# My reverse offset smoker build



## Hairy camel (5/2/16)

Hi guys I thought I'd make a thread on my first offset smoker build 

80ltr lpg gas tank as the cooking area 
Hand built 6mm steel plate fire box 
Expanded mesh cooking grill 



What it started as

Gas tank washed out and degassed 


Marking out the door heights...


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## Hairy camel (5/2/16)

As they say the first cut is the scariest 


Some quick hinges fabbed up


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## Benn (5/2/16)

Lookin good man,


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## Hairy camel (5/2/16)

The lid is cut out 

All opened and that's enough for tonight I'll get back into it tomorrow after I bottle a brew


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## Hairy camel (5/2/16)

I had to weld a tab on to save my fingers


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## seehuusen (5/2/16)

Thats awesome, will follow your progress mate


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## Hairy camel (5/2/16)

Thanks guys


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## Judanero (5/2/16)

Looking good mate!


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## Hairy camel (6/2/16)

I made a frame up on the inside to keep the smoke in while cooking 


[






Smoko time with a nice ipa

[attachment=86624:ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1454743503.298793.jpg

The outside frame is all tacked on


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## Mr B (6/2/16)

Looking great, very nice.

Where did you find the tank?


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## Ducatiboy stu (6/2/16)

Made a few BBQ ovens the same way but used a gas burner made from 25mm square tube with slots/holes cut in. Used MIG welder tips as the gas jet. They worked very, very well


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## Hairy camel (6/2/16)

Mr B said:


> Looking great, very nice.
> 
> Where did you find the tank?


 one of my mates ripped it out of his hotrod 
It's a 80l tank


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## Hairy camel (9/2/16)

I thought I better make a start on the fire box 


I'd give my left nut for a plasma cutter but since it's my missus's handbag I had to the job with a 4" and a 1 mm disc 

The hight dummied up 


Now to make a template for the end wall and weld it together


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## CmdrRyekr (9/2/16)

Going to follow the SHIT out of this! Awesome work mate, love it.
I need a bigger smoker, and this would be epic.


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## Hairy camel (12/2/16)

Got a fair bit done tonight 
[



I had the wire speed up a tad too high but I'm happy with the welds 



Time to weld it closed 



That's enough crime fighting for one night time to grab a beer and head up stairs 
Tomorrow I plan on doing some finishing touches and make some hinges and then cut the door out


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## Hairy camel (17/2/16)

Hi guys and gals sorry I haven't been updating much over the last few days been busy with work and my father in law in hospital having a bypass done 
Any who's I did manage to get some things done last night


I was toying with the idea of running some angle iron around the firebox to stiffen things up a tad plus hide the welds 




It was hot work welding so I guess I better test my first lager .....damn it was good 


Time to make some hinges and get the door cut out 









We have a door that swings well [emoji4]


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## Blind Dog (17/2/16)

Time for another lager?

Looking good (build and beers). Best of luck for the FIL.


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## Hairy camel (17/2/16)

Blind Dog said:


> Time for another lager?
> 
> Looking good (build and beers). Best of luck for the FIL.


Lager for sure after this build is finished I'm starting on a e herms system....well unless the missus finds how much it costs lol


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## Hairy camel (17/2/16)

I had a spare hour this arvo so I thought I'd do some work on the smoker 












I had to shape some metal to patch up where the fittings are 



A few hits with the dumpy hammer and it's getting there 



Almost there


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## Hairy camel (20/2/16)

Been a bit hot this week so much got done but I did manage to cut out the section where the fittings are and tack the patch panel in


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## CmdrRyekr (20/2/16)

Looking good! Do these LPG tanks need any special seasoning when they're first used? Obviously there isn't any gas left, but more wondering about any non-foodsafe residue or rust that might be on the inside walls of the tank itself.


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## Hairy camel (20/2/16)

The best way to clean them out is with a fire it burns any rust residue ect off 
Then to season it rub some oil all over the inside and heat it up like you would a cast iron camp oven 

The combination of the heat oil and smoke from the wood will season it for life without any rust coming back 

Also on the fire box as there's not much on the market in regards to heat proof paint that works cover it with oil as well and burn it in by lighting a fire 
It will burn black to the point that it will look painted and only need doing again when you see it needing more


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## barls (20/2/16)

White Knight High Temp 500ml Pot Belly Black Heat ...
http://www.stovebright.com.au/paintpowder.htm


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## Hairy camel (20/2/16)

barls said:


> White Knight High Temp 500ml Pot Belly Black Heat ...
> http://www.stovebright.com.au/paintpowder.htm


I've tried it before on another project and it burnt of after 3 uses its fine on the cooker but not so good on the fire box


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## barls (20/2/16)

Hairy camel said:


> I've tried it before on another project and it burnt of after 3 uses its fine on the cooker but not so good on the fire box


what about something like this
http://www.vhtpaint.com/high-heat/vht-flameproof-coating


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## Ducatiboy stu (20/2/16)

Just use good old fashioned Pot-Belly black


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## Grainer (20/2/16)

You should make a heat distribution plate or it.. really easy to make and will improve the smoking 10 fold.. look at the yoder smokers as an example


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## balconybrewer (20/2/16)

Most (maybe all) yoders are traditional offset. Hairy is building a reverse flow so the base plate is essentially a distribution plate. Nice build hairy.


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## balconybrewer (20/2/16)

Most (maybe all) yoders are traditional offset. Hairy is building a reverse flow so the base plate is essentially a distribution plate. Nice build hairy.


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## Hairy camel (21/2/16)

Thanks guys yes it's getting base/distribution plate next 
Any hits tips would be greatly appreciated as this is my first build and it really came from a few too many beers idea


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## Hairy camel (25/2/16)

The little project is moving along rather nicely 

Here's this weeks updates 




A bit of 3" pipe 






After a few beers for my 40th I thought I'd start to season the smoker cause it's going be outside till it's finished 









Vent cut 






Vent door made and mounted 



The cooking shelf brackets are welded in 



A little bit fancy lol


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## seehuusen (25/2/16)

Neat job mate


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## Hairy camel (27/2/16)

It's was 37 degrees yesterday so I finished work early and came home to do some welding on rf



I can't weld for shit but It'll stick 



A old garage creeper donated it's wheels for me to use 



After a few beers here's the stand it's a little high by about a 100mm but I'm 6.1 with a bad back and I think it's comfortable for me


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## komodo (8/3/16)

What made you choose an off set over a vertical cabinet type? 
Obviously offsets look cooler...


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## mashhammer (8/3/16)

Offset is the (traditional) way to go, you can lie out big lumps of meat like brisket in it. I would do the same if I had the time and/or money.

Hairy, I saw some of your photos on ABA too. Nice going


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## Judanero (8/3/16)

HC- Why did you put the chimney on the same side as the firebox?

I thought the placement on the opposite end was to ensure smoke effectively filled the chamber (and covered meat) before exiting.

I don't even have a smoker but have the raw materials to create one (is on the ever growing to-do-list) so am genuinely interested.


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## Hairy camel (8/3/16)

Judanero said:


> HC- Why did you put the chimney on the same side as the firebox?
> 
> I thought the placement on the opposite end was to ensure smoke effectively filled the chamber (and covered meat) before exiting.
> 
> I don't even have a smoker but have the raw materials to create one (is on the ever growing to-do-list) so am genuinely interested.


The reason why is because it's a reverse flow smoker not a normal flow smoker......

When the smoke travels along from the firebox it heats the heavy steel plate the forms as tunnel for the smoke to travel along then at the end it the smoke turns around and travels back resulting on the meat being cooked from below and having the smoke do its thing


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## Hairy camel (8/3/16)

Komodo said:


> What made you choose an off set over a vertical cabinet type?
> Obviously offsets look cooler...


The main reason is because I work alone and mostly drunk when welding so it was easier lol 

Nah just kidding I wanted a true reverse flow to learn on


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## Hairy camel (8/3/16)

While this was heating up I managed to do some work on the weekend 



The cheap Chinese gauge showed up...it tested within 3 degrees from correct so it'll do for now
I plan on smoking by a temp probe anyway so it's just to tell me what the ovens doing 




Mmmm pizza ....and hangover installed 



Lunch and dinner getting cooked at the same time



Smoked roast pork.....

Oh wait where was I that's right trying to build smoker 



I managed to finally make the grill 



The fire box door finally got some attention 

The missus got made redundant today so the smoker might not be fully finished for a few weeks while I try and keep the mortgage on track but I'll see what happens


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## Judanero (8/3/16)

Hairy camel said:


> The reason why is because it's a reverse flow smoker not a normal flow smoker......
> 
> When the smoke travels along from the firebox it heats the heavy steel plate the forms as tunnel for the smoke to travel along then at the end it the smoke turns around and travels back resulting on the meat being cooked from below and having the smoke do its thing


Cool mate thanks for the explanation! Great build too!


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## Hairy camel (12/3/16)

After lots of sitting down looking at it I finally figured out a door handle that would work 




$6 chip hammer looked like it would work 



A quick cut weld and some tube later 
















I'm pretty happy with how it turned out


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## SBOB (12/3/16)

Hairy camel said:


> After lots of sitting down looking at it I finally figured out a door handle that would work
> 
> I'm pretty happy with how it turned out


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## Hairy camel (15/3/16)

Well guys it's coming along nicely and after today's effort it's almost ready for paint 






Cooking grills extended the centre section is removable to help with cleaning the fat off the heat tray 






The bench is complete 



After a few brews I finally worked out a door handle that would work and look ok 

Some pipe,rod and chip hammer handle later 




My super high tech clamp idea to hold it in place 




The finished bush mechanic style handle works 

Once the handle was sorted out I made a start on the vent control 
To save from leaning over the firebox I made up this control bar out of some rod and tube 








Not pretty but it'll do


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## Hairy camel (15/3/16)

Tomorrow it should be painted up and ready to go


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## Ducatiboy stu (15/3/16)

That put a horn on a jellyfish


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## Hairy camel (15/3/16)

Haha thanks man it's been a huge project that's for sure but it might be going to a new home...I got a offer that's hard to knock back and gets me more involved into brewing


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## Hairy camel (16/3/16)

Time to strip of the old paint
















Well guys and gals she all painted and now to wait for it to dry to fit up the gauges


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## Hairy camel (16/3/16)

Finally it's finished and baking in the sun


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## Mardoo (16/3/16)

Sweet! Now is there a solid plate that goes under the grill plate? Did I miss that bit? Newbie to the reverse offset smoker. I read the description you gave Judanero and I thought from that there would be a solid plate as well as the grill mesh.

Now then, I have that old 70 litre keg and a 35 litre keg...and zero welding skills...hmmmm


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## Hairy camel (16/3/16)

It's right here


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## Mardoo (16/3/16)

Beautiful, cheers!


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## Hairy camel (18/3/16)

I finally got a chance to test the smoker out yesterday 
I didn't cook anything but it was a nice night to sit in front of the fire while I seasoned it View attachment 87638


View attachment 87639


View attachment 87640


I got a huge offer to swap it for a keg system and a lot of brew gear that was hardly used.

Sadly my little piggy got sold today but it's for a good cause.... No more bottling [emoji4]


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## Mr B (18/3/16)

Nice work, a piggy for a keggy is worth it, especially when you make the piggy yourself....

Great build, and enjoy the kegging, as they say, you will never look back

Great looking smoker btw


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## Hairy camel (18/3/16)

I finally got a chance to test the smoker out yesterday 
I didn't cook anything but it was a nice night to sit in front of the fire while I seasoned it 








I got a huge offer to swap it for a keg system and a lot of brew gear that was hardly used.

Sadly my little piggy got sold today but it's for a good cause.... No more bottling [emoji4]


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## Seaquebrew (18/3/16)

Enjoy the keg system 

Then get to work on the new improved version of the smoker

Fine piece of work 

Cheers


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## wide eyed and legless (20/3/16)

Hairy camel said:


> I got a huge offer to swap it for a keg system and a lot of brew gear that was hardly used.
> 
> Sadly my little piggy got sold today but it's for a good cause.... No more bottling [emoji4]


Hope you gave the guy who bought it a medal, hes put his own life on the line and reduced your chances of getting gastric cancer 10 fold.


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## Mardoo (20/3/16)

Shame about the liver


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## Hairy camel (21/3/16)

Nah my liver will be fine I've been brewing for a while I just hate bottling that's why I did it lol


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## shaunous (21/3/16)

wide eyed and legless said:


> Hope you gave the guy who bought it a medal, hes put his own life on the line and reduced your chances of getting gastric cancer 10 fold.



Whaaaaaa????


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## Hairy camel (21/3/16)

That's what I was thinking....


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## wide eyed and legless (22/3/16)

Don't shoot the messenger, a scientific study carried out in Canada only confirmed what had been suspected for a few years now. 
50% of males WILL get cancer, chances of getting cancer, drinking alcohol 4 times greater than someone who doesn't drink, tobacco smoking 8 times greater than someone who doesn't smoke, consuming smoked meat or any meat or fish cooked over an open flame 9 times greater. Still a great build Hairy Camel, as longer as the new owner uses it sparingly hopefully he will be fine.


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/3/16)

wide eyed and legless said:


> Don't shoot the messenger, a scientific study carried out in Canada only confirmed what had been suspected for a few years now.
> 50% of males WILL get cancer, chances of getting cancer, drinking alcohol 4 times greater than someone who doesn't drink, tobacco smoking 8 times greater than someone who doesn't smoke, consuming smoked meat or any meat or fish cooked over an open flame 9 times greater. Still a great build Hairy Camel, as longer as the new owner uses it sparingly hopefully he will be fine.


Well we all end up dying. I guess I will be enjoying some smoked BBQ meats and a few beers as I slowly die


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## Airgead (22/3/16)

Much as I hate to derail the thread with science... 

That 50% of males will get cancer is true... But misleading. Of that 50%, a large percentage of that will be non malignant skin carcenoma, another large percentage will be slow growing prostate cancer (the sort you die with not because of) and so on. While cancer s still a major cause of death, it's no where near 50%.

As for the smoked meat thing, the sort of gastric cancer that it makes you more likely to get is not that common. I don't have the figures handy but it's in the region of 1 in 100000. So a 10x risk is 10 in 100000 or 1 in 10000. Thems still pretty good odds. Even in heavy smokers, it's the other complications of smoking that kill the majority not lung cancer. Yes the incidence is much, much greater but it's still in the 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000 range. 

This is the difference between relative and absolute risk. Something the media, in search of a good scare story, doesn't point out.

BTW - Awesome smoker. It must have been a pretty great keg system to make you part with it.


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## Hairy camel (22/3/16)

All good guys the last thing I need to worry about is cancer 
I work with asbestos and treated timber


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/3/16)

Hairy camel said:


> All good guys the last thing I need to worry about is cancer
> I work with asbestos and treated timber


You will be right, Of you dont get cancer from either of those 2 , then you never will :lol:


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## Matplat (22/3/16)

Did you even get to use it once before you parted ways???

Not sure I could put all that effort in and not even have a go once.... Looked bloody awesome!


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## Hairy camel (22/3/16)

Matplat said:


> Did you even get to use it once before you parted ways???
> 
> Not sure I could put all that effort in and not even have a go once.... Looked bloody awesome!


No he made a offer while it was being built....I'm going to start another one this weekend
I know what mistakes I made and this one will be a lot better


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## fraser_john (22/3/16)

Hairy camel said:


> No he made a offer while it was being built....I'm going to start another one this weekend
> I know what mistakes I made and this one will be a lot better


Create a new thread for the new build..... that way I won't have to dig through posts to avoid mistakes ......


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## bjbear77 (22/3/16)

Thank God. I felt ripped off following this thread and not seeing the money (cooked food) shot


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## JeffreyThomas (14/8/19)

How can I pick out the best product from those listed on this site? https://bestoffsetsmokers.com/best-offset-smokers/


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