Needing some input ideas and suggestions

Customsmoker · 03-17-2019, 04:07 PM

Hey guys and gals. Joined here to gather information. I am in the process of designing a pit. We will build it this coming summer. Main objective is to cook 1300-1500 16oz pork steaks efficiently. Past 4 years we used a 4x11 open pit with a sand bed. Burned oak wood in barrels and placed coals on the sand 22” below the cook rack. Could get approximately 150 steaks at a time. We did 1300 steaks this year and it was 14 hours from set up to clean up. Cooked for 12 hours straight. Besides being time consuming, the grill was a lot of work. Due to some extenuating circumstances, the grill is no longer available to us for use. We are going to build our own. I don’t see us getting any bigger than 1500 steaks, as we are limited on serving space. We serve baked potatoes, which get cooked in the oven at the high school currently. Also, baked beans, I think they said 6 roasters full. And a vinegar cole slaw. It’s a fundraiser for the local ffa chapter. All proceeds go to the graduating seniors enrolled in ag and going on to college.

So, my question for all of you, what would be a good design that we can build? We are a group of young farmers who can weld. We have plasma cutters and welders, trailers, etc. I have a 24’ trailer I was thinking of using for the frame. I’m leaning towards a 1000 gallon tank with a squared out front so the doors, 4 of them, would open sideways and not to the top. I’m thinking 2 racks, maybe 3. If my calculations are right, that would get me close to 400-500 steaks at a time. We burned oak wood for the charcoal before, I want to burn full sticks from here on out. I would like to eventually do the potatoes and beans on the cooker as well. I was thinking a 1000 gallon tank with a square fire box, 3/8” steel, and add a warmer box of some sort in the future for beans and potatoes.

What would be your thoughts? I’m open to ideas. Thank you for your time

03-17-2019, 04:07 PM	#1
Customsmoker Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match. Join Date: 03-03-19 Location: Nashville, Illinois Name/Nickname : Zach	Needing some input ideas and suggestions Hey guys and gals. Joined here to gather information. I am in the process of designing a pit. We will build it this coming summer. Main objective is to cook 1300-1500 16oz pork steaks efficiently. Past 4 years we used a 4x11 open pit with a sand bed. Burned oak wood in barrels and placed coals on the sand 22” below the cook rack. Could get approximately 150 steaks at a time. We did 1300 steaks this year and it was 14 hours from set up to clean up. Cooked for 12 hours straight. Besides being time consuming, the grill was a lot of work. Due to some extenuating circumstances, the grill is no longer available to us for use. We are going to build our own. I don’t see us getting any bigger than 1500 steaks, as we are limited on serving space. We serve baked potatoes, which get cooked in the oven at the high school currently. Also, baked beans, I think they said 6 roasters full. And a vinegar cole slaw. It’s a fundraiser for the local ffa chapter. All proceeds go to the graduating seniors enrolled in ag and going on to college. So, my question for all of you, what would be a good design that we can build? We are a group of young farmers who can weld. We have plasma cutters and welders, trailers, etc. I have a 24’ trailer I was thinking of using for the frame. I’m leaning towards a 1000 gallon tank with a squared out front so the doors, 4 of them, would open sideways and not to the top. I’m thinking 2 racks, maybe 3. If my calculations are right, that would get me close to 400-500 steaks at a time. We burned oak wood for the charcoal before, I want to burn full sticks from here on out. I would like to eventually do the potatoes and beans on the cooker as well. I was thinking a 1000 gallon tank with a square fire box, 3/8” steel, and add a warmer box of some sort in the future for beans and potatoes. What would be your thoughts? I’m open to ideas. Thank you for your time