Question about YOUR smokers/Grills

[thunderdome]

With all this QView, i've noticed something here that I have to ask about.

In many of your 'on-smoker' or 'on-grill' pics, i notice many people have an aluminum hose (looks like dryer hose) which goes inside their grill from the grill surface up to the chimney.

Can someone explain the purpose of this?

Feel like I've missed the boat on something.

 

[mike91mr]

It goes from the smokestack to the grill level. I think the main theory is that instead of heat rising up, passing over your meat and straight out of the top, it is contained at the top of the grill, and pulled from food level after cooling, to help stabilize the temperatures.

I also read something where someone said it should keep "stale" smoke from settling in the bottom of the smoker and never getting evacuated, while "fresh" smoke escapes the top. To be honest, I'm not sure how much I buy into that, simply due to the amount of convection currents you have circulating inside the grill, but it certainly can't hurt.

 

[thunderdome]

Hmmm...See, I was thinking it would promote stale smoke. Just because if it misses the pipe on it's first trip upwards, how long is it gonna roll around the meat on the other side of the bbq before goin out?

 

[bud lite]

Without the "dryer hose" the smoke would tend to travel across the top of the smoker to the smokestack and out.

With the "dryer hose" the smoke cannot exit the smoker till the entire area above the grill is filled with smoke.

If that makes no sense, I can try again.

 

[bman62526]

This flexible tubing is one of the main modifications, or 'smoker mods' that most of us offset users have done - to make them work better.

If you don't extend the exhaust down closer to grate level - then the heat and smoke comes in, then rises to the top, travels along the top, and then out the stack...never really "mingling" with the meat.

When you extend it down - the smoke and heat has to circulate around a little bit before exiting.

It does not promote stale smoke. The exhaust stack creates a draft, pulling air through the smoker...the extended exhaust pipe only forces the air to hang around about 5 seconds more than it would have - had you not extended the pipe down to the grates.

The only way to really promote stale smoke, is to close the lid on the exhaust - cutting off the air draft. Just extending it down a bit won't harm you at all, but rather it helps make a better smoke environment for whatever you are cooking.

 

[thunderdome]

Interesting.

SO for my situation, where would I get this hose, and how have you set it up to stay inside?

 

[mike91mr]

But if it sits at the TOP of the grill, it is above your food anyway, and not leaving any flavor. Once it cools, it will drop past the food and then escape, but as it drops, it will mix with fresh smoke. Personally, I think it will continually be mixing inside the smoker, so you will never have a cloud of "old" smoke and a cloud of "new" smoke.


Edit: I bought it at lowe's, it is dryer vent. I just happened to find the right size for my smokestack so it slipped right over it and is more or less wedged in.

 

[rickw]

If you're putting out good Q now I see no good reason to worry about this mod. My Horizons stack is not at grate level and puts out some really good Q.

 

[bluefrog]

As I understand it...with the draft exit at grate level it causes a rolling efect as the smoke first rises and then is pulled down to the lower exit vent. At lowes or home depot you can buy flashing which you can cut to size and roll and slip in your chimney'

Scott

 

[jirodriguez]

My stack has a short 1-2 inch projection into the chamber. Most stacks are the correct size so you can just slip/cram the vent over the projected part, but I wanted to make sure it held so I added a hose clamp for good measure. Another good tip I found was right at the bottom of the dryer hose where it stops at grate level I drilled a hole through the side of my smoker lid and the vent hose, then used a bolt and wingnut to secure it to the side of the lid. That last step may not be entirely necisary, but I just didn't want it coming off.