Reverse flow?

Probably not worth while on a Ok Joe, but obviously you have nothin better to do so tear it up!

Honestly, I wished I woulda built Lola as a traditional horizontal offset. There are many times when I could really benefit from the range of temps. In hindsight, I woulda used baffle plates.

I have a Lang which is reverse flow. Is it better than a standard smoker? No. I like it but it isn't any better at all in my opinion. It's just different.
But, then again, I don't know Jack Chit about anything.
PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look out over Rancho Norco and your bbq arsenal. Is there a reverse flow smoker to be found? If not, then I say do it. Why? Because you can.

just my opinion.. I don't care for the reverse flows. i have only cooked on them a handful of times, Lang 84 and Meadowcreek and found them to be fuel hogs compared to my Klose offsets. Yes, they do have more even heat, i think thats what I didnt like.

I like, and use the temperature variations in the offsets. Hot spots, cooler spots, etc.. IMO, makes it more versatile. Nothing like that hot spot right next to the firebox to get a good seer going, and it takes nothing to get my klose up to 550 and then back down to 300. it took alot of effort to get that high in the lang, and then came down slower.

So, grand master norco, could you make it a convertible?

Just offset. Offset with tuning plates. Reverse flow insert. An all in one. Of course you would have to explore the envelope of each version and share it with us.

Isn't an reverse flow just a really big tuning plate? I can make my BarBChef offset have really even temps by adding throwaway drip pans - with one on top of the extended deflector - the HarborFreight welding blanket on top and by not messing with it. I can make it have really uneven temps by running it stock, uncovered and opening the lid to look a lot. Versatility is nice if you can handle it but it makes more variables to deal with. I fight enough of them with the meat, rub, mop, sauce, temp, time, fuel and alcohol intake. I'm not at high enough of a Q-level to be able to handle too much more at this point in my training. So I'm all for even temp on my smokers and adjustable temp on my gasser.


For now...

no, a reverse flow has the exhaust on the same side as the firebox, where the heat has to travel all the way across the length, under the plate, then come up thru an opening on the the opposite side(the plate is short a few inches opposite the firebox), and come back across the top of the plate. thus.. 'reverse' flow.

Depending on how you like to cook a reverse flow design can be great. On a larger offset than Norco is talking about I really prefer the different temps that Phil mentioned.

Using tuning plates you can really even the temps out, and still have a nice hot spot to speed things along or sear something without giving up too much capacity for low and slow cooking.

Norcoredneck said:

Is it that much better? Was looking at the Oklahoma Joe I picked up and was thinking of making it a reverse flow. I know it isn't very big but pretty simple and inexpensive to do.

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I am a reverse flow nut! I like them because they are really easy to operate. When lighting up my Lang 60, it can be at 350 degrees in 15 minutes(have a log lighter) and with just a quick grate brushing and the rotation of my air vents, I can get her down to 225 in a few minutes. The temps are relatively even, 40 to 50 degrees higher on the box side is not unusual, but I use that to my advantage. I will say though, unless the smoker is fully packed, there is no reason to move the meat till it's done.

Not only are the reverse flows "super" smokers, but they "great" are grills too. I have cooked fresh dough pizza's on my lang at 550 degrees in 6 minutes from start to finish. The reverse flows are wicked easy to ramp up and down in temps once you learn your machine. Your meat will never be charred or burnt and will stay moist because of the juices being vaporized as they drip onto the baffle.

I do think the reverse flow works better in the smaller smokers, but with any particular style, there will be a tradeoff. I love my little Lang, but it works for me. By adjusting the level of the tongue, I can still have a warmer spot, or I can easily make the temp consistant across the grates. Because this is the only smoker that I have, and my cooks have grown much larger, I need every bit of usable cooking space I can get. The Lang showed her worth when we cooked for 300 this past summer!

As for using fuel, I am using 1 stick every 45-90 minutes depending on the weather and the load in the cooker. I don't find that excessive, but what do I know!

Below is a picture of when reverse flow really works, with 180lbs of pork butts using the entire cooking grate. In a traditional offset, 1/3rd of this meat would be charred into little pork butt rocks. Marie cooked them all just perfectly!

Awesome Pic!

Now that is maximizing your fuel usage my friend!!!!

I hate to fire up my Langs without filling them up(just because), but Noah, I think you have re-defined what a full smoker should look like!!!!!

Steve

BBQDAD said:

Now that is maximizing your fuel usage my friend!!!!

I hate to fire up my Langs without filling them up(just because), but Noah, I think you have re-defined what a full smoker should look like!!!!!

Steve

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The best thing is that a couple of hours later, you can really tell she cooks evenly across the board!