# Reverse flow cabinet/vertical smoker?



## sleepersilverado (Jun 27, 2011)

Anyone have any experience or input on this? I finally found some time to do a project for myself and am going to build a vertical/cabinet type smoker.

I am contemplating doing a reverse flow but cant find much on it in this type of pit.
Basically a 24" square X 48" tall cooking chamber and I am thinking about bringing the heat and smoke into the top and out the the bottom with a stack. I am hoping for a more even heat distribution. 

I am a ways from the point where I have to decide on this but would like some input.


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## water doc (Jan 28, 2011)

Since both heat and smoke rise; why try to change it?


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

water doc said:


> Since both heat and smoke rise; why try to change it?


 Agree, never seen a pit or smoker with that kind of reverse flow. Might call that inverted flow???

Before I put that much time and effort into a innovation like that, I would try some testing on a small scale to make sure it would work like you are thinking. I am thinking trying to force heat/smoke down 48" is going to be tough. It would have to get very hot on the top first. I am visualizing a house fire and how the smoke hangs above the doors until it gets hot enough/smokey enough to move down and flow through the door.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

X 3 on the above 2 posts.

You would have to force the smoke down with pressure (i.e. a fan). What you would gain VS the problems that you will incur, just won't be worth the effort. If you really feel that you might get uneven smoke distribution, try correcting by using a baffle to change the direction of the smoke. The farther that your heat/smoke source is from the smoking chamber, the less that you will have to worry about this.

Personally, I have found it easier to reposition meats within the smoker to get the balance that I want.


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## FishBone (Oct 11, 2004)

This will be the one I build next.


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## sleepersilverado (Jun 27, 2011)

I am not disagreeing with anything you guys are saying and that is why I keep battling back and forth with my self. 

Backwoods smokers builds a pit like I am talking about but their fire box is on the bottom and mine will be on the side. 

My original thought is come up from the fire box with two tubes and go into the chamber at the top. If there are issues I can bring some smaller tubes in at the middle of the chamber along with playing with damper configurations for the stack. 

Then another part of me says to do it traditionally and have the entrance at the bottom with a stack that has dampers at different elevations similar to gator pits dual stack vertical cooker.


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## steve holchak (May 18, 2012)

FishBone said:


> This will be the one I build next.


This. Use drip pan for liquid(apple juice, beer, whatever). My friend in Sargent has one on a trailer that cost him$1800.00 new.Has propane burner in firebox to start fire. Works great.


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## chumy (Jul 13, 2012)

FishBone said:


> This will be the one I build next.


with tuning plates?


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

The only way that design of yours will work consistently is if you use an exhaust fan of some type to keep the heat moving.


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## sleepersilverado (Jun 27, 2011)

Well I am going to give it a try. After researching the backwoods smokers some more I have revised my design. I am picking up metal in the morning and hope to get about 6 hours of welding in tomorrow. So it will be a gravity fead, reverse flow, vertical smoker. 

And I do plan to use a BBQ guru with a stoker type fan. I will make a build thread.


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## RogerTherk (Aug 24, 2011)

good luck


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## 410MAN (Apr 26, 2005)

I will try explain this, I'm not real good with words & not how drawi picture on here. I have trailer rig with 40 in dia cooking barrel its 10 ft long with 2 smoke stacks, 4 in diameter . One I come out,of the top, the other goes thru top and down 14 inches it almost touch cooking grate. I open both to start fire & get hot, then close the top one and leave the one that goes down to cook grate. Smoke and heat must go down then up to exit the cooker. Works great for me. I hope I explined it .


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## sleepersilverado (Jun 27, 2011)

Build thread http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=1448154


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## bludaze (Sep 1, 2004)

Pittmaker vault is a reverse flow vertical smoker Works quite well


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## sleepersilverado (Jun 27, 2011)

Pittmakers vaults are sweet pieces, I did not know they were reverse flow.


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## Law Dog (Jul 27, 2010)

Pittmakers vaults are nice pits, and expensive!


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## sweenyite (Feb 22, 2009)

I just finished my smoker. It is a reverse flow. Burning oak, I can set my air damper on the firebox and my stack damper, and hold a constant 225-230 degrees all day long. It turned out well I would say! It does consume a little more wood but the entire cooking chamber is one heat zone. Consistent heat across the whole pit is nice!
I ran my baffle plate from the firebox all the way to three inches from the other end. All the grease that runs off the end is caught by a weir and drained out through a drain valve into a bucket hung underneath so there is no flareups. If you build a reverse flow, you will love it.


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