new smoker
 

I'm going to build a new smoker for bbq's and such. I was wondering if anyone had ever adapted the thermostat from a gas oven into the constuction of a cooker. I think this would greatly reduce the amount of "looking" time if you could just set the temperature at 275 degrees and the thermostat would hold the smoker heat steady with the aid of a pilot light. I'm not sure if it would work or how one could adapt the valve to a homemade burner. I was just looking for some ideas. any input would be greatly appreciated.

They have lots of products available for heat reg on smokers. The DIY method sounds much cooler though. They even have units for charcoal smokers that use a inducer fan to stoke the coals as needed.

The downside to your plan though is using gas to smoke. If you're doing a long smoke: 10-14 hours for a pork shoulder or a huge brisket, you'll get gas flavor in the meat.

i have a cooker now that uses gas. i have a six inch piece of angle iron over the burner so that when the grease drips down some of it falls on hot steel and produces smoke. i can cook about 26 butts at a time and it takes about 12 hours. if i could incorporate the thermostat and pilot light in there I could leave it alone for longer periods of time.