How exactly does a Backwoods/Humphrey's style smoker work?

Cabin Fever · Jul 1, 2013

I've always been a little confused about this so please let me know if I have it right.

1. Heat and smoke travel up through the wall of the cooker and enter the cook chamber through an opening/vent in the top.

2. Heat and smoke travel down and exit through a vent at the bottom of the cook chamber below the bottom grate.

3. Smoke travels back up where it finally exits out the exhaust.

Does that sound about right? Also, could someone please explain how the heat diverter works in these things? I thought the water pan was the heat diverter? I've seen several pics of the insides of these cookers, but can't spot what the heat diverter looks like. Anyway, any input on these cabinet style cookers would really be appreciated folks.

Ron_L · Jul 1, 2013

Yep. that's it.

The water pan does act as a heat diverter, but adding the separate heat diverter blocks some of the heat from the water pan so the water lasts longer.

coondogbbq · Jul 1, 2013

Also, while the smoke is filling the cooking chamber and going out the bottom, the water vapors are traveling upwards. the steam fills the cooking chamber until it also comes out the smokestack in the bottom.

grantw · Jul 1, 2013

i just got a backwoods party, they work well. there are holes in the back center for the exaust pipe and the smoke just comes out of the top walls. i did get mine with the diverter as well the water pan will last fairly long as the water does not boil as much as it would without it. the backwoods is real easy to work with, you can slide the coal pan right out, dump the ashes and reload with new coal without disturbing the cook chamber

cheapbeer · Jul 1, 2013

here is a pic from a fatboy I just picked up and have disassembled for clean up and paint. you can see where the heat comes in at the top and the exhaust holes at the bottom. in the other pic you can see 2 brackets that I believe the heat diverter would sit on to shield the water pan from direct heat

cheapbeer · Jul 1, 2013

other pic showing where heat comes in at the top

smokinit · Jul 2, 2013

Pm'ed you my number I can get you up to speed on them.

Royalslover · Jul 2, 2013

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164513 check out this link. My cousin built a fat boy clone and has a nice diagram of how it works.

Cabin Fever · Jul 2, 2013

Thanks for the info everyone. Eventually when I buy a new smoker I always knew it would either be a gravity fed or Backwoods style unit. Now I'm pretty much leaning towards a Humphrey. A gravity fed unit would be slightly easier to use, but I've heard these reverse flow cabinet smokers put smoke flavor into the meat that's second to none. Anyway, thanks again for the input everyone.

IamMadMan · Jul 2, 2013

Cabin Fever said:
Thanks for the info everyone. Eventually when I buy a new smoker I always knew it would either be a gravity fed or Backwoods style unit. Now I'm pretty much leaning towards a Humphrey. A gravity fed unit would be slightly easier to use, but I've heard these reverse flow cabinet smokers put smoke flavor into the meat that's second to none. Anyway, thanks again for the input everyone.

I too was considering the Backwoods Competitor, but opted for the Humphrey's Down east Beast... It has the same flow principal as the backwoods pictured in the post.

Here is why I selected a Humphrey's beside being a lesser cost.

How exactly does a Backwoods/Humphrey's style smoker work?

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