Our Story

It Started With a Smoker I Built at 20

I was 20 years old when I built my first smoker. It was not the best smoker in the world. But it got the job done. That was enough for me. Once you cook on something you built yourself, you never really go back.

A few years into oilfield fabrication work, I started building stick burners and firepits on the side. I understood steel. I understood heat. I knew what "built right" actually meant. The oilfields do not forgive shortcuts. That standard stuck with me.

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Then I Discovered Rocket Stoves

In 2019 I came across a rocket stove for the first time. The concept hooked me immediately. Feed a small fire from the bottom. Draw massive heat upward. Boil water in minutes on a handful of sticks. I built one and started giving them away to friends and family.

People loved them. That told me something.

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The Problem I Could Not Solve with What Existed

As life got busier with work and kids, smoking a brisket the right way got harder. A stick burner demands attention every 30 to 45 minutes. I just did not have that kind of time on weekends anymore.

I looked at pellet grills. The convenience was there. But it just did not feel right.

So I kept digging. That is when I came across gravity-fed smokers.

Honestly, my first reaction was confusion. I could not figure out how such a thing could even work. So I did what I always do. I studied it carefully until it made sense. Then I drew my own design in CAD and built the first one in 2022.

Within a week I was testing it. The results were great. Real wood smoke flavor. No babysitting the firebox. No checking every half hour. I could set it, walk away, and come back to perfectly smoked meat.

It changed how often I smoked. That is the whole point.

I am on my third iteration now. It is great. Wait until you try one.

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How We Build

Everything we make at Smoke + Forge is overbuilt. Heavier than most of what you will find from overseas manufacturers. It is laser-cut in our Pennsylvania shop. Hand-assembled. Tested before it ships.

I am not interested in making the cheapest version of these products. I am interested in making the version I would actually want to own. Something that holds up for years and does exactly what it is supposed to do.

Every piece that leaves this shop has my name on it. I intend to keep it that way.

- Brad 🔥