British BBQ Society Forums

Hi Everyone,

Been doing more work on the smoker recently, thought id update, incase anyone is interested...


I decided to convert the smoker to reverse flow, so this needs another chimney at the firebox end of the cooking chamber.


A few years ago I dinged the shiny steel running bar on the side of my pickup truck, and got a replacement from a breakers yard. The dented bar has been sitting down the side of my house for years, just waiting for the perfect project.

I cut the bar off in the curve (the curve was there as part of the bars original design). This has left me with an american truck style curved end to the exhaust.

I then hacked a hole in the smoker, and widened it out until it fit the tube. Once it fit, I welded the tube in. Annoyingly, there was a very wide gap around the tube in some areas where the cutting went a bit wrong, and I was TIG welding and so it took me ages and loads of filler rod to bridge the gap. It is however, strong and sealed.

Anyway, so here it is in all its weird shiny exhaust stack glory:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1379632_10151866925577570_35551891_n.jpg


I have left the original exhaust in for the moment, im going to check the reverse flow works before I take that out, and patch the hole.



Pete.

I am still watching

I am doing the same asap so its good to see you doing it 1st.

That exhaust looks mint!

Hi Paul,

Since someone is watching then il fill in you on the other stuff ive done on it.

Here is the baffle, a copy of what most people do. The floor for the reverse flow will sit in the barrel and line up with the edge of the baffle. Im not going to attach it, it can just sit there and then it can be removed for clearning. The baffle and the floor are 3mm thick mild steel. I cut the baffle out with an angle grinder, then scored and bent it. I ran some weld down the bend to stop it from fatiguing down the score cut and breaking off.

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1237871_10151816936612570_117270132_n.jpg

The door seal thing I laser cut has been welded inside the firebox too, to provide a solid surface for the door to seal against. I replaced the dodgy latch for a cam lock clamp.

I am going to run it a few more times on charcoal (if i can find any to buy anywhere now), and I plan on using my home made pellet burner to heat it too.


Where are you paul, if you need any help let me know. Im in buckinghamshire.


Pete.

Pellet burner:
https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1175172_10151822734002570_254716977_n.jpg

Reverse flow floor is in now. Its 3mm mild steel, i got a sheet off ebay from someone who had it lying around, and I cut it with an angle grinder.


Ive said this before, but I look at this and I think that this just cannot work. I know it does, caus every decent smoker out there is reverse flow but the baffle, and the floor and the exhaust on the other side, just seems to me like such an obstacle course for the air to flow round. I know the chimney and the draw through the smoker will help but I still cant help but think that this is a design that is doomed to fail. Its a stupid thing to think, caus we know it works! I just hope it will get up to temp and stay there, I was having enough trouble before the floor was installed getting it to hold with briquettes.

Anyway, here's what it looks like:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1383593_10151875196317570_1180749007_n.jpg