Pro/Cons of Straight Cooker Doors on Pits

[61sleepercab]

I have seen reverse flow tank style smokers with "Bump Outs" on the food chamber with straight flat doors instead of using the curved tank side cutouts for doors.

What is the idea of the straight flat doors? easy to load, bigger top food rack ? Why take the extra time and material?

Second question: Is there an advantage to having an open food chamber doors with no dividing strip of tank side in between the doors for easier loading like a whole hog?

Thanks for any advice . Mark

[Mettle]

You get a nice seal and I feel that it hold the heat in a little better when the door is open.

Had a million dollar idea to build a Jambo type with square doors, then I saw the R&O.

[Gizmo]

I bet the first guy that did it - HAD to. He prolly lined up his door cutout over a bunch of old attachment points from old pipes/brackets etc…. The cutout was so ugly (and possibly sprung too) that he figured he could build a new flat door easier than trying to salvage the old tank side. It does make a sharp looking tank and anything straight is easier to work with and seal than something curved if it's trying to fight you for sure.

Call me a pragmatist but IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED THAT WAY…..

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

I agree with Rick that the first guy to do this was to correct problems with the cut out door. If you've never had to deal with a sprung door, you will at some point if you make a cooker out of a tank or pipe. These problems can be frustrating to say the least.

I think it also offers a different look than the traditional tank cooker.

[Frank_Cox]

some of the best features on smokers were born because of a screw up.....
anyway to answer your second question, there are goods and bads. you mentioned the whole hog thing already but the bads would be depending on the layout you can't open one door without opening the other or if it is a one piece door you hafta open the whole thing. there are work arounds tho like hinge the center chunk....

[61sleepercab]

Thanks for the info. I am researching all of the good ideas to come up with an interesting smoker/cooker . You all do good work. Mark

[Rodcrafter]

Flat doors also offer; no lifting to open, easy locking to prevent tampering, more rack space, it would be easy enough to make the whole thing open too. I think for the whole hog thing.