My Smoker Assembly

[RHNewfie]

Hey All,

This year I got a horizontal offset smoker for Fathers Day. Very excited! I know that there are many other models that are less hassle than the OS but it just appeals to me for some reason and I was willing to put in the work to make it great!

So I did a ton of research on all of the best modifications to help it reach appropriate temperatures and hold them.

Here it is in the box (Total cost was $208)



Built a wire charcoal basket



Lined the bottom of the firebox



Heat baffle

[RHNewfie]

Extended the stack to the grate



Stove gasket cement between the firebox and the cooking chamber

[RHNewfie]

Sealed the door with high temp silicone



The seal



No chamber leaks



You can see the foil wrapped fire bricks in the bottom. Also have a metal plate that goes over them.

[RHNewfie]

Sealed the smoke stack



Thin blue smoke (hard to see!)

[EricF]

Looks good Jeff! Have you done anything on it yet?

[RHNewfie]

Not yet, putting a chicken in brine this afternoon that I am going to cook Saturday. (Brine for 24, dry in the fridge for 24, and rub for a few hours.

[Stevez]

Looks great; if this is a new hobby to you, it will become addicting quickly. Congratulations and enjoy. Steve

[jledou]

Looks like you are heading down the hill at a good pace. Enjoy the ride Jeff!

[OLS]

Somebodies been trolling through the smoker mod threads at other forums...........
EXCELLENT reading comprehension and physical....doing of...stuff.
That's the fancy charcoal, too...Charbon du bois franc. I don't think we HAVE that in the US.

[pektel]

Wow, When I got my now dilapidated horizontal grill/smoker, I didn't even buy the smoker box. I bet things would've went MUCH more smoothly had I done the proper research and modifications like this. That being said, I've learned how to keep 225-250 on a horizontal style unit on which the intakes are rusted almost completely open.

Originally Posted by OLS

That's the fancy charcoal, too...Charbon du bois franc. I don't think we HAVE that in the US.

Nope. I believe that's what Canadians do with all the broken hockey sticks.

[RHNewfie]

Originally Posted by OLS

Somebodies been trolling through the smoker mod threads at other forums...........
EXCELLENT reading comprehension and physical....doing of...stuff.
That's the fancy charcoal, too...Charbon du bois franc. I don't think we HAVE that in the US.

Yeah, just a little bit of research.

Other than briquet (which I have some of as well) that was the only lump I could get. Price is crazy though, like a buck a pound or more....

First smoke is happening tomorrow, rain or shine. Chicken will have been in brine 24 hours as of 1 today and then it will sit in the fridge and dry until tomorrow.

[OLS]

hehehe, ooh, Peter, you are always fun to have around, especially on a rainy Friday
in the hottest place in the US, or so it would seem. I am sort of in the same boat,
my grill is oriented pretty medium-long, and it doesn't even offer a firebox, but outside
of cooking for a party, I can indirect-heat some great smoked meat. After my experience,
I almost consider the firebox a hassle. I am sure (espec. with the mods.) that it is gonna
be PERFECT (with some experience). I can't wait to see what a meat sale is gonna bring
us picture-wise.

[RHNewfie]

Oh, and my Maverick ET73 is supposed to arrive today but I have serious doubts about that....

[jjirons69]

Great job, Jeff!! A man after my own heart - I love to mod grills to be what they were suppose to be to start with. You've got a great setup now and that Maverick will only top the cake. Many years of good smoking/grilling ahead. Again, most excellent!

Expanded metal makes me happy.

[Steve]

[RHNewfie]

Well, first snag LOL. My digital thermometer was supposed to arrive on Thursday but it is nowhere in sight! I will have to wing it with the two old-school probes that I have... One is at least semi-reliable!

[GWN]

Awesome mods! Did you see that the big bags of Royal Oak lump are half price at Lowes today? Grabbed 3.

[RHNewfie]

Originally Posted by GWN

Awesome mods! Did you see that the big bags of Royal Oak lump are half price at Lowes today? Grabbed 3.

Thanks for the heads up! I headed over and grabbed a few bags!

The first run on the smoker went 'meh...'

Food tasted good, chicken was a tad dry. Had temperature issues and couldn't tell how hot the grill was since I had no real thermometer so I finished the chicken on the gas grill after about 5 hours on the smoker. I did figure out how to get the temp cranked after the fact though by playing with the vents after the chicken came off. Pictures when I can get to it!

[GWN]

Originally Posted by RHNewfie

Thanks for the heads up! I headed over and grabbed a few bags!

The first run on the smoker went 'meh...'

Food tasted good, chicken was a tad dry. Had temperature issues and couldn't tell how hot the grill was since I had no real thermometer so I finished the chicken on the gas grill after about 5 hours on the smoker. I did figure out how to get the temp cranked after the fact though by playing with the vents after the chicken came off. Pictures when I can get to it!

You're a brave man doing poultry as your first smoke. You'll find pork shoulder or baby backs much easier. I like deboning a chicken and then stuffing it and rolling it as I find it holds the moisture better, thanks to all the good stuff inside.

[Fordman4ever]

Looks awesome. I wish I had done the same thing with my smoker.