# Finally Got my 500 Gallon



## Meat&Smoke (Jul 9, 2020)

Hello Everyone,
Brand spanking new to the site but have been a longtime admirer for YEARS, started my journey on a crappy Charbroil offset 10  years ago and have been in love with BBQ ever since.  Came to this site for different mods and such, since then I have been patiently planning and working towards building a 500 gallon offset on a trailer. I kind of fell out of touch with it a little over a year ago and my wife surprised me with a 500 gallon tank for my birthday last year (Flame Reignited!!!)  Juices started flowing, I purchased plans from smokerbuilder.com and started searching for a welder to get it going.  Fast forward 8 months and found the welder, and the trailer and TWO DAYS from now I will be towing it home and burning it out!!  I have a ton of pictures that I will try to upload for everyone to see.  I figure after the burn out I have a good amount of Beef Tallow that I plan on seasoning the entire thing with.  Thanks for having me and Im looking forward to doing a ton of post.


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## sawhorseray (Jul 9, 2020)

Wow, welcome from Gilbert, AZ! That's one big ass smoker, can't wait to see some of your cooks, you should be smoking for quite a crowd! RAY


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## smokin peachey (Jul 9, 2020)

Welcome to SMF. I look forward to seeing some pics of your smoker and the Qview.


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 9, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> Welcome to SMF. I look forward to seeing some pics of your smoker and the Qview.





smokin peachey said:


> Welcome to SMF. I look forward to seeing some pics of your smoker and the Qview.





smokin peachey said:


> Welcome to SMF. I look forward to seeing some pics of your smoker and the Qview.





sawhorseray said:


> Wow, welcome from Gilbert, AZ! That's one big ass smoker, can't wait to see some of your cooks, you should be smoking for quite a crowd! RAY


Cant wait to get started, Thanks for the welcome


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 9, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> Welcome to SMF. I look forward to seeing some pics of your smoker and the Qview.


Thanks Peachey, watching your build was a huge inspiration, enjoyed every pic.


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## smokin peachey (Jul 9, 2020)

Looks great!


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## smokin peachey (Jul 9, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> Thanks Peachey, watching your build was a huge inspiration, enjoyed every pic.


Great! Glad it could be of assistance to you


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## BaxtersBBQ (Jul 9, 2020)

Bro! Congrats! That things amazing! Can’t wait to get more updates.


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 9, 2020)

BaxtersBBQ said:


> Bro! Congrats! That things amazing! Can’t wait to get more updates.


Hopefully burnout and seasoning on Sunday


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## BaxtersBBQ (Jul 9, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> Hopefully burnout and seasoning on Sunday



What are your plans for the outside? My buddy just got done building one and did the high-heat paint on it. You going to cater and do events?


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 9, 2020)

BaxtersBBQ said:


> What are your plans for the outside? My buddy just got done building one and did the high-heat paint on it. You going to cater and do events?


I think Im keeping it al natural, going to coat the whole thing with beef tallow and see its true colors shine through.  Going to learn the smoker first then maybe start some side catering gigs.


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## JC in GB (Jul 10, 2020)

Wow, great build.   Points to you for sure.  I am in the planning stages of building 2 - 250 gallon RF smokers.

Looks like some good welding there.  You must have a bit of experience.

Looking forward to seeing some food come off that bad boy.

JC


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 10, 2020)

JC in GB said:


> Wow, great build.   Points to you for sure.  I am in the planning stages of building 2 - 250 gallon RF smokers.
> 
> Looks like some good welding there.  You must have a bit of experience.
> 
> ...


Nope, I just paid a guy that did lol.  I CANT WAIT to cook, I have a freezer ready and waiting to be emptied


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## cysmoker (Jul 10, 2020)

Man that thing looks great! How big is the fire box?


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 10, 2020)

cysmoker said:


> Man that thing looks great! How big is the fire box?


48 inches long by 32 wide


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## SmokinAl (Jul 10, 2020)

That is an amazing smoker!
Really looking forward to seeing it in action!
Al


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 10, 2020)

Just picked up the smoker and grabbed a couple shots before dark.  Will have a ton more photos on Sunday. Have to go to my stupid job tomorrow. Lol


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## smokin peachey (Jul 10, 2020)

Looks great!


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## sawhorseray (Jul 10, 2020)

Man alive, that's about as beautiful as anything I've ever seen. You must be real proud of that smoker as well you should be, I'll be looking forward to seeing some of your cooks, congrats! RAY


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## JLeonard (Jul 12, 2020)

Holy cow! That is a monster of a cooker. You can cook the whole meat case at Kroger with that thing. looking forward to pics of your cooks!


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 12, 2020)

So today was burn out day, prepared the smoker, had my tools ready and lit a match.  Things were going great until it looks like the doors shifted almost 2 inches?? Its still hot and cooling as I type this I read that as it cools that it may adjust back to normal.  If someone could chime  in and let me know if I have anything to worry about or if I need to go back to my welder


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 12, 2020)




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## JckDanls 07 (Jul 12, 2020)

WOWWWWW...  what an awesome smoker ..  that thing is gorgeous ...  as for your doors being outta wack after the burn out... as you say...  see what happens after it cools... Hopefully it goes back to normal...   there won't be that much heat in the chamber when cooking as there was for the burn  out...  so It might not distort... 

You'll have a blast with that thing... I know I have with mine...


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## smokin peachey (Jul 12, 2020)

What temp did it get up to? I’ll be surprised if the doors return to there original position after it cools but hopefully I am wrong


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 12, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> What temp did it get up to? I’ll be surprised if the doors return to there original position after it cools but hopefully I am wrong


600, im dropping it off at the welder tomorrow


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 12, 2020)

JckDanls 07 said:


> WOWWWWW...  what an awesome smoker ..  that thing is gorgeous ...  as for your doors being outta wack after the burn out... as you say...  see what happens after it cools... Hopefully it goes back to normal...   there won't be that much heat in the chamber when cooking as there was for the burn  out...  so It might not distort...
> 
> You'll have a blast with that thing... I know I have with mine...


Thanks man, its cooling but not moving I am dropping it off at the welder tomorrow


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## smokin peachey (Jul 12, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> 600, im dropping it off at the welder tomorrow


Ok hopefully they can get it fixed up


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## tanglefoot (Jul 12, 2020)

Dang nice lookin' toy you got there! Must be expecting company for supper!!


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 13, 2020)

JckDanls 07 said:


> WOWWWWW...  what an awesome smoker ..  that thing is gorgeous ...  as for your doors being outta wack after the burn out... as you say...  see what happens after it cools... Hopefully it goes back to normal...   there won't be that much heat in the chamber when cooking as there was for the burn  out...  so It might not distort...
> 
> You'll have a blast with that thing... I know I have with mine...


I love how you designed your smoker, did you coat the outside with anything to protect it?


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 13, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> Ok hopefully they can get it fixed up


I hope so, also having him make a couple of mods already.  Want to go with a 2" drain on opposite end of CC because the one in the middle is a pain.  Im also having him mount door latches because they bounce around when Im driving, and maybe extend out the cooking shelf because its too narrow.  Hopeful he has it done by Friday as I want to take this weekend off.


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## MamaMac (Jul 13, 2020)

Woooweeee the Cajun in me just jumped all over the place!!!! Talk about having a Cochon de Lait!
For those of you that don't know what that means, it is a hog roast. Oh my gosh and you could smoke hog head cheese! I would so love to cook on that monster. 
Congratulations and I can't wait to see what you do.


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 13, 2020)

MamaMac said:


> Woooweeee the Cajun in me just jumped all over the place!!!! Talk about having a Cochon de Lait!
> For those of you that don't know what that means, it is a hog roast. Oh my gosh and you could smoke hog head cheese! I would so love to cook on that monster.
> Congratulations and I can't wait to see what you do.


Lol Thank You, I am anxious to fire it up. But ultimately "Be anxious for nothing..."


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## JckDanls 07 (Jul 13, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> did you coat the outside with anything to protect it


 No..  I'm letting it rust naturally just like an old tractor would...


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 22, 2020)

SO...... Finally got my smoker back and its all fixed, I had him add a couple of latches for the doors and extended the cooking shelf as well.  Also added a couple of fryers as well that he welded to the frame and a 2 inch drain the 1 inch was in a bad location.  Today I have spent most of today maintaining 300 degrees and seasoning the inside of the smoker.  Couple of things, I seem to have a huge temp difference between upper racks and lower racks (about 50 degrees) and left to right (about 25 degrees so it seems like I would have to constantly move the food for even cooking which seems crazy, any insight??


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## smokin peachey (Jul 22, 2020)

Do you have any dampers you can adjust airflow with?


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 22, 2020)




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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 22, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> Do you have any dampers you can adjust airflow with?


I just use the door


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## smokin peachey (Jul 22, 2020)

Looks like you need some dampers in your firebox door


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 22, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> Looks like you need some dampers in your firebox door


That would affect the heat across the grates? How would that even it out


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## smokin peachey (Jul 22, 2020)

It’s easier to control airflow with dampers then by just adjusting the opening of the door. Do you have any type of damper on your stack? Sounds like air (heat) isn’t moving through your smoker fast enough and that is creating the uneven temps. I usually have about a 5 degree temp difference across the grates on my 500 gallon tank smoker


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 22, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> It’s easier to control airflow with dampers then by just adjusting the opening of the door. Do you have any type of damper on your stack? Sounds like air (heat) isn’t moving through your smoker fast enough and that is creating the uneven temps. I usually have about a 5 degree temp difference across the grates on my 500 gallon tank smoker


No damper on the stack. And now I understand what you mean, is it possible my exhaust collector isn’t big enough, it doesn’t  quite  go across the tank


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## smokin peachey (Jul 22, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> No damper on the stack. And now I understand what you mean, is it possible my exhaust collector isn’t big enough, it doesn’t  quite  go across the tank


I was going to mention the possibly of the exhaust collector not being big enough. Stack diameter and size are also important.


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## daspyknows (Jul 22, 2020)

Wow.  Amazing smoker.  Gonna make some smokin bbq on that beast.


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## Danabw (Jul 23, 2020)

OMG, congratulations on your new beast. Very impressive, and you clearly have a great wife.


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 23, 2020)

daspyknows said:


> Wow.  Amazing smoker.  Gonna make some smokin bbq on that beast.


Working on it, once I get the draw figured out I will be good.


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 23, 2020)

Danabw said:


> OMG, congratulations on your new beast. Very impressive, and you clearly have a great wife.


She is Second to none, Thank You


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 23, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> No damper on the stack. And now I understand what you mean, is it possible my exhaust collector isn’t big enough, it doesn’t  quite  go across the tank


I was hoping you didnt agree, Im sure my metal guy is going to hate me. lol


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## smokin peachey (Jul 23, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> I was hoping you didnt agree, Im sure my metal guy is going to hate me. lol


This works good for me. I slide a piece of stove pice over this section of stack. Stove pipe has a damper in the pipe. Works great.


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 25, 2020)

Just got the smoker back from the welder and we fixed it. Thanks Peachey I made the exhaust chamber significantly bigger and added a deflector in the CC. Temps are about 20 degrees different from left to right but I see that the doors don’t create a perfect seal. Going to get some gasket material and see if that fixes it and evens everything all the way out. But the draw is awesome and he added a damper as well. Tomorrow doing a couple of pork butts for the maiden voyage. Very forgiving since I’m still learning this beast!!


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## smokin peachey (Jul 25, 2020)

Looks good. It might run more even after you get everything heated up and it settles in. Depending on how I have my dampers set I can have anywhere from 0 to 20 degrees of difference across my grate. Look forward to seeing some meat in that bad boy tomorrow


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 25, 2020)

Meat&Smoke said:


> I love how you designed your smoker, did you coat the outside with anything to protect it?


I coated it with beef tallow and it’s pretty cool to see the metal evolve.


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## Meat&Smoke (Jul 25, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> Looks good. It might run more even after you get everything heated up and it settles in. Depending on how I have my dampers set I can have anywhere from 0 to 20 degrees of difference across my grate. Look forward to seeing some meat in that bad boy tomorrow


I agree. I’ve had a fire in it EVERY day just trying to get familiar with it. What I have seen is that after about 40 minutes it levels out pretty good and takes minimal wood to maintain temp since the firebox is insulated


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## spudthegreater (Aug 22, 2020)

I saw a video where a guy cleaned the outside off then heated up sections of it with a weed killer flame torch (Propane) then rubbed boiled linseed oil on it. Not sure im a fan of the method, but it was interesting.


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## Meat&Smoke (Aug 22, 2020)

That’s different, what affect did it give the smoker?


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## cysmoker (Sep 16, 2020)

spudthegreater said:


> I saw a video where a guy cleaned the outside off then heated up sections of it with a weed killer flame torch (Propane) then rubbed boiled linseed oil on it. Not sure im a fan of the method, but it was interesting.



I'm going to try this on mine. You can also heat it up from the inside. You don't want to just build a fire to heat it up because you can get soot/grease on the outside which will effect the bind of the linseed oil. I painted my smoker with high temp paint, so I'm going to try a small section and see how it comes out before I coat the whole thing. If it looks good I'm going to do the rest of it.


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## shaneb56 (Oct 19, 2020)

Nice build!! I'm in the middle of a 500 gallon build myself. It's an underground tank manufactured in 1956 so I'm stripping it down to bare metal and I'm going to do the linseed oil. This thread is super inspiring!!! Thanks for sharing.


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