100 lb Propane Tank Offset Build

[Brewmaster]

After searching and failing to find a better tank we decided to bite the bullet and do a budget build centered around a 100 lb propane tank. Equates to about a 30 gallon, I put a monster (240% of calculator) 16x16x22' x 1/4" new steel firebox on, and a tiny 3.25" i.d. 304 stainless stack from some old auto exhaust pipe. The entire build was done with an old stick-welder. Wheels, lower wood rack grate material, food grates and so on were sourced used and cheap, or free, or close to it. Only one quick burn-out fire in it so far but will post back more as I get it finished up and start cooking!

Thanks for looking!

[Dirtytires]

Tanks are definitely hard to find in some parts of the country. Nothing wrong with a smaller pit as it will be great for a small family cook and perfect for a back yard. You will be surprised how much you can cook on it.

For a budget build, that is quite the firebox, lol...could have saved half your steel budget. Hope it doesn't end up being too big for you cause I hate rebuilding things.

[Brewmaster]

Thanks DT! They're definitely in short supply around here, and I know there's at least 10 more people like me out there looking for them so it's a matter of timing. A 60 gallon would have been sweet, it's actually a part of why the firebox is 240%, it'll be a breeze to cut this tank off and sit a 60 gallon right back on there with a bit of work. The frame and wheels and firebox are all plenty big and strong.

That aside I am really looking forward to cooking on this little fella, I think a brisket to the stack side leaves the perfect space for a couple of racks of ribs or so! Grate is a only 14.25" wide (38" or 40" long, I think)

The steel for the firebox was a great deal so I figured I better go for it! I was lucky enough to source it through a friend that works at a shop, he cut it to size for me after work for no charge, plus he got the steel at cost.

I'm hooked on the huge firebox idea after doing a build similarly sized to Workhorse with a 24x48" chamber and 24x27" firebox. That huge box makes fire management and temperature swings so much more tempered and even, it's just fantastic. That said those are around 160% range I think. I had a fire burning in this little guy in those last few photos though, ran the chamber about 300 F for an hour and it really seemed to work well, but that was just a quick and dirty over-excited burn, just to see.

[ThinBlue]

Looks good man. Am I seeing the throat opening all the way at the bottom on this one too?

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[Brewmaster]

Looks good man. Am I seeing the throat opening all the way at the bottom on this one too?

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Thanks TB, I'll grab a pic of the throat opening soon, I left a 2" dam in the bottom and cut the rest out so the heat basically goes straight up with the bell end acting as a jumping board. Trying it this way before I add the "Franklin-shelf", I feel like it may not need it at all since it's only 14" diameter on a cylinder that's 46" long, but as designed I plan to add the Franklin baffle 2" above the food grate. Should be really convective for some great flavor either way, more testing to come!

[Big T]

[Barrion2018]

Great job Brewmaster! I like the smaller size.
Since finishing my first ever build, which was the firstime I have ever welded, all my kids are anting me to build them one.
I think a smaller pit similar to yours would be ideal for my daughter.

I do have a question. You mentioned "Franklin-shelf" and "Franklin baffle 2"." Sorry for being dumb (I'm new to all of this), is the way "Franklin" designs their throats the hallmark of how it should be done?
If so, I would like to try it on my next build.

I'm still amazed on the beautiful craftsmanship of all of you on this site.

Again, great job Brewmaster

[sandro]

Looks nice! I cook some mean Q on a 33gal myself, you're gonna be fine : ) the "Franklin baffle" is a flat, horizontal piece of metal, a water pan shelf if you like, bout 8" long, 2" tall and as deep as the cooking chamber; it's what Franklin and Millscale use on their backyard smokers. You can put a water pan there but it mostly deflects heat coming out of the firebox more towards the meat; check out a few custom builds here: https://smokerbuilder.com/forums/viewto ... =13&t=7990

[Brewmaster]

Thanks guys!! I'll be cooking soon!

Great job Brewmaster! I like the smaller size.
Since finishing my first ever build, which was the firstime I have ever welded, all my kids are anting me to build them one.
I think a smaller pit similar to yours would be ideal for my daughter.

I do have a question. You mentioned "Franklin-shelf" and "Franklin baffle 2"." Sorry for being dumb (I'm new to all of this), is the way "Franklin" designs their throats the hallmark of how it should be done?
If so, I would like to try it on my next build.

I'm still amazed on the beautiful craftsmanship of all of you on this site.

Again, great job Brewmaster

Thanks for the kind words Barrion! I'm not sure I could say Franklin style baffle is the Hallmark but it's one design that works very well. (Thanks for the kind words and for clarifying on the baffle design, Sandro.) The baffle redirects the air-flow and helps increase convection velocity quite a bit which in turn provides more flavor, crispier bark, and so on. I'm a fan of the design.

Man, someone is really lucky, I wish I could have got a down-sized offset when I was like 12! Thanks again.

[Brewmaster]

Here's the throat cut-out and my portable Franklin-style baffle! Also did the angled grease-drain venturi port type thingy

[Brewmaster]

Added a bead of high-temperature silicone gasket maker, first covered the opening with cellophane wrap with a little oil on it. Takes 2 to 3 days to fully cure through the oxygen-deprived unexposed areas.

[sandro]

Not gonna lie that baffle looks slick

[Brewmaster]

Not gonna lie that baffle looks slick

Thanks Sandro!

[Brewmaster]

Can confirm it works a treat! It's a fun one, it runs really stable and it's a cute little smoker! It's not quite finished yet but I'll keep at it to get the paint finished up and she's done.


The door gasket was completed and started painting, we use Linseed Oil Paint.

Lined the firebox with firebrick.

Filled it with meatballs and chicken thighs rather than biscuits. It's still the "biscuit test" though!

Army green!

[Big T]

[ThinBlue]

Looks damn good sir

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[Pete Mazz]

Nice!!!

[Barrion2018]

That looks awsome! I wish I had your skills!

How did your "Filled it with meatballs and chicken thighs rather than biscuits. It's still the "biscuit test" " turn out?

[Dirtytires]

Nice job! Love the color. Now comes the fun part of cooking on it.

That was quite the stack of firewood...I bet I use less than half that for an entire smoke session, lol. It looks like a soft-wood tho so my guess is it burns pretty fast. Putting in a grate of some kind to allow air under the fire will help you to to build a smaller, more efficient fire and eliminate that dirty smoke.

[hogaboomer]

Nice job, Brewy!

[tinspark]

I like the stainless tanks in the last photo. What kinds of smokers are those... hahaah!

[Brewmaster]

That looks awsome! I wish I had your skills!

How did your "Filled it with meatballs and chicken thighs rather than biscuits. It's still the "biscuit test" " turn out?

It cooked more evenly than expected but still too early to tell, no crispy/burnt bits up closest to the baffle anyways! Food itself was great but no plated photos. So I'm still doing the biscuit test, the real deal next time! I want to do two biscuit tests back to back, one with the baffle in place and one without.

[Brewmaster]

Nice job, Brewy!

Thanks Hoga!! This is a real lightweight compared to your builds. Whatcha working on these days?

[Brewmaster]

Nice job! Love the color. Now comes the fun part of cooking on it.

That was quite the stack of firewood...I bet I use less than half that for an entire smoke session, lol. It looks like a soft-wood tho so my guess is it burns pretty fast. Putting in a grate of some kind to allow air under the fire will help you to to build a smaller, more efficient fire and eliminate that dirty smoke.

Thanks DT! Fun is right, man it wasn't much of a 1st cook but it definitely helps keep the carrot in the sights, haha!

We set up for that big fire to season and cure the smoker, oil inside and the linseed paint were ready for a good bake session so I ran it at 500 F for an hour or so before burning down and throwing the food in. I usually do a v-bottom with the firebrick which works awesome, but a small basket in this one might be a good idea since there's lots of room. Oh, and all the wood is sugar maple, there's no softwood on the property thankfully.

[Brewmaster]

Thank you!