After creating and using the offset smoker a lot, in combination with the gas grill, I realised that fire adds so much more flavour to food than gas. I wanted a way to do more different types of cook with real fire and wood than was possible with the offset, and so embarked upon a journey to build another cooker.

The design

I wanted this one to be very controllable, as well as have a large distance between the coals/fire and the food. This way I could use it for a variety of different things from hot and fast grilling of burgers, to hot and slow(er) grilling of things like bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, all the way down to low and slow cooks of things like pork shoulder and belly.

The build

As ever, this build began with an order from the steel merchant, to obtain a few lengths of different sized tubing, as well as some sheets of 5mm steel plate. I opted to use 5mm for Jeff to try to save a bit of weight when compared to the 6mm used on the offset.

I got to work on the base, adding heavy-duty caster wheels to allow the cooker to be moved around relatively easily when complete. The base of the firebox is double walled with a gap of around 25mm and insulated with ceramic wool.

I cut out the pieces with my R-Tech plasma cutter, and used the circle-cutting attachment to cut out openings on each side for controllable ventilation.

The rest of the build was quite straightforward, it being a box and all…

Features

Jeff was augmented with two dial thermometers, and dampers for each of the chimney stacks on the lid to offer even more control over the airflow. For example, it’s possible to open the opposite vent and damper and achieve a sort of crossflow, allowing basic indirect cooking.

Update

Since the original build the small weldable hinges on the door failed due to rust, but have been replaced with larger ones the same size as the lid hinges which are working well. Bracing was also added to the rear of the door to prevent warping with high temperature cooking.