Smoker Design Help

[Rufneck]

I am building an outdoor kitchen on some rural property and want to incorporate a smoker into the design. The kitchen cabinet / countertop will be free-standing and will have a BBQ grill, a sink and I intend to incorporate a smoker. I have found a wood burning smoker that I can have made for me and then I would have the mason just build around it but I am thinking that an all brick/mortar smoker would be better than a metal one that's been built around.

I have seen several smokers that are built into countertops but the ones I have seen are narrow and around 6 feet tall and I don't want that. What I want is a scaled down brick/mortar smoker. Does anybody have a proven design they can share with me? The countertop on my outdoor kitchen is 36" tall and the width of the smoker can be up to around 42 or 48" wide so I think I have adequate room.

[jtburf]

Her is our and the smoker is free standing. Built the Island and inset a gas grill from Home Depot. Replaced it this last spring.

[Jerry713]

I think I would go with metal. Brick may last longer in the smoker area but not in the fire box area. You'd have better control of the heat with thick steel IMO.

[bwguardian]

Originally Posted by Jerry713

I think I would go with metal. Brick may last longer in the smoker area but not in the fire box area. You'd have better control of the heat with thick steel IMO.

Not if you use fire brick...like in a wood burning fireplace. There are no mortar joints in those...which is the weak link. A special mortar is used that the fire brick are dipped into that holds them together more like a glue.

[Jerry713]

Originally Posted by bwguardian

Not if you use fire brick...like in a wood burning fireplace. There are no mortar joints in those...which is the weak link. A special mortar is used that the fire brick are dipped into that holds them together more like a glue.

Yep I'm familiar with them. I've built a lot of outdoor fire pits and a couple of outdoor fireplaces when I had a landscape company. I've also replaced many of fire brick because they popped or busted from the heat. Both have their good and bad but I would go steel based in my experience.

[bwguardian]

Originally Posted by Jerry713

Yep I'm familiar with them. I've built a lot of outdoor fire pits and a couple of outdoor fireplaces when I had a landscape company. I've also replaced many of fire brick because they popped or busted from the heat. Both have their good and bad but I would go steel based in my experience.

Then they weren't installed correctly...not everyone, heck, not even all masonry contractors know how to install them correctly.

[Jerry713]

Originally Posted by bwguardian

Then they weren't installed correctly...not everyone, heck, not even all masonry contractors know how to install them correctly.

Could've been what happened.

[Whitebassfisher]

Originally Posted by bwguardian

Then they weren't installed correctly...not everyone, heck, not even all masonry contractors know how to install them correctly.

That may very well be true. The fired heaters in plants along the channel have fire brick lining and they hold up. And they get hotter than almost any cooking I have ever heard of.