Gravity fed smoker

An apparatus for cooking and smoking a food product comprising:

• a. an enclosure including a smoke inlet;
• and
• b. a stack external to the enclosure, the stack comprising:
• i. a fire box for combusting fuel, the fire box comprising a fire grate and a fire box outlet, the fire box configured to provide smoke and heat from the combusting fuel through the fire box outlet to the smoke inlet of the enclosure;
• ii. a fuel hopper comprising an opening for receiving fuel, the fuel hopper configured to gravity feed the fuel into the fire box;
• and
• c. a smoke tunnel positioned within a bottom area of the enclosure, the smoke tunnel comprising a hollow structure having a first distal end and a second distal end located opposite each other along a horizontal axis within the bottom area of the enclosure, such that when the smoke tunnel is positioned within the bottom area of the enclosure, the smoke tunnel extends in a horizontal direction across the bottom area of the enclosure, the hollow structure of the smoke tunnel further comprising at least one outer wall that surrounds at least a portion of a hollow space extending along the horizontal direction within the bottom area of the enclosure, wherein one or more openings are positioned along the outer wall;
• and
• d. a fan configured to deliver air from outside of the apparatus into the fire box to combust the fuel and create a flow of air from the combusting fuel in the fire box, through the fire box outlet, through the smoke inlet and into the hollow space of the smoke tunnel, and out of the one or more openings of the smoke tunnel within the bottom area of the enclosure.

An apparatus comprising:

• a. an enclosure for cooking and smoking food, the enclosure comprising a cooking rack and a bottom area below the cooking rack;
• b. a stack external to the enclosure, the stack comprising:
• i. a fuel hopper comprising an opening for receiving fuel;
• ii. a fire box configured to receive fuel from the fuel hopper, wherein the fire box is further configured to provide smoke and heat to the enclosure;
• and
• c. a smoke tunnel positioned within the bottom area of the enclosure, the smoke tunnel comprising:
• i. a first end and a second end separated by a length along the smoke tunnel;
• ii. at least one side wall that defines a hollow space for receiving smoke and heat from the fire box between the first and second ends;
• and
• iii. a plurality of openings within the at least one side wall for delivering smoke and heat into the bottom area of the enclosure, wherein the plurality of openings are positioned on the at least one side wall along at least half of the length between the first end and the second end of the smoke tunnel;
• d. a fan configured to deliver air from outside of the apparatus into the fire box to combust the fuel and create a flow of air from the combusting fuel in the fire box, into the hollow space of the smoke tunnel, and out of the plurality of openings of the smoke tunnel within the bottom area of the enclosure.