Vertical smoker

A smoker, comprising:

• an external housing;
• one or more sidewalls at least partially defining a cooking chamber within the external housing;
• a solid fuel combustion unit comprising a burner configured to combust solid fuel and produce smoke and heat;
• a drip tray disposed above the solid fuel combustion unit and forming a floor of the cooking chamber, the drip tray being configured to route the smoke and heat into at least one channel disposed between at least one sidewall in the one or more sidewalls and the external housing;
• one or more apertures disposed in the at least one sidewall, the one or more apertures being configured to allow the smoke and heat to pass from the at least one channel into the cooking chamber;
• a secondary solid fuel combustion unit removably inserted into the smoker below the cooking chamber and configured to store a second solid fuel;
• and
• a valve disposed between the solid fuel combustion unit and the secondary solid fuel combustion unit, wherein the burner is configured to combust the second solid fuel when the valve is in an open position and thereby provide a second source of smoke and heat.

A smoker, comprising:

• an external housing;
• one or more sidewalls at least partially defining a cooking chamber within the external housing;
• a solid fuel combustion unit configured to combust solid fuel and produce smoke and heat;
• a drip tray disposed above the solid fuel combustion unit and forming a floor of the cooking chamber, the drip tray being configured to route the smoke and heat into at least one channel disposed between at least one sidewall in the one or more sidewalls and the external housing;
• one or more apertures disposed in the at least one sidewall, the one or more apertures being configured to allow the smoke and heat to pass from the at least one channel into the cooking chamber;
• a secondary solid fuel combustion unit below the cooking chamber and configured to combust a second solid fuel and provide a second source of smoke and heat;
• a butterfly valve disposed above the solid fuel combustion unit and below the secondary solid fuel combustion unit, the butterfly valve being actuated by a handle on the external housing, wherein the secondary solid fuel combustion unit is configured to combust the second solid fuel when the butterfly valve is in the open position;
• a back panel at least partially forming a back wall of the cooking chamber;
• and
• an exhaust opening disposed within the cooking chamber below the back panel, the exhaust opening being configured to allow smoke to exit from the cooking chamber and out of the external housing.