had good luck with it and will be along shortly I’m sure.

Have you looked into a mini gravity feed? They hold a fair amount of food, are efficient on charcoal and can be set up to run steady for hours. Best part is you get much better flavor than gas.

Thanks guys!

Thanks DT and Foxy for the feedback.

I’ve had a fear of logs and charcoal for ages, then I came across someone selling a stumps mini clone some months ago. I was wary, and the owner insisted on doing a test run to make sure I was happy with it. He had a flare up, and my ribs were incinerated. That didn’t do well for my confidence in charcoal.
He did a second batch a week later, and it was pretty good, but all I could imagine was a full smoker of meat going up in smoke. Plus the mini was only marginally larger than my Smoke Vault.

Since you suggested GF, I’ve come across the DP GF. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for as far as capacity. It’s 127% larger than what I’ve got.

I’m thinking it’d be a lot safer to build that from tried and true plans than to experiment. Typically what thickness are the inner and outer walls of the DP GF? Also, what’s the weight of that beast?

[Chromeski]

Your plan looks decent, I don't know how to figure the propper btu per square foot and be careful it's properly vented.
I trust in tbs idea of the gravity feed. I have never used one, but I bought the plans to build the mini. They are heavy I'm guessing tbs double pan is north of 500 pounds. Frank or one of the guys that built one would have a better guess. The gravity feed is built very similar to your design with a different and much heavier firebox.
I am confident you can destroy a rack of ribs on any smoker many on this forum have done it once I'm sure. Feel free to ask questions don't be afraid to try new things, but most of all post pics.

[ajfoxy]

I’m thinking it’d be a lot safer to build that from tried and true plans than to experiment. Typically what thickness are the inner and outer walls of the DP GF? Also, what’s the weight of that beast?

OK, the thickness of the cc was can be whatever you fancy, but typically they are around 2mm (±12 gauge or so). The GF's are insulated around the cook chamber etc.
As to the weight.... heavy, very heavy. But definitely look at the plans as that gives you a tried and tested construction. I seem to think you can also get cut files with the DP GF for a little extra and have the bits cut out via plasma or laser. So much easier trust me.

But wait there's more... If you wait a short while, perhaps not quite so short... I believe Frank is going to make an announcement regarding the Gravity Feed smokers that steps them up to "revolutionary"! Perhaps PM Frank and find out the real deal.

[Rodcrafter]

Welcome to the crew!

I see these guys have got you some awesome info. Just so you know you can build your smoker all sorts of ways with multiple fire boxes for various types of cooking. The water pan is also a option not at all required. I have a FB under my WC/CC and an GF burner setup on it also. So I can do jerky with the GF and everything else from below. Your wallet and imagination are your only limits. I recently added hydraulic cylinders, LED lights, solar panel and yes my wife knows about it. I put 7 racks in my WC/CC it allows over 28 square feet of cooking racks. So I can put 21 racks of ribs in it and use the rest of my rig for other stuff. Yes I know this sounds like bragging, that’s because it is. LoL


Making memories!

[Dirtytires]

Rodcrafter, You are going to put frank out of businesses you keep that kind of building going.....

[temurf]

[ajfoxy]

I think Frank uses RC for inspiration of new product...

[scullman]

Thanks again everyone.

[scullman]

Welcome to the crew!

I see these guys have got you some awesome info. Just so you know you can build your smoker all sorts of ways with multiple fire boxes for various types of cooking. The water pan is also a option not at all required. I have a FB under my WC/CC and an GF burner setup on it also. So I can do jerky with the GF and everything else from below. Your wallet and imagination are your only limits. I recently added hydraulic cylinders, LED lights, solar panel and yes my wife knows about it. I put 7 racks in my WC/CC it allows over 28 square feet of cooking racks. So I can put 21 racks of ribs in it and use the rest of my rig for other stuff. Yes I know this sounds like bragging, that’s because it is. LoL


Making memories!

Sounds like an amazing setup you’ve got there. Any pics?

I was confused with a few of the terms you used. Didn’t see them in the lingo thread. What’s a WC, and what’s a GF?

[Chromeski]

Wc= warming chamber
Gf= gravity feed

[scullman]

Thanks Chromeski.

Just realise RC said 28 sq. ft of rack space. What size is that thing? Must be a giant!

[scullman]

I’ve managed to source some insulation locally.
Would this be suitable for the DP GF?

[Dirtytires]

No reason that wouldn't work but you really don't need the chicken wire backing.

[scullman]

Thanks DT.
So far that’s the only one I’ve found that’s stocked locally.

Is there an average amount of charcoal per hour that the DP GF burns?

[JKalchik]

Hrrrm..... I should have looked in on this thread earlier....

Scullman, I'm in the end stages of a double pan gravity fed smoker. I'd be surprised if I ever burn more than about 2 lbs./hr of natural lump (and I probably won't ever burn briquettes on food,) and that's on a very high heat smoke. Usually, it looks like more like 1 to 1.5 lbs/hr. I would suggest a more rigid style of insulation for the bigger cabinet style of smoker, you don't want it to slump down and leave a void at the top leading to a hot spot on the exterior.

I'm a little surprised at a flare up in a gravity fed, I'd be at least as suspect of the fuel as of the smoker. You'd need to get lit sparks blown out of the firebox, into the grease pan, and flaring up. I use an automatic controller, as soon as the pit temperature goes up, the air inlet will get damped down and the fire will get choked off. This is also a good indication of keeping the grease pan drained and cleaned.

[scullman]

Thanks very much JK

[JKalchik]

You're quite welcome. I'd love to sample some of your cuisine at some point.

A couple more bits of info...

Weight on a double pan GF is pretty healthy. Mine uses 1/8" sheet for the skins rather than 16ga, so it's heavier than usual. The cook chamber door alone is over 200 lbs. The burn assembly (charcoal chute, firebox, ashbox & flue C-channel) is upwards of 300 lbs. All told, it has to be over 1,200 lbs, and I have no desire to drop it on my toes. Don't skimp on casters, and it really wants to live & roll on hard surfaces, it'll sink pretty quickly on anything soft.

5 cook racks, each 25"x28" or so. It'll smoke a lot of food while being pretty economical on charcoal usage. It does take quite a while to come up to temp.

[scullman]

Thanks JK.

The anticipation is killing me. I really wish the kits were available now. I’m ready to pull the trigger, just need to differ whether I’m aiming at DP plans or a kit.

[scullman]

You're quite welcome. I'd love to sample some of your cuisine at some point.

A couple more bits of info...

Weight on a double pan GF is pretty healthy. Mine uses 1/8" sheet for the skins rather than 16ga, so it's heavier than usual. The cook chamber door alone is over 200 lbs. The burn assembly (charcoal chute, firebox, ashbox & flue C-channel) is upwards of 300 lbs. All told, it has to be over 1,200 lbs, and I have no desire to drop it on my toes. Don't skimp on casters, and it really wants to live & roll on hard surfaces, it'll sink pretty quickly on anything soft.

5 cook racks, each 25"x28" or so. It'll smoke a lot of food while being pretty economical on charcoal usage. It does take quite a while to come up to temp.

JK, are you ever down here in the Caribbean? If you are, gimme a shout.


I smoked 70lbs of Ribs on Sunday in my little Smoke Vault.

Can’t wait to get my hands on this beast.

[JKalchik]

I've never been to the Caribbean. Those ribs look awfully tasty.