# Vertical Propane Smoker Rebuild



## haus of smoke (Apr 28, 2011)

Howdy,

I am new here and really enjoying it. There is a ton of helpful stuff on here! Just amazing.

In the process of rebuilding my 6' tall vertical smoker that has served faithfully for over 14 years. I am compacting the burner|smoke box|water tray assembly to accommodate two more racks. Had a new burner built, thought y'all might enjoy seeing it. The burner will be removable so I can smoke with wood if need be (competition)


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## boykjo (Apr 28, 2011)

Nice looking burner............


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## adiochiro3 (Apr 28, 2011)

Wow.  I like the flamage!!


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## cowgirl (Apr 28, 2011)

Looks great from here too! Nice...


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## SmokinAl (Apr 29, 2011)

Great start!


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## haus of smoke (Apr 29, 2011)

My 14 yr old son is knocking out the design of the new waterpan. There will be a drain, of course, he just can't figure out how to render it.


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## sqwib (Apr 29, 2011)

Great start... Love that burner


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## michsmoker (Apr 29, 2011)

I could use a burner like that. Where can I get one


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## haus of smoke (Apr 29, 2011)

Jim at Tejas Smokers made it for me - I just sent him a sketch with the outside measurements. You can also buy that monster venturi from them separately. It burns just as evenly with a tiny flame too. Spreading the heat out over a wider area simply creates a wider column of moving air and eliminates the hot spots.

Sometimes when I would kick up the heat a bit for finish roasting with my smaller cast iron burner, the heat would find and follow the path of least resistance though the stack of chickens (usually) and overcook a few birds. 

They can also add an angle iron cradle with legs that the pipe burner lay in and they can weld on a grease shield that helps keep the holes from getting clogged.

http://www.tejassmokers.com/castironburners.htm   

"Custom Pipe Burners"


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## richoso1 (Apr 29, 2011)

Nicve concept. It's all good my friend.


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## haus of smoke (Aug 17, 2011)

Cooking grates are finished!! 17.25" x 23.5" and heavy duty - should last a lifetime. My old grates/racks/trays were mostly from old ovens. These new ones will fit 8 birds instead of 6.


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## haus of smoke (Aug 17, 2011)

Cooking grates are finished!! 17.25" x 23.5" and heavy duty - should last a lifetime. My old grates were mostly out of old ovens.

These new ones will fit 8 birds on a rack instead of 6. New build will have 7 grates instead of 5. (56 chickens vs. 30 before)


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## haus of smoke (Oct 12, 2011)

Adding a curved roof to my smoker. The roof will extend like a visor and allow me fetch things out of the smoker in the rain or snow.


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## jfrancisuf (Oct 20, 2011)

I'm really interested in seeing how this turns out. Please keep the pics/info coming. Looks tough so far.


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## michael ark (Oct 20, 2011)

Looks great.Nice skills.


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## salbaje gato (Oct 20, 2011)

very nice start


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## tom c (Oct 21, 2011)

Nice project.


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## tom c (Oct 21, 2011)

What psi is the regulator for the burner?


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## sunman76 (Oct 21, 2011)

looking great cant wait to see it in action!


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## haus of smoke (Nov 20, 2011)




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## haus of smoke (Nov 21, 2011)

Won't be this bright and shiny for very long.


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## michael ark (Nov 21, 2011)

Sweet smoker.


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## haus of smoke (Nov 24, 2011)

I am using only a 10 psi regulator. This burner is designed to use a 20psi regulator - but that would be totally nuts for my application. I get more control at the lower end by using this smaller regulator.


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## haus of smoke (Nov 24, 2011)

Thanks, I still suck at welding...but I excel at grinding stuff down.


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## haus of smoke (Nov 24, 2011)

A shot of my interlocking heat diffusers/grease flashing and temporary water tray.


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## texasburner (Nov 28, 2011)

Did you originaly build this unit?


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## haus of smoke (Dec 2, 2011)

TexasBurner said:


> Did you originaly build this unit?


No. A friend of mine fabricated the racks and I added the guides. The cabinet itself was built in 1957 as basically a rack mounted server cabinet...before there was such a thing. It housed some serious vacuum tube powered stuff (a Pulse Height Analyzer) that required very direct cooling - it was designed to force air through a filter in the base - up the right plenum across each rack out the exit plenum. Works pretty good for smoking meat.

The overlapping grease flashing/heat baffle worked wonderfully - no grease in the bottom, no flare ups, The temporary water tray has too much surface area and had to be covered to run up the heat for final roasting. The change-of-state from a liquid to a vapor and directly to steam in an environment where there is no build up of pressure means that the steam itself can't rise above 212°F.  Ideally, I usually smoke at 225° to 235°F. The volume of steam needs to be low enough so that it is mixing with hotter air to achieve a mix that is higher then 212°F. The final water tray will have a smaller surface area and be a couple of inches more above the burner.


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## smokingohiobutcher (Dec 3, 2011)

Sweet!!!! Awesome build and great Ideas!!!! Those turkeys look awesome!!!

Love the burner! Great job! Now all you need is a gas control valve with a temp sensor and you would be all set!

SOB


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## seenred (Dec 3, 2011)

Love that rig, nice job!  Can't tell for sure, what is your method of smoke generation?


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## haus of smoke (Dec 3, 2011)

SeenRed said:


> Love that rig, nice job!  Can't tell for sure, what is your method of smoke generation?




Number 10 cans covered tightly with foil with small holes sitting on the corners of the pipe burner and, depending on what I am smoking, filled with hickory/apple chips or hickory sawdust. Final configuration will have a removable firebox for cooking only with charcoal/wood when desired.


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## haus of smoke (Feb 12, 2014)

I've changed my mind on the 10 psi regulator size. Spent the last few weeks smoking in very cold air temps and having a 20 psi regulator would certainly bring the smoker up to temp quicker.


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## haus of smoke (Jul 26, 2015)

Propane smoker update. 

The burner I had made works good, but it is difficult to light if it goes out. The flame does not go all the way around. I have to light each section of pipe if the flames are low.

The people at Tejas Smokers told me they sold a mess of these pipe burners because of this thread on this forum. Tejas has improved on the concept and now sell an excellent cast iron burner where the flame goes all the way around and it also has a place for a Pilot light that will re-light the burner if it goes out. You must supply your own gas pipe connection between the venturi and the burner so you can center the burner in your smoker.

http://www.tejassmokers.com/castironburners.htm

Scroll down to part numbers "GRILL1"  and "PILOT"













grill1a_pilot_burner_lit.jpg



__ haus of smoke
__ Jul 26, 2015


















grill1k.jpg



__ haus of smoke
__ Jul 26, 2015






Tip of the day: Double up a piece of parchment paper about the size of your piece of meat and set your pork shoulders on them in the smoker. I can drag each butt around, turn them and remove them without losing shreds of meat though the grid. Easier cleanup and the patchment paper seems to keep the meat a little juicier. Works for whole chicken as well. 

(NOT Wax Paper, not Butcher Paper, not Freezer Paper the box will say "Parchment Paper") 













IMG_1453_SmokerPorkTall2048.jpg



__ haus of smoke
__ Jul 26, 2015


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