# Hello from East Texas - with pictures



## ~kev~ (Jan 21, 2008)

Hello everyone, my name is Kevin.

A little about myself:
Age - 40
Married - Yes
Children - 4 and 4 step kids for a total of 8.


I consider myself about 1/2 way on the "smoking experience" scale.  I have been smoking meat for several years, but I do not do it full time.  One of my first smokers was a home made smoker with a grill about 3 feet long.  My second unit was a smoker with a grill about 3 feet long and a small firebox.

Here is a picture of my second smoker with some pork chops.  This pit is about 6 years old and been moved into retirement.  



As my family has grown to 7 grand kids and 2 more on the way, I decided it was time to build a larger smoker.  So I got an old 250 butane tank and built a bigger smoker.  Its on a trailer so I pull it to family reunions and such.

The firebox is 24 inches in diameter, 2 feet 6 inches long and is out of a 150 gallon propane tank.  The main smoker has a cooking surface of 6 feet 9 inches long and 29 inches across.  There is a temp gauge in each lid.

This picture was taken this past weekend at a family reunion. The box on the front is for dry wood storage.  Its too small and will be replaced pretty soon.



I use *ONLY WOOD*!!!  And only wood that is locally grown.  Which includes Red oak, Pen oak and pecan.  Because of the amount of wood that I use, it would be too expensive to haul in a couple truck loads of mesquite.    If it aint cooked over wood - it aint smoked.  The ashes are used in the backyard garden as fertilizer.

These pictures were taken during the family reunion this weekend.  We cooked a pit load of baby back ribs.





The smoke stack is made out of 5 inch pipe and stands almost 8 feet tall.  The pit is still not finished, I need to paint the trailer, put some more weld on the trailer and pit.

The lids are designed to use springs to help with the opening of the lids.  I welded some chain links to the outside shell of the pit, and a shackle so I can disconnect the springs.

Labor day weekend cookout.  I smoked a brisket, several racks of ribs, boudain, deer sausage and cooked corn on the cobb with the husk still on.  This was before the pit was painted.  This is also one of the first times I ever used this pit.




Most of the sausage we cook is real deer sausage.  My son got a 6 point and I got a 9 point this year.  We are avid hunters and usually have some type of deer on the grill when we cook.  Some times we smoke deer steaks and back strap - but mostly sausage.

*So - Hello everyone!!*


----------



## abelman (Jan 21, 2008)

Welcome aboard and a very impressive first post. I guess you're going to have to cut your recipes into 10th's  or 5th's so the rest of us can use them, LOL.


----------



## brianj517 (Jan 21, 2008)

Welcome to SMF, Kevin. Awesome setup ya got there!

Cheers,
Brian


----------



## ~kev~ (Jan 21, 2008)

Why did my post get moved to the bottom when I edited it?

Never mind, newest post are on top here.


----------



## big tex (Jan 21, 2008)

Welcome I am new myself there is alot of great people here at SMF i enjoy reading all of everyones smoking does and donts. I am originally from east Texas myself a town called Lufkin.


----------



## bbqlovinpackerbacker (Jan 21, 2008)

Now that's a first post!! Welcome to the fold!


----------



## charles1056 (Jan 21, 2008)

Hey Kev, and welcome to the forum.  Where in East Texas are you?  Tyler here.  Great looking smoker and Qvue.


----------



## morkdach (Jan 21, 2008)

wow food looks great good job man


----------



## ~kev~ (Jan 21, 2008)

Thank you.  I have been working on that pit for a little over a year.  

I am just outside of Jasper.


----------



## cowgirl (Jan 22, 2008)

Welcome to the forum Kev....nice smoker!


----------



## gramason (Jan 22, 2008)

Welcome aboard, nice lookin smoker.


----------



## bustedluckbarbq (Jan 22, 2008)

Welcome to the SMF Kevin!!!  Great first post!!  nice smoker set up and great qviews!! that sure was one heck-of-a spread of ribs!!!


----------



## richtee (Jan 22, 2008)

Wow... welcome Kevin. Seems ya got a grip on ribs at least..LOL! Oh  and brats... that a chicken in there?

You found a place that can help even someone of your experience. And even better, you can help others  :{)

Glad to meetcha!


----------



## ds7662 (Jan 22, 2008)

Welcome to the site! Thanks for the wonderful pics. They are great.


----------



## white cloud (Jan 22, 2008)

It was hazing lol


----------



## philthysmoker (Jan 22, 2008)

welcome kev, you can change the way you veiw post if you go to the user cp then edit options,thread diplay mode and the you can change to oldest first if that is what you prefer.


----------



## mossymo (Jan 22, 2008)

~kev~
I very much like your smoker, very nice and welcome ot SMF !!!


----------



## ~kev~ (Jan 22, 2008)

Thank you.  It not finished yet.  Once I got started building it, I thought about all kinds of stuff I wanted to add.  Maybe in another 2 months it will be finished.


Just north of Jasper, about 4 miles out of town.


----------



## mossymo (Jan 22, 2008)

~kev~
I know a couple of propane business owners pretty well. You have me thinking about inquiring about tanks that are going to be put out of service.....
Side note: one of propane business owners has personalized plates on his personal pickup that read - IGOTGAS


----------



## ~kev~ (Jan 22, 2008)

I have 4 more tanks waiting to be turning into pits - 2:250 gallon tanks and 2:150 gallon tanks.  They have already been bought and sitting in a field.

The next design will have a 5+ foot vertical smoker on the front of the horizontal pit.  Hopefully the vertical smoker can have 4 or 5, 24 inch diameter trays and 2 doors - one on each side of the vertical smoker.

The 150 gallon will have a 2 foot section cut off and used for a firebox, the rest can be a smoker.

I have 16 years experience in the welding field building AMSE certified heat exchangers and pressure vessels.  So I do all my own welding and cutting.

The pit in the pictures was built with a $200 welding machine and a borrowed cutting torch rig.

The third pit design I am working on is top secret.   Lets just say the total cooking area will be over 13 feet long.


----------



## smokeys my pet (Jan 22, 2008)

Kevin, Welcome to smf and hope you enjoy. Man we love pics also!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## badss (Jan 22, 2008)

Welcome Kev,
Man you don't fool around....awesome shots...welcome abaord.


----------



## cman95 (Jan 22, 2008)

Welcome to SMF. This is THE place to be. I am right down the road from you in Lumberton.


----------



## kookie (Jan 22, 2008)

Welcome to the smf. Great looking smoker.

Kookie


----------



## buddy (Jan 22, 2008)

Hey Kev. Good looking rig. Welcome to the forum. I'm in the Fort Worth area.


----------

