It's time.

[Diggerg]

I just use a cold smoke generator in the bottom of my cook chamber. Fill it up with sawdust and sit it on the transfer tube and light it. Works fine.

[JKalchik]

I just use a cold smoke generator in the bottom of my cook chamber. Fill it up with sawdust and sit it on the transfer tube and light it. Works fine.

I've been contemplating something like that as well. Which one are you using?

[Diggerg]

I got a cheap one off eBay. It's the square maze type.

[Weldun]

http://smokerbuilder.com/forums/viewtop ... 27#p103727

I did something along those lines, worked well!

[JKalchik]

http://smokerbuilder.com/forums/viewtop ... 27#p103727

I did something along those lines, worked well!

Cool.

I may make the firebox reducer, I've got enough sheet to at least make an attempt.

All good thoughts.

[JKalchik]

Well, nutz. Not just that shelf.... the expanded metal screen between firebox and flue has already failed and was holding some pretty good lumps of ash. Doesn't look like a pleasant job to weld in a new screen, but looks like I'll have to do that when I get a chance. I may also need to re-evaluate what charcoal I'm using.

I haven't gotten around to fixing this yet, and just had a dangerous thought. I've got some quarter inch round stainless rod stock here. I built replacement cooking grates for my charcoal grill out of it, and that's held up very well over 4 years. Weld up a grate with probably half inch spacing and vertical rods to replace the simple expanded mild steel grate. I also replaced the bottom of the charcoal tray in my grill with stainless expanded sheet and that's also held up to the direct heat very well. I'd really rather just do this once. The welded rod grate would be the longest lasting for sure, but considering how the stainless expanded sheet has held up, that'd certainly be a faster fix.

[JKalchik]

A little bit of gratification from over the weekend...... (I still haven't painted this thing yet!)

I attended a family funeral on Saturday. One of my cousins, who I haven't seen in the 2 years since my brother's surprise birthday party asked me before he even said hello "are you still smoking?" There's also discussion about a cousins get-together next year, or potentially the year following, and there's already a suggestion out that I haul the smoker over for the bash. Oh, darn, twist my arm harder..... ow, ow, ow.

[Big T]

Haha, sounds like a good tome in the making.

[JKalchik]

actually, I have never seen the weld on bullet hinges sag. they will hold a crazy amount of weight when welded on properly..

4 years later, I'm just gonna circle the wagons back on the bullet hinges. Ya'll are right.... I've hauled the smoker almost 3,500 miles hard mounted on a flat bed trailer, and the cook chamber door has not sagged one bit. I must have done something right.

Last big cook was a month ago, 600 miles east of here where I grew up. 2 separate events, totaling about 100 people. 5 packer briskets, 6 pork butts and 8 chickens. It ran for 30+ hours, and burned maybe 40-45 lbs of natural lump charcoal. Damn does this thing turn out some good food.

You fine folks are a bunch of enablers, I tell ya.

[Big T]

They'll last a lifetime if you build them right the first time! Good to hear that it's still performing like a beast.

[JKalchik]

They'll last a lifetime if you build them right the first time! Good to hear that it's still performing like a beast.

And it's sill performing like a beast. Lit it off around 4:00 PM this afternoon, just above freezing, with a partial load of charcoal. It's down to 16 F, a 10-20 mph wind, and a bit of light snow. My controller just squawked that I needed to feed the smoker, cook chamber temp had dropped from 225 to 205, and in less than 10 minutes with a full column, it had recovered back up to 225 and holding steady. My controller has a fan and damper assembly, and it's pretty well choked off the air inlet already. I don't even want to think about the misery I'd be facing in these conditions with my old leaky thin horizontal offset.

One of these days, I need to get paint on it........