Lambert’s Sweet Swine O’Mine Red Box Reverse Flow Charcoal Smoker

Sweet Swine O’ Mine Distributing has combined all of the features of the world’s best competition BBQ smokers into a compact, affordable portable Red Box Smoker. Will cook between 6-10 hours depending on the temperature used. Capacity: 1 – 10-12 pound turkey 4 slabs of baby back ribs 2 5-7 pound brisket flats 2 Boston butts or picnics 3 split whole chickens Cooking chamber inside dimensions: 13″ Deep 12″ Wide 14″ High 3-5 pound charcoal capacity in fire box.

Reverse Flow Charcoal Cabinet Smokers

This popular design is offered by Sweet Swine O’Mine.  Typically an insulated upright cabinet with a charcoal tray at the bottom and cooking racks in the upper smoke box. An air intake damper is located at the bottom front by the charcoal tray to feed oxygen to the fire, and an exhaust vent is placed in the lower back of the cabinet. Air enters through the bottom damper, a water pan then channels hot smoky air toward duct openings in the lower left and right sides that run from bottom to top. Heat and smoke emerge through upper holes where the ducts terminate and enter the cabinet where they are drawn down to the exhaust vent by the lower rack, thus creating a circular or reverse flow air pattern. With this setup the top rack is first to receive the heat and temps can moderate as the air flows down and out the lower exhaust vents. The more food on the racks, the more the temps drop from top to bottom. To insure even cooking on all racks, one needs to rotate them occasionally.

Here’s Lambert’s plan for a KCBS Competition BBQ on two Red Boxes:

Fire up a whole chimney of briquettes
When they are properly lit divide them equally between your two red box smokers
Fill remainder of the fire box with unlit coals
Remove the water pan
Close the damper half way and allow the cooker to reach 400 degrees
Add 2 competition trimmed boston butts to one cooker and one competition trimmed and separated brisket to the other Place the flat fat side down on the top rack and the point on the middle rack.
The temp should drop down to the 300 range
Rotate the racks for the butts and brisket after 30 minutes
After another 30 min add the water pan and fill ¾ with water
The butts Should be separated and wrapped individually after 5 hours total
The brisket should be wrapped after five hours total
Dump ash and return remaining coals to fire box
Light another chimney of coal and divide it equally between the cookers fill remainder of fire box with unlit coal

Brisket and butts should be done in 9 hours max
My butts and brisket usually go on at 10
Rotate at 10:30
Add water pan at 11
Wrap at 3
Remove and cambro around 6

Remove the water pan on one red box for your chicken
Reset your coals and allow it to come up to 350 degrees
Cook your chicken in a disposable half steam pan on the top rack.
The temp on the gauge should fall down to around 300 degrees
My chicken legs or thighs take almost two hours from start to glazing time (Usually about 185 degrees internal)

Refill the water pan for ribs
Reset your coals and let it get up to 250 degrees
Add your 10 bone slabs two per rack (one on top and one on the middle rack)
Rotate top and middle rack after 1 hour
Smoke 2 hours total or until color is good
Wrap with your choice of fillers and return to smoker for up to 3 hours (Check in two for tenderness)
Remove from foil glaze and return to smoker for up to 20 min to set glaze.