100gal tank vertical smoker build.........my first build

[eganx]

I saw this tank at the local metal scrapper and couldn't let it go to waste. The build will be vertical to save square footage on my patio/slab on the side of my house. I cut the door today with a circular saw outfitted an abrasive wheel. I was going to use the torch but settled on the saw thinking I could get a cleaner cut, keep the cut strait, and keep from warping the door with the heat. So the door is being held in on all 4 corners. I am going to go buy some weld hinges tomorrow and tack em on before I cut the door loose.

The fire/coal basket will be in the the bottom of the tank, with a few inches of space under it for air flow. I have seen a build or two where ball valves were used for inlet vents........do these work well or should I come up with something else? Any tips on having the coal basket directly under the smoking chamber? I plan on using charcoal for my heat source. I was thinking of partitioning the smoking chamber somehow to try to keep the heat down......I guess my fear is with the source of heat directly under the meat that the temps will get too high. 

Any input as I build this is much appreciated......I have no experience smoking or building smokers so I am new to this.

I moved up to WA from LA and miss all the good BBQ.......and my webber isn't cutting it........

More updates to come as the project progresses.....which may be fairly slow as I am pretty busy 

 

[daveomak]

Eganx, afternoon....  Worried about the heat ????  Keep the cook chamber verticle and build a side firebox.....  You can have inlets on the bottom of the food chamber to allow cooling air to enter.... don't know if that will work....  Dave

 

[berninga87]

Looks like you've got something good to start with! I build a vertical charcoal/wood smoker from a 60 gallon tank and it's been working great. I have two ball valves for air flow control, and they work well because it allows you to make fine adjustments when you are just regulating temp. Everything is contained in the tank itself, fire and food. I built a charcoal basket on stilts that sits about 3 inches off the bottom with the valves mounted right under the bottom of the basket. Above the fire I have a shallow pan filled with play sand and covered with heavy duty aluminum foil about 16 inches above the hot coals. This acts as a baffle and prevents direct heat from cooking your food faster on the bottom. Above that I have my food racks. As far as temp control, I haven't had any trouble keeping temp down in the 220-250 range. Air flow and how you build your fire will be very important(search: minion method). Here is a like to my build http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/116513/wsm-uds-hybrid-qview  feel free to ask any questions and make sure to do some browsing around other builds. For instance, my build relied heavily on ideas I got from UDS builds and the WSM. Hope this helps!

 

[shoneyboy]

 waiting to see how it goes !!!!

 

[eganx]

I burnt it out today.....must have been 10 layers of old lead paint on there......the smoke from the paint was some nasty stuff. I cut a door for my charcoal basket, and after thinking about it I might should have made it bigger. I think I can get a 10"x14"x10" basket in through the door.....we'll see. 

I got a sheet of 3/4 9 gauge expanded metal to make the charcoal box and racks from.....hopefully this weekend I'll get to cut and bend up my charcoal box and a rack or two. 

I was thinking about making a round water pan about 18" in diameter...the cylinder is 20". So I would use the water pan as a baffle and even distribute the heat across the diameter of the smoker. I like the sand idea though.....along the lines of what I was thinking but with sand instead of water. 

The pic of the burnout was when I got the fire stoked nice and hot......looks like a bunch of blue paint on the wood I was burning, while there was some there was just a portion of a pallet with blue paint on it. In the pic you can see the door cut for the charcoal basket