I was confused about what a reverse flow smoker was so thank you for explaining it in this episode. I’m so excited to see you season it in and cook on it!!
I built a 15 gallon double wall reverse smoker. I did not drill a grease drain. Made a catch pan for that, plus adding to the catch pan a small water section opposite side of fire box. Underneath pan added small plates on each side so I can adjust the gap to the reverse flow opening. I have used this design for 6 years and works great for two people at home. I would add pictures but could not figure out how to do that. Don’t think you can. Nice build Brad.
it looks like your reverse flow plate was welded down. How do clean and how do you prevent grease fires underneath the reverse flow plate? More importantly, how do you put a grease fire out if one were to occur? 😢
@@koukitype180 my thought process was to make sure that you have the ability to inspect or clean it so a fire doesn't happen. I don't sit next to my smoker when I'm doing a 2 hour or 12 hours cook. It's more likely that a neighbor would see it and I would get a knock on the door from the fire department. Lol
@@derekanderson1882 I have a 20-25 year old custom built reverse smoker and my plates are removable, they have to be. I can adjust the flow plus I can clean them. They are also rounded so they don't pool juices.
A suggestion on placement of the grease drain. Place it at the opposite end from the fire box, and give the baffle a slight angle downward to allow the grease to flow toward the drain.
Not only am I loving this series, but you’ve chosen to do a build I’ve always been curious about cooking on, and to see it be built from beginning is dope.
This has been my favorite series! I wish you'd do one with a 120 gallon propane tank. I feel like the average home bbqer could access that more easily and more affordable since most of us ain't making pits every day to sell. Can't wait to see the 1st cook on this! Which has to be a brisket, right?
This is awesome! However, I'm confused by the placement of the grease drip hole? With the baffle plate installed level...the grease will just...sit on top the baffle plate????
That was my question as well. Not sure where the grease will go that collects on top of the baffle plate. Baffle plate should have been in a slight V shape and slope, with a trap at the end.
I have the same question. The follow up question to that would be how do you clean out the pit if you can't get to the bottom? I was expecting the baffle plate would be split into sections so you can remove it. Maybe he goes over these questions in the next part.
a thing of beauty! well done, Bradley! I have been waiting for this episode to come out, and I have been fascinated by the work you've done on this reverse flow! dude, i don't know why I laughed so hard when you said that your answer to height of smoke stack was just eyeballing it. good stuff, man. great content. thanks for the video,
You should weld a water trough to the damper plate that's the entire length of the plate. I've never seen it done but I think it would work phenomenally.
One question - with the installation of the baffle plate for reverse flow, how does the grease which drips down on it actually escape to the grease trap hole you drilled?
@@stihlmanchainsaw8445 yes. the baffle should be pitched from level to 1/4" per 3 ft toward the reverse end. that is the way i would for moving the grease down and for ease of clean.
I have an RF - the grease drain is **in the baffle plate** and extends through the bottom of the pit. I clean the baffle plate with a griddle scraper and push all of the grease and bits down the drain.
Feldon bbq calculator. Will use thermodynamics to calculate the sizes needed for airflow at each exchange. Crescent/firebox hole, smoke stack, inflow requirements for firebox etc.
Looks great - can't wait to see a comparison between the conventional flow and the reverse flow - you know you are going to do it. Cook suggestion - barbacoa tamales. Thanks for the videos!
Dude!!! These videos are so awesome. I’ve been dying to take a welding/fabrication class at my local community college and this series has been the kick in the ass to go get it done! Plus if I’m gonna pay some chump ass school to play in their shop I might as well make myself a handful of pits lol
This is a great series. I've been skeptical of reverse flow as well, but my buddy has a custom 1500 gal RF at his bbq spot and it works really well on all of the cooks we do.
The location of your grease drain is in the shell of the vessel. On a reverse flow it should be on the baffle plate, not the external. You need to drill a hole in the baffle plate, and put a steel tube down to the shell. If you rely on the plate to overflow with grease then run down the shell of the vessel towards the firebox drain, you are risking a large grease fire. Typical reverse flows have the drain away from the firebox, on the exchange side, so you can utilize more of the surface area of the plate for collection.
I think it was also a bad idea to put the drain hole down by the firebox. There's no lip and grease could flow right back into the firebox and cause a massive grease fire. Drain should be on the left hand side, farthest away from the firebox.
@@joshwinters6249 in Episode 8 Chud talks about this briefly. Definite concern but hopefully the “slow trickle of grease” doesn’t catch the rig on fire.
I absolutely loved this build series; can't wait to see the first cook. I was wondering, when you add the thermometers, can you talk a little about how you control the temperature of your smoker? I've never quite understood how that works.
Growing up working in welding and fabrication shops, I've drilled 10s of thousands of holes in all kinds of steel and it is a skill. Ford semi frames were the hard and required an electro magnetic drill press. When hand drilling with a powerful drill, such as a Milwaukee Hole Hawg, you have to cradle it aggressively so you don't get wrapped up.
Not gonna lie, I usually think reverse flow cookers are just hokey and look dumb but yours looks very well done. I've loved this series BTW. Someone is going to be lucky to get that one.
You’re going to love how they cook. And the baffle plate can be used as a flat top cook surface 👍👍 I have built a lot of those. And my customers love them. Enjoy Brad. More even temps all along the cook Chamber.
Wondering how the grease is going to get from the grates to the hole you drilled, since you put the baffle plate in or if that's something you still need to work on. Also wondering why the hole would be near the pit, since the grates are to the far left of the smoker (the grease would have to travel to the hole, cooling down in the process). And wondering if the smoker is angled slightly toward the grease trap. 🤔
@Harry The Horse BBQ few different ways. Door could be cut in the end cap for removal and cleaning of the plate. Or a door running the length of the pipe on the backside for cleaning. Or as others have said, cut the plate in sections for removal out the top. With a door in the back you can remove plate and shovel coals in if you ever had a need for direct grilling. Say large amounts of chicken, sausage, or steaks.
I insist you buy a plasma cutter! You will love it, cutting the notch in the stack would've taken 30 to 45 seconds....as you know, time is money my friend. Great video as always!
Can you share the thought process with the grease hole under the baffle? Also, what do you think about turning the top of the fire box into a cooking surface? Is it possible??
I made a reverse flow from a 200 gallon propane tank that was on an old semi. I used axe handles for my handles. It has worked great because the wood doesn't get hot at all. I bolted them on, so when they get soft, I can just remove them and put new ones on, or limbs or bats or ...yeah.
I am coming to Austin at the end of June. I can't wait to see if my BBQ comes even close to the famous places down there. I have a workhorse pit on order that should help get closer.
Excellent video/series! I was one of the BBQ noob knuckleheads that emailed you a while back about sourcing materials locally. I've since gotten a little more enlightened by your videos and others. I've converted an old cheap stamped steel smoker got for free to a Franklin style offset. It's the Frankensmoker. Fugly as hell but seems to work pretty well as far I as I can tell :) But I plan on building a legit smoker someday soon. Anyway, thank you for this video series! Very helpful. Keep up the all the good work!
The slug from the drain hole may could have been used to plug the hole in the end cap. Maybe? Looking good sir! I’ve started a 250 gallon recently. You’ve given me some great info. Thank you.
If I were building this, or any pit, my rule of thumb would be to have the top of the stack at least a foot taller than me, or at least 7 feet tall, to ensure smoke doesn’t come out straight into my face.
Really enjoying seeing this beast come together! I noted how much of a struggle you had around 3:55 to get the end cap mounted. The boilermaker I learned to weld from often coached that it's always OK to temporarily tack pieces together, then cut out the welds and grind the surfaces smooth. Next time you have a task like that, maybe tack on some tabs of flat bar to the underside of the barrel to hold the end cap in place with a clean fit, rather than brace it with your knee and hope it all stays aligned while you try to get the cap tacked into place?
ok... so i have a Oklahoma Joe reverse smoker...and the #1 problem is that the baffle plates are too close to the cooking grates...they get too hot. Good to see you put these lower in the cook chamber.
This build series is far better than any new show on any streaming service. Super keen for Ep. 7!
i fully agree. so entertaining watching bradley work on this thing.
Yes! And he goes through all of the little things and mistakes he's made and what he does now and why. You won't find that on the network shows.
Can't wait to see what you cook first on this. Hands down the best channel for BBQ !!!!!!
I was confused about what a reverse flow smoker was so thank you for explaining it in this episode. I’m so excited to see you season it in and cook on it!!
I built a 15 gallon double wall reverse smoker. I did not drill a grease drain. Made a catch pan for that, plus adding to the catch pan a small water section opposite side of fire box. Underneath pan added small plates on each side so I can adjust the gap to the reverse flow opening. I have used this design for 6 years and works great for two people at home. I would add pictures but could not figure out how to do that. Don’t think you can. Nice build Brad.
Love this series, cant wait to see this thing in action and to get your thoughts on the concept!
it looks like your reverse flow plate was welded down. How do clean and how do you prevent grease fires underneath the reverse flow plate? More importantly, how do you put a grease fire out if one were to occur? 😢
@@derekanderson1882 shut doors dampner/smoke stack.
@@koukitype180 my thought process was to make sure that you have the ability to inspect or clean it so a fire doesn't happen. I don't sit next to my smoker when I'm doing a 2 hour or 12 hours cook. It's more likely that a neighbor would see it and I would get a knock on the door from the fire department. Lol
@@derekanderson1882 I have a 20-25 year old custom built reverse smoker and my plates are removable, they have to be. I can adjust the flow plus I can clean them. They are also rounded so they don't pool juices.
A suggestion on placement of the grease drain. Place it at the opposite end from the fire box, and give the baffle a slight angle downward to allow the grease to flow toward the drain.
This series makes me want to build my own. Some day I'll get around to it
Not only am I loving this series, but you’ve chosen to do a build I’ve always been curious about cooking on, and to see it be built from beginning is dope.
This has been my favorite series! I wish you'd do one with a 120 gallon propane tank. I feel like the average home bbqer could access that more easily and more affordable since most of us ain't making pits every day to sell. Can't wait to see the 1st cook on this! Which has to be a brisket, right?
Yes. Please do a 120
@@egrocket94 take everything he has done and apply it to a 120 gallon tank. Just cut off the firebox end of the tank instead of the collector side.
This is awesome! However, I'm confused by the placement of the grease drip hole? With the baffle plate installed level...the grease will just...sit on top the baffle plate????
This got me too...he will need to add another trap at the capped end.
That was my question as well. Not sure where the grease will go that collects on top of the baffle plate. Baffle plate should have been in a slight V shape and slope, with a trap at the end.
This is awesome! I do have a question, how does the grease trap work? You drilled the hole, but then welded a plate over the hole.
I have the same question. The follow up question to that would be how do you clean out the pit if you can't get to the bottom? I was expecting the baffle plate would be split into sections so you can remove it. Maybe he goes over these questions in the next part.
I love how you're doing this with basic tools: flux core welder, angle grinder, engine hoist and hard work.
I believe that's a mig. It looks like gas on the welder cart
FYI just a welder tip, as a rule if you can weld thick metal uphill it will penetrate better..
I wouldn’t mind seeing you finish that Chud Kettle.
The drill with the drill bit put a fender washer on it when drilling the pilot hole
a thing of beauty! well done, Bradley! I have been waiting for this episode to come out, and I have been fascinated by the work you've done on this reverse flow! dude, i don't know why I laughed so hard when you said that your answer to height of smoke stack was just eyeballing it. good stuff, man. great content. thanks for the video,
The Chud Kettle looks pretty cool
You should weld a water trough to the damper plate that's the entire length of the plate. I've never seen it done but I think it would work phenomenally.
Love the smoker build
Brad thanks for this build series. I enjoyed seeing how much you have been able to excel in 2 completely different skill sets! Great job!
One question - with the installation of the baffle plate for reverse flow, how does the grease which drips down on it actually escape to the grease trap hole you drilled?
Was wondering this same thing
Hopefully the baffle is pitched and he puts the grease hole on the turn side!
@@leomulholland3 By pitched do you mean leaning to one side so it may drain? Curious.
@@stihlmanchainsaw8445 yes. the baffle should be pitched from level to 1/4" per 3 ft toward the reverse end. that is the way i would for moving the grease down and for ease of clean.
I have an RF - the grease drain is **in the baffle plate** and extends through the bottom of the pit. I clean the baffle plate with a griddle scraper and push all of the grease and bits down the drain.
Thank you Mr. Cooper! Your series has been very educational!🎉
Put a fender washer over the pilot bit in-between the hole saw and metal to help keep the pilot bit and your wrist from breaking
Can't wait to see this thing at work. Nice one mate.
Looking great/grate. Cant wait to see it in action! Thanks for the build series, was fun to watch
You should build a badass Santa Maria Grill. I'd love to see you cook some great food on it!
Feldon bbq calculator. Will use thermodynamics to calculate the sizes needed for airflow at each exchange. Crescent/firebox hole, smoke stack, inflow requirements for firebox etc.
Looks great - can't wait to see a comparison between the conventional flow and the reverse flow - you know you are going to do it. Cook suggestion - barbacoa tamales. Thanks for the videos!
second both of these ideas
Looks great!! I love this build series, and can't wait to see her in action..
Great content. Recommendation - for as much metal work you are doing - pick-up a leather welding jacket.
Looking good to me!!! 🔥✌️🔥
Max height for the stack calc is super easy, whatever fits below the garage door opening...
Dude!!! These videos are so awesome. I’ve been dying to take a welding/fabrication class at my local community college and this series has been the kick in the ass to go get it done! Plus if I’m gonna pay some chump ass school to play in their shop I might as well make myself a handful of pits lol
what does the grease trap hole do if the baffle is present?
It wasn't welded in so I'm sure it would run down past the baffle between all of the cracks
I have the same question… Like, whaaat?
Much more even heat with the baffle plate. My opinion a better smoker. I started putting a V in the baffle plate and a slight pitch to my grease trap
This is a great series. I've been skeptical of reverse flow as well, but my buddy has a custom 1500 gal RF at his bbq spot and it works really well on all of the cooks we do.
Weld a handle on the end so moving easier
Nice! This answers my previous question about air flow and hotspots. Thaaanks!
The location of your grease drain is in the shell of the vessel. On a reverse flow it should be on the baffle plate, not the external. You need to drill a hole in the baffle plate, and put a steel tube down to the shell. If you rely on the plate to overflow with grease then run down the shell of the vessel towards the firebox drain, you are risking a large grease fire. Typical reverse flows have the drain away from the firebox, on the exchange side, so you can utilize more of the surface area of the plate for collection.
I think it was also a bad idea to put the drain hole down by the firebox. There's no lip and grease could flow right back into the firebox and cause a massive grease fire. Drain should be on the left hand side, farthest away from the firebox.
@@joshwinters6249 in Episode 8 Chud talks about this briefly. Definite concern but hopefully the “slow trickle of grease” doesn’t catch the rig on fire.
@Brad Wernicki saw that. Ive built a few pits and have definitely done stupid shit like that before. Hopefully it works out.
I bet your neighbors love your chosen profession.
With that large tuning plate at the bottom, how will you take it out to clean the pit or is it now a permanent fixture?
Definitely should have cut it into plates to be removable. But it's to late now lol
I was wondering the same thing. All the reverse flows that I’ve seen had a series of small tuning plates that could be adjust or removed individually.
I absolutely loved this build series; can't wait to see the first cook. I was wondering, when you add the thermometers, can you talk a little about how you control the temperature of your smoker? I've never quite understood how that works.
It's a work of art!
Excited to see the thing work!!
Impressive work
Try and electricians step up bit. It’s a cone shaped bit. U drill a pilot hole then the rest is done by the step up. They work amazing
I want one.
I built a reverse flow out of 250gal heating oil tank years ago. LOVE IT.
behind every great welder is an anglegrinder with a flapdisk.
Really nice build
You should add a handle on the cap side for pulling and pushing!
This is awesome.
Growing up working in welding and fabrication shops, I've drilled 10s of thousands of holes in all kinds of steel and it is a skill. Ford semi frames were the hard
and required an electro magnetic drill press. When hand drilling with a powerful drill, such as a Milwaukee Hole Hawg, you have to cradle it aggressively so you don't get wrapped up.
Awesome series. Are you leaving the baffle plate loose in there or welding it? Mine's welded and I wish I had a way to remove it for cleaning.
Coming together nice and fancy lookin!
Not gonna lie, I usually think reverse flow cookers are just hokey and look dumb but yours looks very well done. I've loved this series BTW. Someone is going to be lucky to get that one.
I need to try this!
Looks awesome!
You’re going to love how they cook. And the baffle plate can be used as a flat top cook surface 👍👍 I have built a lot of those. And my customers love them.
Enjoy Brad.
More even temps all along the cook
Chamber.
Wondering how the grease is going to get from the grates to the hole you drilled, since you put the baffle plate in or if that's something you still need to work on. Also wondering why the hole would be near the pit, since the grates are to the far left of the smoker (the grease would have to travel to the hole, cooling down in the process). And wondering if the smoker is angled slightly toward the grease trap. 🤔
I’ve welded on my back, it sucks! This has been a great series.
Love the build series! This pit is looking like a dream! Is the baffle plate going to impede the grease drain hole?
Yes
@@duanehenicke6602 Haha I knew the answer would be yes, but I am curious as to how this would be amended. Drill holes in the baffle?
@Harry The Horse BBQ few different ways. Door could be cut in the end cap for removal and cleaning of the plate. Or a door running the length of the pipe on the backside for cleaning. Or as others have said, cut the plate in sections for removal out the top. With a door in the back you can remove plate and shovel coals in if you ever had a need for direct grilling. Say large amounts of chicken, sausage, or steaks.
I insist you buy a plasma cutter! You will love it, cutting the notch in the stack would've taken 30 to 45 seconds....as you know, time is money my friend. Great video as always!
Brad use a step bit to drill through. It’s much easier.
I can't wait until you make beef ribs on this BEEYOST
Good afternoon from the UK 😊
When you're done with that, you can send it to me in Platte City Missouri 😂
Can you share the thought process with the grease hole under the baffle? Also, what do you think about turning the top of the fire box into a cooking surface? Is it possible??
Probably not with it being a reverse smoker. The smoke stack/collector is definitely in the way
Another cracking video all hail king chuds ....awe my ass!
Love the series cant wait to see to see you cook on it.
I made a reverse flow from a 200 gallon propane tank that was on an old semi. I used axe handles for my handles. It has worked great because the wood doesn't get hot at all. I bolted them on, so when they get soft, I can just remove them and put new ones on, or limbs or bats or ...yeah.
Lookin Good!
Love your stuff mate. Check out a Mag drill. It clamps onto the metal so it should save your wrists from that drill catching and snapping your wrist.
Looks very nice👍👍👍
Morning .. watching from New Orleans
Love this series keep up the good work Brad.
Damn that reverse flow smoker is badass!
Great video
ok now I get it, good job.
“Hope for the best”… lol. That’s how I live life😂😂
Sweet 😎
I want one!!
Love what you do man! Keep being awesome!
A Mag drill would be great for that grease trap hole to save your wrists.
I am coming to Austin at the end of June. I can't wait to see if my BBQ comes even close to the famous places down there.
I have a workhorse pit on order that should help get closer.
Such a great series!
love it, now to convince my wife I need to build my own smoker...
Excellent video/series! I was one of the BBQ noob knuckleheads that emailed you a while back about sourcing materials locally. I've since gotten a little more enlightened by your videos and others. I've converted an old cheap stamped steel smoker got for free to a Franklin style offset. It's the Frankensmoker. Fugly as hell but seems to work pretty well as far I as I can tell :) But I plan on building a legit smoker someday soon. Anyway, thank you for this video series! Very helpful. Keep up the all the good work!
That makes me sad!!! It means we're almost done with this series 😭
Brad weld 2 peices of angle on the end cap to hold it
Looks awesome, I have a 250 gallon reverse flow and I love it
Debating if i should build a Chud box or another offset. Mr Chuds offset smoker was the blueprint for my 60g offset.
The slug from the drain hole may could have been used to plug the hole in the end cap. Maybe?
Looking good sir!
I’ve started a 250 gallon recently. You’ve given me some great info. Thank you.
Need you a magnetic drill press!
Looks great.. thought maybe a thermometer in the cap?
If I were building this, or any pit, my rule of thumb would be to have the top of the stack at least a foot taller than me, or at least 7 feet tall, to ensure smoke doesn’t come out straight into my face.
Looking forward to the first actual cook results vs a regular offset.
Love it
Really enjoying seeing this beast come together! I noted how much of a struggle you had around 3:55 to get the end cap mounted. The boilermaker I learned to weld from often coached that it's always OK to temporarily tack pieces together, then cut out the welds and grind the surfaces smooth. Next time you have a task like that, maybe tack on some tabs of flat bar to the underside of the barrel to hold the end cap in place with a clean fit, rather than brace it with your knee and hope it all stays aligned while you try to get the cap tacked into place?
ok... so i have a Oklahoma Joe reverse smoker...and the #1 problem is that the baffle plates are too close to the cooking grates...they get too hot. Good to see you put these lower in the cook chamber.