Cooking Smoker

A cooking smoker comprising:

• a housing which defines a smoke chamber to place food for cooking and smoking;
• a fire box defined within the housing and separated from the smoke chamber by a bulkhead, the fire box being adapted to retain fuel to burn and create smoke;
• an air inlet to flow outside air into the fire box;
• a chimney in the housing for removing air and smoke from the smoke chamber;
• and
• wherein the chimney is located upon the housing at or below the vertical height of the air inlet so that a zero draft condition is created within the smoke chamber absent a motive force to displace air and smoke from the smoke chamber.

A method of operating a cooking smoker having a housing which defines a smoke chamber to place food for cooking and smoking and a fire box defined within the housing below the smoke chamber and separated from the smoke chamber by a bulkhead, the method comprising the steps of:

• Igniting a combustable fuel within the fire box to create heated air and smoke;
• allowing the heated air and smoke to rise into the smoke chamber;
• trapping the heated air and smoke within the smoke chamber in a zero draft condition wherein the heated air and smoke does not exit the smoke chamber;
• and
• flowing outside air into the fire box through an air inlet to displace a portion of the heated air and smoke from the smoke chamber through a chimney, wherein the chimney is at a vertical height which is at or below the air inlet.