The Texas BBQ Forum

I’m thinking about building a backyard bbq pit that would have a smoker and a firebox in it. Don’t want it to be to heavy that I can’t move I myself .. I need to find a pipe that would work to build and I could get the plat to build my firebox and vertical smoker .. where should I look for pipe

Propane tank, compressor tank.

Temp problems . I have some cheap external guages that I think are causing some issues everything seems a little dry or a little chewy that I cook . I hooked up a digital thermometer and my guages are about 50 degrees off using a temp probe on a srand on top of a ham if I put the temp probe at grate level on a stand then the temps are about 100 degrees off from the external guages and which temp do I believe? Also is it always going to read hotter at the grate level with a temp probe because its touching the grate with the stand that holds the probe ?

I had the same thing happen. We started out using a Tel Tru in the door and everything was getting burnt up and dried out. Got a digital to see and the Tel Tru was about 50 degrees lower than probe on the grill. I only use digital now. I don't think touching the grate matters, it can't get hotter than the actual temperature inside the smoker.

I rely heavily on my digital therms but I also know what my grates are running at with my door therms by knowing the difference in the two. I can look at my door therms and know what my grates are running at without seeing my digital.

What door guages do you recommend ?

Fabkid33 wrote:What door guages do you recommend ?

Tel-Tru seem to be the gold standard in analog gauges.
My experience matches K.A.M.s on there being a difference between door temp and grate temp, figure the difference and you are good to go


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Fabkid33 wrote:What door guages do you recommend ?

I use Tel-Tru 50°/550° 3" dial with a 4" stem.
https://bbqbs.com/collections/bbq-therm ... r-3-50-550

Im assuming then if a receipe calls for 225 then that would be grate temp ? I know some cookers love to run at different temps for different circumstances just trying to get closer to the ball park figuring I was about 100 degrees to hot on my grate temps this little cooker is going to take such little wood running the grate temp around 225 for the turkey Im going to be smoking

Fabkid33 wrote:Im assuming then if a receipe calls for 225 then that would be grate temp ? I know some cookers love to run at different temps for different circumstances just trying to get closer to the ball park figuring I was about 100 degrees to hot on my grate temps this little cooker is going to take such little wood running the grate temp around 225 for the turkey Im going to be smoking

That’s how I’d read it. I wouldn’t start adjusting vents or adding wood until I see a 10-15 degree +/- of your target temp and probably 25* +/- is fine. If you wanted to get super technical, you could look at a fan/blower controller like a BBQ Guru or similar.

225* is a bit low for poultry, rubbery skin will probably result. 300-325* is where I see most people cook poultry at to get crisp skin.

Poultry is definitely a meat where you want to closely follow the 40* to 140* in 4 hours or less guidelines for food safety. Pork I’m adamant on that as well. Beef I’m slightly more lenient of but not much.

I followed this tutorial including the gravy and was very pleased with the outcome.

https://dizzypigbbq.com/recipe/mad-max-turkey-method/


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If at all possible cook the turkey at 325°- 350°. The best sized birds for smoking are around 12 to 15 lbs. Any larger and it is hard to maintain a golden skin. If you are cooking a larger bird and the color is starting to get dark pan it and foil tent the bird to finish it.
Do not use rubs with a sugar content or your skin will get dark from the sugar burning. I prefer a light coat of cajun seasoning like Tony Chachere's.
I always cook my birds in a pan with a about a 1/2 cup of chicken broth. In the pan with the turkey goes the neck and giblets for a smoked giblet gravy.

Update !!! Finally figured my smoker out I have always wondered why I was using such small splits to control temps was using about a 2 inch diameter split cut into about 8 inches long but after seeing other smaller smokers running bigger splits I was thinking I am having a flow issue and smoker is out of control on a windy day well i found my answers . First off my vertical cook chamber too my horizontal has only about a 50% opening in between them above the cooking grate I tried the biscuit trick and i was burning the biscuits right where the horizontal meets the vertical where the smoke was backing up . I cut out the other 50 % between the chambers build a new grate for the vertical and added about 3 feet to my 8 inch stack and did a cook on Easter and my smoker runs amazing temps are easier to control and can use 16 inch long splits did two pork butts and a brisket and best cook I have had so far . I enclosed some pics

Here are some easter pics

Mobile smoker now !!!!!
Added all three grates to my vertical
And made my extended stack flip down
Also built a trailer for it out of some used steel I got from my steel supplier and us3d a chevy 3/4 ton rear axle and springs also added some cook pics too mostly wagyu brisket for Thanksgiving
Want to add some storage and fender soon to the trailer

Great job, you’ll have fun with that cooker.