SmokerBuilder

10/19/2026

If you're looking for a propane tank for your smoker build, keep in mind that gallons don't equal cooking space...

Most guys look for or size a smoker by gallons. Thinking "A 250, a 500... bigger must mean more food..."
Gallons are what the firebox and stack get sized to.
How much meat fits comes off the grate area.

I put everything I look at before sourcing a tank in one place...

Check it out here:

Buying an old or decommissioned propane tank for a smoker? Where to find one, what size and wall thickness to buy, and why purged with the valves out is the one must.

09/30/2026

The BBQ world is fun and SmokerBuilder is growing. That being said, I have a possible opening for a camera and/or editor person. If you have an eye for shooting or editing BBQ content give me a call.

This is an in person opportunity. No remote work.

You'll need some camera skills (big boy camera and phone camera), basic editing knowledge, ability to self start and self manage, moderate social media skills, the ability to travel, reliable transportation, and willingness to work a busy but fluctuating schedule.

This is a great opportunity and you'll learn a lot on this job.

Call and ask for me.
I can be reached at 762-772-2727.

Thanks!
Frank

09/26/2026

Live Q&A inside SmokerBuilder U this coming Wednesday at 7:00 PM Central Time.

If you have questions about your build or your smoker design this is for you.

I’ll be taking your questions in the live chat and answer them live.

If you would be interested in joining the livestream simply join the SmokerBuilder U site (it’s FREE) and you’ll be able to join me live 👍

Here’s the join link:

https://smokerbuilderu.com/posts/107914839

06/24/2026

Little Smoker trailer fabrication to for ya.
This is my go to for every trailer I build.
By the way I just published a new set of trailer plans on smokerplans site.
They are tandem axle 7,000 pound for a 500 gallon or so smoker.

04/23/2026

Doors moving after cutting is normal.

The steel already has stress in it before you ever make the cut. When you open that door line, you’re releasing that stress and the material moves.

The cut didn’t create the problem. It revealed it.

A lot of builders expect the door to stay exactly where it was. When it doesn’t, they assume something went wrong. It didn’t. You’re just seeing what the tank was holding the whole time.

The real work starts after the cut — not before.

If it moves when you cut it, that’s the tank telling you where the stress was.

By the way, I just published a new YouTube video about this on the SmokerBuilder YouTube Channel.

https://youtu.be/3nbcWvlLDwI?si=9ON801_P5IFI2Dlc

04/19/2026

Most warped smoker doors don’t get fixed.
They get forced.

People rush into it, start chasing one corner, pull on it too hard, and end up making the fit worse than it was to begin with.

Door alignment isn’t a brute-force job. It’s a process. If you skip that and start pushing metal around, you’re just moving the problem somewhere else.

This video shows what’s actually going on and why slow, controlled adjustments matter.

If you’re dealing with a warped door, watch this before you touch it:

38 likes, 10 comments. "Fixing a Warped Smoker Door? Watch This Before You Touch It"

04/15/2026

Little brute force and awkwardness goes a long way

04/08/2026

The best way to find hot spots and cool spots in a smoker?
Well, it isn’t biscuits in a biscuit test. It’s the long meat cooks.

Bark formation, color progression, and moisture behavior will tell you exactly how heat is moving through the pit over time. You can see it in how the top sets compared to the bottom, or how one side colors faster than the other.

For instance if you have issues with bark formation on the bottom of your brisket in an offset smoker cook. Sometimes you will see gray or red color but no bark.

Biscuits in a biscuit test can show surface differences quickly, but they’re only a short snapshot. They don’t reflect how the pit behaves during an actual cook.

Meat does.

If one side of a brisket or pork butt is lagging in color or holding moisture longer, that’s not random. That’s the heat pattern showing itself.

The cook will always tell you more than a staged test if you’re paying attention.

The pit shows you what it’s doing through the meat.

03/27/2026

Draft strength comes from temperature differential.

A strong, established coal bed produces heat. That heat creates lift. That lift is what moves the pit. Stack height and geometry don’t create draft on their own — they only shape what the fire produces.

When the coal bed is solid and sustained, the draft is steady. The pit carries itself. You make an adjustment, and it responds in a predictable way.

When the fire is weak or inconsistent, the draft falls off. That’s when people start working harder — adding splits early, adjusting vents constantly, trying to “keep it going.”

The difference isn’t always operator skill. A balanced pit allows the energy from the fire to translate cleanly into stable behavior. An unbalanced one makes the operator close the gap.

If you’re fighting to keep it moving, it’s not just the fire — it’s how the pit handles the heat you’re giving it.

If the fire has to work harder than the pit, something in the design is off.

03/11/2026

Throat elevation is a thermal decision, not an airflow decision.

The throat opening should sit even with the top inside the firebox. When it’s placed lower than that, the hot gases have to circulate downward before they can leave. That introduces unnecessary turbulence before the air mass even enters the cook chamber.

A lot of builders assume the flow leaving the firebox should move horizontally. In reality, heat is already trying to rise. The layout should respect that.

Once the gases leave the firebox, that’s where the real decision happens. You can encourage the natural upward movement of heat like a traditional offset, or you can redirect it downward with something like a reverse-flow plate or a turn-down baffle.

Neither path is wrong, but the geometry has to support whichever one you choose.

You can guide the heat where you want it to go, but it’s always trying to rise.