About

It Started With a Smoker I Built at 20

I was 20 years old when I built my first smoker. It wasn't 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, and I knew what "built right" actually meant. The oilfields don't 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 Couldn't Solve with What Existed

As life got busier — more work, more kids — smoking a brisket the right way got harder. A stick burner demands attention every 30 to 45 minutes. I just didn't have that kind of time on weekends anymore.

I looked at pellet grills. The convenience was there, but it just didn't feel right. 

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

Honestly, my first reaction was confusion. I couldn't 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's the whole point.

I'm on my third iteration now, and it's great. Wait until you try one. 

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How We Build

Everything we make at Smoke + Forge is over built — heavier than most of what you'll find from overseas manufacturers. It's laser-cut in our Pennsylvania shop, hand-assembled, and tested before it ships.

I'm not interested in making the cheapest version of these products. I'm interested in making the version I'd actually want to own — something that holds up for years and does exactly what it's supposed to do.

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

— Brad, Smoke + Forge