New custom vertical build; we would appreciate the Brethrens’ experienced and candid input

[dwfisk]

250 pounds to 275 pounds is the perfect weight, or so I keep telling my doctor. :wacko:

Yea, I try to stay in the south end of that range myself. Maybe my doc would understand if I had to add a few pounds to be a better counterweight for movng cookers around.:twitch:

Thanks to everybody for all the input. I'll be doing a seasoning burn tomorrow and recording temps to see how it works for real. Think I'll add some bacon strips to the cooking racks to test how the heat varies across the cooker. I'll post an update to this thread in the PM.

 

[got14u]

Sallen I build my out of 14g steal with kaowool insulation high end commercial handles and powder coat for around $1000 when all said and done. handles (latches) and 2 sheets of steel are your highest expense.

I have never built a pit, but how much extra do you think it would have cost to insulate the smoker? I am seriously considering building mine, due to not being able to find a builder locally here in Alaska.

 

[pitbossJB]

I'll be interested to see how the burn goes, best of luck.

 

[Firefighter]

That baby is a sweet rig, nice job!

 

[SmittyJonz]

You may need to replace firebrick dividers with metal with an air gap......

 

[THoey1963]

Okay, please consider me stupid when it comes to building a box like this. But... Couldn't you line the walls with heat resistant ceramic tile and improve the insulation and radient heat?

Again, I am trying to think of a way to build a smoker for me, but I am new at this, so point me to a thread that crashes my ideas if there is one.

 

[dwfisk]

Okay, please consider me stupid when it comes to building a box like this. But... Couldn't you line the walls with heat resistant ceramic tile and improve the insulation and radient heat?

Again, I am trying to think of a way to build a smoker for me, but I am new at this, so point me to a thread that crashes my ideas if there is one.

I guess you could. There would be the challenge of how to securely attach the tile to the shell and I'm not sure about any food safety issues with the exposed tile in the cook chamber. I'm fairly new to insulated cookers myself and have only seen double wall construction with insulation inbetween. Not saying you can't, just never seen it before.

 

[BigBellyBBQ]

250 pounds to 275 pounds is the perfect weight, or so I keep telling my doctor. :wacko:

Thanks for calling me "perfect"!!
Pit looks good, put temp gages on all racks at same time... A vertical box will go through more wood/charcoal than reverse flow or backwoods style and Up here the build has to be double wall, between the wind and 5* temps. I built a single wall several years ago and ended up putting the exhaust internaly dumped to the top and then the real exhaust pipe was 1/2 way down the cabinet, did work better that straight through, look at baffeling the pentroof inside for an idea of heat / smoke control, as I like to run exhaust open...keep at it!

 

[BigBellyBBQ]

Okay, please consider me stupid when it comes to building a box like this. But... Couldn't you line the walls with heat resistant ceramic tile and improve the insulation and radient heat?

Cost of tiles that are up to heat thickness and grade would be cost prohibitive and they are prone to breaking. Even fire bricks that I have lining my fireboxes are cracking. Just using dead air space (doble wall) is durable and cost effective long tem

 

[CtTradArcher]

Dave, I have been considering building a vertical cooker myself. I want to use wood only as my fuel source most of the time, so I was considering an offset vertical.
Do you know of any advantages or disadvantages to either your design or the offset design when wanting to use primarily wood?
Thanks!
P.S. Awesome build. Great skills!

 

[dwfisk]

Dave, I have been considering building a vertical cooker myself. I want to use wood only as my fuel source most of the time, so I was considering an offset vertical.
Do you know of any advantages or disadvantages to either your design or the offset design when wanting to use primarily wood?
Thanks!
P.S. Awesome build. Great skills!

Thanks, I think an offset vertical, kinda Bandera style would be great, either straight wood, lump or briquettes or a mix. I've already thought that could be a pretty easy adaption of this design. We burn straight wood in my son's vertical all the time and it works great. The primary driver for my design was the client's desire for a minimum footprint, this one doesn't really take up any more patio space than a 22.5 Weber, but an offset firebox would certainly work - Banderas were way cool.

I started my seasoning burn an hour ago with a snake of straight KBB, it went clear blue at 40 minutes in and 240* and just hit 345* running wide open - just want to see where it will go before I start playing with regulating the heat. Gonna cook some bacon to test how even (or not) the heat is in the cook chamber and post an update later.

 

[Fwismoker]

Skills skills skills! Dang brother you have skilz! I'm so jealous. I'd love to learn some of that craft.

 

[CtTradArcher]

Does your son's vertical have an offset firebox? Or underneath?

Seems underneath would be more efficient if you could keep the temps low enough.

However, I was thinking of having a door on top of my offset firebox for grilling like on the Lone Star's. Plus heating splits on top...

Decisions, decisions...

 

[peeps]

Does your son's vertical have an offset firebox? Or underneath?

Seems underneath would be more efficient if you could keep the temps low enough.

However, I was thinking of having a door on top of my offset firebox for grilling like on the Lone Star's. Plus heating splits on top...

Decisions, decisions...

[hijack]
CtTradArcher,

I have an offset vertical built to combine the features of a Bandera and a LSG's vertical offset and I am very pleased with the results! My build thread is here.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=171324
[/hijack]

 

[dwfisk]

Does your son's vertical have an offset firebox? Or underneath?

Seems underneath would be more efficient if you could keep the temps low enough.

However, I was thinking of having a door on top of my offset firebox for grilling like on the Lone Star's. Plus heating splits on top...

Decisions, decisions...

Direct with a diffuser plate, hope this is the link.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162551

 

[peeps]

Direct with a diffuser plate, hope this is the link.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162551

It is. :thumb:

If it wasn't, I'm sure Smitty would be along soon. I think he knows that URL by heart now :wink:

 

[CtTradArcher]

Thanks you both!

 

[dwfisk]

Thanks you both!

You are more than welcome, I'm just sitting here running through a seasoning burn and trying to figure this sucker out - client is coming over after work to take it home and I need to give him some kind of tips on how to cook with it.

First impressions, with the exhaust vent wide open, it is incredibly sensitive to adjustments in the inflow damper on the firebox. Change that setting and the temp curve changes in 1 or 2 minutes. For example, from a 400* high temp one adjustment of the damper shed 50* in 15 minutes. I'm taking it down to 250* now to see how it holds and try cooking some bacon.

Oh yea, I know it is 5:00 somewhere so the beer cooler is open!

 

[landarc]

That sounds like a plus to me, a cooker that is responsive like that is a huge benefit as long as it is stable once the heat stabilizes. Seems like a real good design.

 

[dwfisk]

That sounds like a plus to me, a cooker that is responsive like that is a huge benefit as long as it is stable once the heat stabilizes. Seems like a real good design.

It has been holding steady at 250*-260* for over an hour and a half now with the damper all but closed, still thin blue smoke, even with some bacon cooking. I think I built my snake to large (about 5" wide and 5" deep); even though it is progressing fairly slow, there is a lot of fuel burning hot at any one time. Worked ok for this seasoning burn, but for a real cook using charcoal I'm thinking a smaller & longer snake would make for less fuel volume burning at any one time and make temp control easier and be more fuel efficient. I'm more experienced at burning wood and tending a fire, this snake-charcoal chit is kind of a test for me but I thinks that is how the client will use it so I wanted to give it a try - any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, it looks like the bottom rack is consistently 20* hotter than the middle and upper rack but having a hot zone might be neat, like a traditional offset stickburner with a hot zone near the firebox.