100 Gallon-First build!!

smoker09 · Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Posts: 8

Im new to the forums but have been reading on them for a couple of days now. Most members will probably find this shocking but I have gotten into smoking alot earlier than most. I hang out at a shop where they do smoking weekly. After helping for past few months I got the addiction and had been looking for a tank since the get-go. I do not care for offset smokers, not looking for a debate just dont like them. I am looking to build it on a trailer I already have, I have the 100 gallon tank opened and airing out to prepare for the first cuts the tank is marked from 1967. I have two people helping me who run a machine shop and have built a 80 gallon smoker recently on a trailer which is very nice. I cannot find the proper name for the type of smoker design we use no matter where I look. It is one where the firebox is mounted on the back side of the barrel and has dampners to restrict smoke or let it through it has two stacks and its very well made. I want mine to have the big tank in front, two large six inch pipes about a foot from the tank and the firebox attached to the pipes. Hope this poor description will let you all know what im doing but im looking for pictures of anyone with similar build cause having trouble finding any and dont know what size firebox to use.

SoEzzy · Posted: Mar 13 2012 Post subject:

Look at Googling Fat 40's, 50's and see if that's similar to your design.

Some of the MuleTuff are similar but have the firebox in front not behind.
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k.a.m. · Posted: Mar 13 2012 Post subject:

Welcome to the ring smoker09, looking forward to seeing some pics of your cooks and following your cooker build. Smile

As SoEzzy mentioned what you are describing is a DP cooker and we refer to them as DP clones since the ones built are somewhat cloning Diamond plate cookers design.
Here some links to a very nice clone.
http://thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40597

http://thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40883
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smoker09 · Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Posts: 8

Yes thats exactly what im talking about. The one we use now doesnt have the "intake tubes" from the tank to firebox so it creates heat almost too easily so to create more of the "slow and low" effect wanted to add the intake tubes but didnt know DP or whoever made an exact model of what I had come up with, thats pretty neat. Anyways, yeah what size firebox should I be looking at? Any tips?

smoker09 · Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Posts: 8

Well, I worked on the smoker this weekend. Dont have a plasma cutter so was limited to oxy/acetylene. Got the lid cut out and all of the old fixtures on top, it is very dirty on the inside and i got a tank for the firebox given to me this weekend it is just the right size and its an old compressor. Going to start grinding on the welds filling any bad spots in and patching the old fixture holes. Hoping to have lid back on and stacks on next weekend ready for sand blasting so i can start on the firebox.

smoker09 · Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Posts: 8

I have several pictures now and do not know hot to upload them or make them correct size can anyone help?? By the way, this site desperately needs a chat room so that when you need help you dont have to wait forever for someone to repsond to a thread, or PM.[/img]

SoEzzy · Posted: Mar 30 2012 Post subject:

smoker09 · Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Posts: 8

SoEzzy..most forums have a chat room I realize your a moderator but your response to chat room comment didnt make much sense. There arent threads in a chat room and obviously the chat room is for catching someone else with your stupid questions that take less than 5 to 10 minutes...kind of makes sense and it gives a faster way for members to communicate without spamming up the forums. I will look at the link you gave me thanks for the help.

daddywoofdawg · Posted: Mar 30 2012 Post subject:

9 out of 10 times I get an answer or see an answer to a question with in the time I'm on the forum.I.E with in 20 Min's.I don't think this forum needs a chat room,I am a member for a few forums BBQ and truck conversions and stereo equipment,and will say this is the most active friendliest and sometimes deadliest(If your a jerk on here you will here about it LOL) forum of all of them.you can check 2-3 times a day and see new posts.most seem to be once a month.
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SoEzzy · Posted: Mar 30 2012 Post subject:

If you have ever been in an unmoderated chat room you may acknowledge that they can get more than a little crazy.

If you need to get your answers on a forum that has a chat room, then head for a forum that has a chat room, if that's your criteria for an informative bbq site then this place may not be where you want to be.

You still need to have members that are not doing anything else than chatting, in order for them to be able to chat.

I just took a quick look at the Brethren where there are 28,809 members and there are / or were, (when I looked), 4 members in the chat room, they are all longstanding members and all know each other, so on that forum they had 1.39/100th of 1%, as we have 60% of their members, we would have less than 3 people in the chat room, (all things being proportional)!

But you have had 4 reply's on this thread in less than 50 minutes, not quick enough for everyone?
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smoker09 · Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Posts: 8

Ok, chat room was just a comment. Im 21, not too worried about hurting anyones feelings was just making an observation didnt intend to cause conflict. Anyways, heres progress. Progress is slow because I was never taught to weld or cut with a torch ever until now so this has been very fun for me and interesting. I am a certified Ford technician and usually I pick up on fixing/working on things easily but welding is definitely an art. Heres what I have got done so far.

As you can tell my torch cuts werent perfectly straight, and I have a LOT of work to do, but now that im comfortable torching and welding I plan to mount it to my trailer which I have failed to take pictures of yet.

And SoEzzy, as I said before im done talking about the chatroom, dont care about statistics of Brethren or whatever site it was a simple comment, onto my smoker build.

GreenSmoker · Posted: Mar 30 2012 Post subject:

Grinder cleans a ruff cut quick. Nice start on the tank.

My 2 cents on a chat........great answers to great questions get pushed off into the ether in a matter of minutes. And they never return. Chatting is nice, lost info sucks.
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Catman · Posted: Mar 30 2012 Post subject:

I have to agree with GreenSmoker. I usually know ahead of time when I am about to make a rough torch cut, so I usually plan to cut 1/8 inch shy of where I want and finish with the grinder if it is a critical dimension.
Thankfully only a few of the cuts on my smoker are that critical.

As to the chatroom idea.....to expand on GreenSmoker's point:
Most of the cooker building education I have received has come from reading the posts on the Smoke Ring. If you move those questions and answers into a chatroom, they won't be available for others to benefit from in the future. JM2CW
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whiteboycustom · BBQ Fan Joined: 09 Aug 2010 Posts: 183 Location: Vidor,Tx

can never have to many ideas to work with......
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mwells · Posted: Mar 31 2012 Post subject:

If I was building a trailer, I would do a DP clone. But I like being different.

And I hate chat rooms. Very Happy

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smoker09 · Joined: 13 Mar 2012 Posts: 8

Whiteboycustom, I have been following your build thread we are doing same sort of smoker like DP Clone. Although I had no idea what a DP fat 40/50 was until I joined the forums. We use an 80 gallon that is similar to a DP without the intake tubes running to smoker tank, we decided it would be better for indirect heat to run tubes. And yes the top and bottom cuts were done by someone really good with cutting torch and side cuts were by me. Im going to try to finish the lid tonight and get tank side done tomorrow and mount it on trailer. Thanks for all the advice!

k.a.m. · Posted: Mar 31 2012 Post subject:

smoker09, your off to a good start. Very Happy

I look forward to seeing some more pics and updates. Very Happy

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Always remember slow and steady wins the race.

Hybrid Cooker