New Smoker (Brazos) - CL find - Great Deal :)

[Happy Hapgood]

Oh man that's a good looking rig. You could do the biscuit test to tune those plates.

 

[Big Swole]

What the camshaft n flywheel for.? Art.?

lol

That's out of one of my very high HP Cummins 5.9L's I used to build / race.

My driveway comes in from the front and right passed that brick wall. I use the Cam as a marker (the end of that little wall) for when I or friends pull in / out or are backing up to turn around back there. I park my TDI and my patrol car to the left of my smoker and use the cam when pulling / backing around to head back out, so as not to hit that little wall.

 

[Big Swole]

Oh man that's a good looking rig. You could do the biscuit test to tune those plates.

That's my next move. Biscuits without will be first (with probes) and then with plates to see if they work better.

I was reading on old thread of a guy with a Brazos and he ended up taking the plates out and said the air flow was better without and temps were fairly close side to side.

I just don't want the plates to limit smoke on my food. I feel like if they were too close or I used too many, that it would just push the heat / smoke over to the stack and not up around the food.

Lot's of testing is needed I guess.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

That's my next move. Biscuits without will be first (with probes) and then with plates to see if they work better.

I was reading on old thread of a guy with a Brazos and he ended up taking the plates out and said the air flow was better without and temps were fairly close side to side.

I just don't want the plates to limit smoke on my food. I feel like if they were too close or I used too many, that it would just push the heat / smoke over to the stack and not up around the food.

Lot's of testing is needed I guess.

Unless the plates are totally cutting off view from the bottom, that smoke will get through. It's more to do with the amount of wood you add and the draft speed. I smoke on a WSM and it only has about a 1" clearance around the water pan but If I'm not careful, I can oversmoke the meat.

 

[Big Swole]

Unless the plates are totally cutting off view from the bottom, that smoke will get through. It's more to do with the amount of wood you add and the draft speed. I smoke on a WSM and it only has about a 1" clearance around the water pan but If I'm not careful, I can oversmoke the meat.

But on an offset with the draft being forced down by the stock diverter plate, draft moving right to left in the smoker, I just feel the much of the smoke will be forced passed / under the plates. Maybe I just don't truly understand what all happens inside an offset.

I also think the plates may slow the draft a bit. From what I've read, a good draft / air flow with a small, clean, and hotter fire is the way to go.

I'll find out once I have time to do the biscuit test and do some cooking. But my LSG will be here later this week too, so I'll have plenty to do when I have the time off to do it. I go back on full duty Fri night and will be trying to work a ton to make up for all that lost income when I broke my wrist.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

But on an offset with the draft being forced down by the stock diverter plate, draft moving right to left in the smoker, I just feel the much of the smoke will be forced passed / under the plates. Maybe I just don't truly understand what all happens inside an offset.

I also think the plates may slow the draft a bit. From what I've read, a good draft / air flow with a small, clean, and hotter fire is the way to go.

I'll find out once I have time to do the biscuit test and do some cooking. But my LSG will be here later this week too, so I'll have plenty to do when I have the time off to do it. I go back on full duty Fri night and will be trying to work a ton to make up for all that lost income when I broke my wrist.

I see what your saying. Depending on the temp of the fire and if the air/smoke mixture is hot enough, the smaller the spaces inbetween the plate, the fast the heated air will move though it. The Venturi effect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect

True to a much smaller degree but the principle is the same. That is what delivers the smoke. Where the meat is placed is important as placement of the plates moved even a little can effect the smoke/heat path.

I've been doing air/fluid heat transfer for many years. Just saying this is my take on it. That's where the biscuits and accurate temp probe come in handy. Temp is directly proportional to smoke applied.

Glad your getting back to work after the injury. :grin:

 

[cfrazier77]

There is another way you can consider. Make a baffle that directs all of the smoke straight up. Because your exhaust is grate level the smoke will come back down even across the grate. I believe this is how Jambos are set up.

 

[Big Swole]

There is another way you can consider. Make a baffle that directs all of the smoke straight up. Because your exhaust is grate level the smoke will come back down even across the grate. I believe this is how Jambos are set up.

Interesting. I need to research this.
I guess there's all sorts of ways you could deflect the heat / smoke.
I should prob just trust the design (that seems to be used by others as well) and just cook on it a bit to learn it. Unfortunately, my time will be limited after tmrw. for about a week or so.