Abstract: A cooker includes a cooking chamber having a first end and a second opposite end. A firepot is located at the bottom of the cooking chamber near the first end. The firepot receives and burns fuel to heat the cooking chamber. An exhaust stack is mounted near the second end of the cooking chamber. A heat management plate divides the cooking chamber into a lower fire pit portion and an upper cooking portion. The heat plate has an array of hot gas convection openings that extend between a first location which is spaced away from the firewall and a second location that is adjacent to the stack wall. The open area presented by the openings increases between the first location and the second location. An optional adjustable gate may also be present in the heat management plate between the firewall and the first location.

Abstract: An improved cooker includes a cooking chamber and a heat source. The heat source is mounted at one end of the cooking chamber. At the opposite end of the cooking chamber is a stack wall. A heat plate divides the cooking chamber into an upper cooking portion and a lower pit portion. A slidable damper plate controls the flow of hot air through the lower pit portion. The damper plate may be moved between a first position closer to the heat source than to the opposite stack wall and a second position closer to the stack wall than to the heat source.