Cookie Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 My two cents here is to just put a few, 3-4 holes dead center.. When the wood gassifies, the pressure thru the fewer holes would be greater and the gas travel deeper into the burning charcoal where is can be burned off.. I even started a project to build one of these with actual tubes to get the gas below the burning charcoal to ensure more of it will burn off.. Sounds like the next logical KK accessory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 Did the measurements, got it all worked out in my mind. Bought the Boston Butt. Will build/configure the smoking diffuser tomorrow. Going to give it a test run Sunday. Will post a thread at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 What kind of bit did you guys use to drill your holes? I made one of these a few years ago and gave up trying to drill out the holes through a cast iron dutch oven that is a little thicker than the one at the beginning of this thread. I ended up using a grinding wheel and just grinded down until it broke through, leaving just one small hole. It doesn't look pretty, but works. I never find I get a strong enough smoke profile using this method. 90% of the time I just heat soak, then add smoke wood, let the volatiles burn off for 30 minutes, then start my cook. If it is a really long cook, I'll mix some smoking wood in the basket, but as mentioned many places, that game is over at 170F, so I can't image that smoke more than two hours into a cook is doing anything other than making the world smell like a better place (which is ok with me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 If you ever try again buy a brand new drill bit for metal. Having a brand new bit goes a long way with projects like this. Even if a old bit looks good it still might not be sharp enough. Also if you can find a little bottle of cutting oil that will definitely help. Just a drop or two at the tip of the drill bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted April 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 Dennis - is there an ETA for the tube you're talking about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 Didn't have a lick of problem drilling mine with a standard metal bit. No oil, nothing. Cast iron is about as soft a metal as it gets, except maybe next to lead. Dennis, curious as to the tube idea - how were you addressing the structural issues with bending, crimping, unless you were keeping them very short, like nipples or a nozzle? Longer tubes would have to be fairly robust, given the small internal diameters were talking about. Good engineering problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 I picked up what I will now call the CC smoker pot from my local Bass Pro shop. Its the 2 quart size. I will do as Dennis recommends and drill 3 to 4 small holes in the center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 tinyfish, it will be interesting to hear about your smoking experiences with your new pot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 tinyfish, it will be interesting to hear about your smoking experiences with your new pot If it doesn't work as a smoke pot I'll drill a bunch more holes in the bottom and make a strainer out of it...lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 I had a game plan for tomorrow. After a test fit tonight it's not going to work. I have a better Idea what I would have to do to make this work in the Super Jr. Regardless a Boston butt is going on tomorrow morning with some cherry wood chunks placed among the lump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 I had a game plan for tomorrow. After a test fit tonight it's not going to work. I have a better Idea what I would have to do to make this work in the Super Jr. Regardless a Boston butt is going on tomorrow morning with some cherry wood chunks placed among the lump. I'm sure that butt will turn out perfect no matter what....will be waiting for the money shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 I'm impressed that you make your own charcoal. That is dedication. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 Just one of the side benefits, Eggary! Tinyfish, you will find that three small (3/32") holes will work just fine. The key is sealing the lid on with the flour/water paste. As Dennis noted, the pressure will build up and the smoke is forced out the holes into the fire to burn off the volatile components. With the small holes, it chokes the airflow into the DO, so the burn is very slow, which causes the wood to burn in an oxygen-deficient environment; hence, charcoal as a by-product. ckreef, here's a 1 quart cast iron DO. Only 5.5" dia (internal) and 3.5" tall. http://www.amazon.com/Cajun-Cookware-Dutch-Ovens-Seasoned/dp/B0000E2RWW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428810837&sr=8-1&keywords=1+quart+cast+iron Lodge makes a 1 pint DO (5" dia, 2.5" tall), but it doesn't come with the lid. You can buy the lid for it for another $9 - Total cost about $35. http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-HCK-Enhanced-Seasoned-Country/dp/B00LJSEU08/ref=dp_ob_title_kitchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 I'm impressed that you make your own charcoal. That is dedication. Eggary sorry to disappoint but I don't make charcoal. I am pretty good at buying charcoal though lol. The now named CC smoker pot is for wood chunks for smoking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpwebb Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Here are pictures of the cast iron pot I use for adding smoke, it has a six on it but I'm not sure what size it is. It is pretty small but holds about 4 fist sized pieces of smoking wood. I picked this up a couple of years ago driving through Tennessee, Lodge has a factory outlet store there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 You did better than me. Looked all over for that damned outlet store and never did find it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinS Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Dennis, you stated that you looked into designing a smoke pot with a tube that would project down into the burning coals. What if you just drilled one small hole in each of the three legs shown on cpwebb's Dutch oven above, rather than in the center of the pot? Would that accomplish your goal, and be sufficiently durable? Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Excellent idea, provided those legs are hollow. Since I don't own one with legs, I don't know for sure how they are built, but I would suspect at a minimum that there is a solid covering at the connection to the pot, otherwise, you have food down in the legs - where it would burn and be a bitch to clean. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinS Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 I am talking about using it as a smoke pot only - not for food. Drilling the air holes lengthwise through the legs, from the bottom of the foot to the inside of the pot, would not be easy. However, it would project the smoke deeper into the burning coals to burn off more of the volatiles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinS Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Sorry Tony B, I misread what you were saying. You are correct. If the legs are hollow, drilling them should be easy. If they are solid, drilling them will be difficult, unless you have a drill press. I suspect that they are solid. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
