The Pendeflex Meat Smokers Last Run Of The Season

Well we need to store up some smoked meat for the cold weather so the "Redneck Meat Smoker" got fired for the last time this year at sun-up for a 14 or 15 hour run. 14 pounds of pork, six chickens and a beef brisket. I have remarked on occasion that there were some of the 80's "smoke dragons" that were capable of a clean burn. The pics are all with the stove leveled out at 800 surface temp and the smoker box at the perfect 240 degrees. Burning clean with a twelve foot stack.

This rig has proved itself now so next weekend it gets sanded down and painted.

On the adult beverage inspired afternoon that I stuck it together I just cut a hole in the bottom of the filing cabinet large enough for the flue collar on the insert to fit. Then I cut one in the top of it and mounted the megabucks cast iron liner adapter that I had purchased when I put in a liner while the insert was still in the fireplace. There is a Charm-Glo barbecue probe thermo mounted even with the center drawer where the pork gets smoked. The smoke swirls around the drawers like secondary baffles to the one in the stove and then up and out. It is a smoking OWB like beast at startup. Good to have a nice breeze for the first thirty minutes of warmup.

I did it as a joke when I noticed that the cabinet was just the right width to sit on top of the insert. The original plan was to have a sheet metal shop make me up a stainless box with door and racks. The drawers are just the right width for aluminum roasting pans so this ugly sucker is a keeper. I have never owned any smoker at any price, and I have tried'em all, that can smoke meat like this thing. And the big firebox is a definite plus.

The rollers in the drawers will probably crap out but what the heck. I have two more cabinets that aren't being used that much in the office. I think a few coats of flat black hi-temp paint will do wonders for it.

Love it Bro B. Looks like you'll be "high on the hog" in pretty short order. I just pulled the 24# batch of jerky off of my own, home built smoker. A different design, but works great. Designed for low or high temp applications (for anything from jerky to cheese to meat).

Mmmmmmm........making me hungry for some ribs. Oh look...theres a bag of jerky on my desk....mmmmmmmmm.

Now there is a thought. Those Glacier Bays and the old Fischers were just born for the job. I wouldn't be surprised if a good one couldn't be made with a rear exit stove and a full sized cabinet sitting behind it.

Yeah, Bro B, what happens when things get a little too hot in your drawers? :coolsmile:

I have no answers on the flue gases side except that the size of the cabinet obviously dissipates a lot of the heat. That and the fact that the Sierra does a rolling re-burn across the baffle pretty much like a "modern" stove because it has secondary air inlets above the glass that mixes with the gases and gives it secondary combustion before the stuff goes up the pipe.

How to I control the burn cycle? Me and that stove have been cooking trees since 1985. Up to 800, eases down to 600 over the first hour and cruises at 500-600 for six hours and then eases down over the next three hours. Done it in my sleep many a night. The filing cabinet just hangs out at 225 to 260 the whole time for some reason. When smoking I stir the coals and add two splits to give it the final kick to finish up.

Update: The chickens came off in time for a late lunch. The pork and brisket were ready twenty minutes ago and made it in time for dinner.

Heaven now has a latitude and longitude. My wife hates pork but loves beef. Two bytes and she said "You outdid yourself this time old son.".

Thank you HON. You make one hell of a filing cabinet.