brick smoker

[khaldun]

Hey folks, I will start by saying that I have zero experience and little to no knowledge of what I'm doing. I have just started laying blocks for my outdoor kitchen including a small smoker, but I really wanted to run the design by some knowledgeable people before I got too far down the road. I really shouldn't have started because I still haven't finished the design yet (doors, hinges, latches, air intake, etc), but I had to start sometime. I know this isn't the best design and it is hard to tell what I am doing from these crude drawings, but any and all criticism is appreciated. Basically, this a vertical smoker, separating the cook chamber from the fire box will be a 2" thick cast concrete piece. The concrete piece (E in the drawing) has a 1" gap on either side to allow heat and smoke to travel to the cook chamber. I don't really know how to attach the doors or if I need a steel frame as I show, it just seems like it would be easier with one, to me. Like I said I have no ego about any of this, I really just want to make something that works and looks nice (per my wife), so any and all advice is really appreciated. I think I added 3 very crude drawings of my plan below. I hope that you can open them, but if not let me know and I will try again.

[khaldun]

Can anybody give me any advice on how to attach doors to the CMU's how to attach the doors. And also, do you guys make the custom doors yourselves or order them to be made from somewhere?

[Frank_Cox]

I don’t see any issues with what you’re wanting to build. Looks like it’s a good design to me. There really aren’t all lotta rules for vertical smokers other than make sure if the firebox is directly below the Cook chamber that you have enough of the heat sink to prevent burning everything up.
You’re correct the best thing to do is build a steel frame and mount the doors to it. If you have enough block surrounding the door opening then take a piece of flat plate and use concrete anchors to anchor it directly to the brick. Then you can just make a standard Cook chamber door with a gasket on it and it’ll be fine

[khaldun]

Thanks Frank! I will be sure to upload some photos when I am finished.

[Rodcrafter]

Don’t wait until then we like progress pictures too


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[ajfoxy]

progress pics are great. And it helps somone else if they are thinking of doing the same or similar.

[alicebarrie]

The pics are so good, I think it will be helpful for someone who wants do the same things.