My Custom Smoker Is a Charcoal Hog!!

Have you checked the temp at the grate level? Maybe it is running hotter than the therm on the door. Is it sealed tight or does it leak? Post a pic of the charcoal basket. Someone will be able to help you figure this out.

That is alot of area to heat and what temp are you running? How do you control the air intake? Do you add any wood chunks?

Maybe some of the UDS folks can chime in on fuel usage?

It's not a uds so and it has twice as much volume as one as well, potentially your fire box has as much surface area as your cooking chamber which will explain the consumption

I'm thinking it may work well as a stick burner?

What are you using for fuel? Lump or hardwood charcoal briqs burn hotter than regular briqs, so that may help.

The pan in the middle would seem to divert most of the heat up and out the sides, which means it will take more to keep temps. You mite try putting some holes all around in it. A second option would be take the tray out and put in some adjustable metal strips that can be opened or closed depending how you need to regulate where the heat will rise. Try to get some insulation around the fire box, and maybe the top as well, even a welding blanket over the top will help, also you may be able to raise the level of the fire grate so you are not heating the whole barrel being used for the fire box.

Put some metal flaps on each end so the heat will deflect more to the center mite help heat rise up and around to the exhaust. With the way you have it set up putting one exhaust in the center of the lid, keeping the side exhaust closed may get a better draft movement. These are just some ideas, and I really have no idea if any or a combination of them will help. Try taking the center pan out, I do not use a diverter in my uds which works just fine like that, you have enough room to move meat around so you are not cooking direct if you don't want to.

One last mod, put some fire brick around on the inside of the fire box, but that wouild take a lot of bricks.

With this cooker that looks to be well built for what it is, you are most likely never going to get your usage down real good without some mods.
Dave

Remove the tray and install a heat diffuser, move your exhaust vent from the side to the center of the smoker, its a vertical smoker. Good luck!

Build a UDS

I built a smaller version of that style of cooker and I can get 7-8 hours on a load of coal running @300. I do run a diffuser in mine. Ended up using a pizza pan covered with foil as my diffuser.

I think Mo Dave was right in the tray pushes the heat to the outside and right out the side exhausts - Ditch the tray and seal those exhaust off and put 1 3" diameter exhaust pipe 8-10" high in center of top.

Or Build a UDS.

I would say use the diffuser heavier is better for more stable temps. go with a center exhaust and cap the sides. after that it will get more complicated.

Big Poppah said:

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Have you ran it like this without the tray ? Was it any better ?

Man this thread got me thinking of building one even tho I don't need it.......