Howdy! Trying to get into the hobby and i found something interesting...
I am thinking of purchasing this vertical smoker but I was wondering if anyone has seen this setup work? The heat/smoke is channeled through the back of the fire box up along the backside then up into the top of the meat cabinet then has to go to the bottom in order to go into another channel along the back to escape... would this work? See pictures
Completely custom, heavy duty 1/4” for the main body and 1/8” for the channels on the back...
Welcome aboard!! This is someones take on a vertical reverse flow smoker. Most VRF's channel the heat and smoke from the fire box through false walls, out a gap at the top of the walls, down over the racks and is drawn out a stack at the bottom of the cook chamber. You also get some radiant heat from the walls in the design that I just referenced. The cooker in the picture does the same thing minus the radiant heat from the walls. I don't have any experience with this particular smoker but if the dimensions of the overall design aren't correctly laid out then it could cause some major issues with how it drafts. It also may work like a dream but I don't know that either.
Welcome aboard!! This is someones take on a vertical reverse flow smoker. Most VRF's channel the heat and smoke from the fire box through false walls, out a gap at the top of the walls, down over the racks and is drawn out a stack at the bottom of the cook chamber. You also get some radiant heat from the walls in the design that I just referenced. The cooker in the picture does the same thing minus the radiant heat from the walls. I don't have any experience with this particular smoker but if the dimensions of the overall design aren't correctly laid out then it could cause some major issues with how it drafts. It also may work like a dream but I don't know that either.
It has not been used yet, he offered to let me put some wood in there and light it up... since im new to all this i would appreciate things to look for. I assume keep an eye on temp and see how well smoke flows out of the top exit? anything else though?
The only way to test a smoker is to run some meat thru it. It is definitely a unique design—-that could be good or bad. I would definately want to see him cook me something on it first.
For usability, I would be concerned with even temperatures in the cookbox (not just at the thermometer), how well it is sealed, and it’s size. By that I mean is the cook chamber big enough to cook what you want? (With all the baffles it could be pretty small inside.) Also, is the firebox big enough to use the fuel you want to use? With a basket in there it would be tough to fit splits of wood without a lot of extra chopping.
Be careful...it may be the best thing since the light bulb but you could also get stuck with a lot of unusable steel.
It's an interesting design no doubt. If you are serious about buying this then I would invest a rack of ribs and an afternoon to test it. Get a few temp probes and check temp top middle and bottom a little variance is expected. But if it's extreme then it would be a no go for me. When cooking you are not looking for giant smoke clouds coming out of the chimney. Either way post pics and let us know.
It's an interesting design no doubt. If you are serious about buying this then I would invest a rack of ribs and an afternoon to test it. Get a few temp probes and check temp top middle and bottom a little variance is expected. But if it's extreme then it would be a no go for me. When cooking you are not looking for giant smoke clouds coming out of the chimney. Either way post pics and let us know.
I noticed that the 1/4" plate between the firebox and the cabinet is tight in there but it can be removed, there is a grill grate on the bottom between the firebox and the cabinet... would removing that thick snug plate of steel make this more of a regular vertical smoker or would that be too much direct heat/smoke?
I think you need separation between the firebox and cooking chamber. When smoking meat we are generally in the 225F +/- area. With that plate removed your cooking chamber is going to be much hotter. I am far from an expert on this that's just my thinking
Just an opinion here.....but since you are already asking about modifying it and you haven’t even purchased it yet, could be a sign that this might not be a unit for you.
When you buy something new and custom, you should LOVE it.
Just an opinion here.....but since you are already asking about modifying it and you haven’t even purchased it yet, could be a sign that this might not be a unit for you.
When you buy something new and custom, you should LOVE it.
Just looking at it, there seems to be some issues. 1. The air intakes are at the top of the FB. 2. The drippings will be going into the FB that’s not a terrible thing as long as there’s a way to clean it out. 3. A great way to test it is put a raw biscuit on a small piece of foil all different places in the cooking chamber. Run it at 300+ and see how they cook.
Making memories!
Current Smokers: Backyard RF Offset and Hybrid RF Offset trailer rig with Cowboy cooker and fish fryer, always room for more........
I'd want to see it run before ever spending money on that. One thing that comes to mind from building my own unique smoker is air flow over your meat....you can dang near stop all air flow if that chamber does not work right.......I know this because I can almost stop my tube build by placing food in there the wrong way. If I load it right it works like a champ.
