Smoke stack and baffle

[Derick Jahnke]

Hello all,

I've been reading these forums for awhile now and they have inspired me to build a smoker. It is almost complete but I have some questions. Since my smoker is a vertical tank with the firebox at the bottom I figured I should get some sort of baffle or deflector. Would it be beneficial to use a baffle that will not absorbe heat? Something like low density firebrick on a rack 6inches or so above the fire? I was hoping that an insulator blocking the direct fire would keep cooking temps a bit more stable top to bottom and might make wood burning more of a reality. My second question is how long should the smoke stack be? It is a 4 inch stack and is about 16 inches right now but can cut it down. All ideas will be appreciated.
Thank you,

-Derick

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Or a water pan above the heat source.

 

[mike243]

I would put a damper on the stack just so you could choke it down quick if temp gets away.a water pan would make it easier to control temps .stack of no stack on that style won t make any difference on that style of smoker

 

[Derick Jahnke]

So a heatsink would be better than an insulator for a baffel?

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Most commercial bottom heated smokers use the water pan as a heat sink. Easier to do lower temp smoking and no need to foil. Remove pan if doing higher temp cook.

 

[Derick Jahnke]

Scott,
Do you have any suggestions on what to use for a water pan? My tank is 22" in diameter.
Thank you for the help,
Derick

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

That's a good question. A wok might work. The water pan doesn't have to be as large as the diameter of the cooker.