Smoker/Grill

Don't waste your time with insulation.

I assume this is a backyad smoker/BBQ, as opposed to a restaurant device.

I agree with lynlynch. It is possible to get too hot inside your smoker.

Maybe line the bottom and sides with firebrick or similar, but not the top. This will help to make it more durable, and help to reduce cold spots.

Regarding the efficiency of the wood fuel... it is what it is. If you make it more efficient, there will be nothing but heat. It is, after all, a smoker.

BBQ hog. Mmmmm. What time shall we come over? I make a killer potato salad.

Just to speak for the other side, I would encourage insulation. The better the insulation, the smaller the fire that you need (obviously).

(I guess everything I say here is going to be obvious.)

If those two grills will remain uncovered while cooking (or while not cooking), you'll lose a lot of heat there--I'd look at ways to cover them while cooking and while not cooking (on the grills). Insulated covers will save more heat, but could be heavy.

For insulating everything else, yes, firebrick will help. I'd also look into a double wall kind of construction--you can either not fill it and use it to draw combustion air, again conserving heat, or try filling it.

If I wanted to fill it, I'd look for mineral (not glass) wool. Some steel blast furnaces convert their slag to a wool type product. (If you can find a steel blast furnace anymore--well actually you can.)

I'll be interested in hearing what you decide, and how it works out (over time).

as to when to come over im overseas right now so might be a while plus growing the hog so mgiht be a while but it will be good

Sand base in fire pit area to keep from burning through metal. Sand base inside cooker area bottom to collect the drippings and insulate the bottom. Easy to set-up 250 gallon oil tank with lid etc. You should be able to Google and get plans for a Texas smoker off internet.

guess it doesnt link post you made as a guest to you account once its veriffied.

i was looking in to the mineral wool for kilnes. the reason for insulation is to use as little wood as possible and for cold smoking the fire needs to last 2 to 6 weeks so maning it 24 7 makes it hard being able to go 6-8 hours with out adding wood is a benifit. the grills and the smoker would be fully insulated also to maximixe efficeny portability is not a main concern that can be work at a later time.

Any one mention the Japanese clay smokers? Called Kamados, they fit the bill mentioned. Research , but I do not think they will do a whole goat, lamb, or pig--That is a "LARGE" task. I took a old 25 inch TV metal screen enclosure, out of a riverbed, and used it for years roasting/smoking turkeys, at campgrounds, for Thanksgiving. Just cover or uncover the small hole in the back, add wet chips or whatever smoking wood seemed right, and it always produced the best campfire food we have eaten..

For surfaces that will not be getting very hot, such as surrounding the relatively cool smoking area, fiberglass insulation is just fine. For areas like the firebox, you can still use fiberglass. It is good up to 1000 F. Just make sure the product you are using doesn't have binders or backing that can't take the heat.

It is a misnomer that dense materials provide insulation. They do not. They actually provide thermal mass. A brick oven will heat up slowly, but will maintain high temperatures for a long time. If you are interested in high efficiency, then what you really want is a mixture of 1) thermal mass, 2) insulation, and 3 air flow management.

For a grill, you want very hot temperatures for a short time and you want it to heat up quickly. Insulation may help with this. Thermal mass is your enemy.

For cold smoking you are maintaining very low temperatures (80-100F) for long periods of time (hours or days). In this case, both insulation and thermal mass will be both friend and enemy. Traditionally, cold smoking is done in the summer, when there is little need to heat the space because it is already hot outside.

For hot smoking, you are looking at temps of 150-200F for up to 8 hours. Again, both friend and enemy.

The great advantage and disadvantage of thermal mass is that the temperature "signal" has a much longer period. That means when you get it to the temperature you want, it will hold it steadily for a long time. It also means that corrections are more delicate and difficult.

I think this is a cool project. When you get it together, you should post plans and pictures and results. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Maybe I have lost it. To recapitulate the OP:

"Trying to work on plans for a smoker with an external fire pit." External fire pit, as in exposed sides and top.

"on the fire pit i would like to build a grill off to either side on for everday use the other for large cook (whole hogs ,large bbqs,ect.)" A grill, exposed sides and top.

"any reconmendations on what i could use to insulate them to minimze heat loss to burn wood more eficently." Just what is there to insulate? lynlynch said it all in #1, and somebody voted him OT. WTF? And others recommend insulating and GA? WTF is up with that?

And where is the smoker here anyway? Wherever it is, it should not be insulated.