ECB Mods? Anyone trying anything new?

[thinblueduke]

what would the pizza pan do? At first I thought you meant inside, but outside and over the lid? If you are thinking to seal around the lid?

@bobank03, that's what I'm thinking.  The pizza pan ring would be a skirt on the outer edge of the lid, riding over the outer rim of the body.

 

[rvial]

Any one know the diameter of the lid on tjr gourmet?

 

[bobank03]

rival, I have been looking at your post trying to figure out what tjr is? I know it's probably obvious, but I'm stumped. 

 

[rvial]

...I blame my phone. should be the.

 

[bobank03]

next post down, @4kdave  has the gourmet he can measure it for you?

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/165992/located-weber-grill-vents#post_1205178

In case he doesn't see this post. 

 

[rvial]

I was just curious :) was curious how big a pizza pan you would need for the skirt idea

 

[thinblueduke]

It would depend on the diameter of the lid (can't measure mine right now, as it's in storage ahead of the approaching supertyphoon), but I'd imagine at least 16".

 

[lemans]

Took my pizza stone and put it on the middle
Rack then took the water pan and put it on top
Of the stone
That should even out the heat . What do ya think?

 

[flash]

I still like my idea of removing the legs and putting 3 cinder blocks in a triangle shape under the unit. Rest the fire pan in the middle on the blocks. Easy to pick the whole smoker up to access pan and you don't lose any heat while doing so. Also, you can adjust the openings of the cinder block to allow for more or less air depending on how you set up your blocks. A 3/4 pan of charcoal allowed me 450º one time allowing me to cut back on my charcoal use quite a bit. For shorter smokes it is the bomb or doing a fast chicken for crisp skin. For longer smokes expect to add charcoal as needed.

ECB.jpg

• flash
• Sep 2, 2012

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• flash
• Aug 21, 2012

 

[bobank03]

Took my pizza stone and put it on the middle
Rack then took the water pan and put it on top
Of the stone
That should even out the heat . What do ya think?

Gotta take some pics so we can see what it looks like. 

Flash, I think I'm gonna do it. I just gotta find some c-block or pavers I can use. It's pretty much the only thing I haven't tried!

 

[kh39540]

I'm new to smoking and I found Jeff's article on recommended ECB mods. I had an old weber smokey joe I wasn't using, so I put the legs of the ECB on the outside and it slipped right over the smokey joe. Perfect. Now I have a controllable vent for air to the coals. 

Also, I added a thermometer, and I took the vent from the lid of the smokey joe and put it on the ECB. Pics below.

I will be doing my first smoke on Sunday....If it doesn't rain...

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• kh39540
• Jul 11, 2014

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• kh39540
• Jul 11, 2014

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• kh39540
• Jul 11, 2014

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• kh39540
• Jul 11, 2014

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• kh39540
• Jul 11, 2014

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• kh39540
• Jul 11, 2014

 

[bobank03]

That's a winner for sure! Have you seen the mini WSM? Smokey Joe with a 32 Q pot and it looks like a WSM only mini sized. 

Now if we could close that gap between the the smokey joe and the walls of the ECB...

 

[thinblueduke]

Nice work.  I'm trying to get at the same thing with these legs on my charcoal pan.

she got legs.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 11, 2014

Welcome kh!

I'm a bit concerned about the height of the pan relative to the bottom of the ECB chassis.  I figure that the higher the coals, the less heat escaping out the bottom, but there's also the matter of the clearance between the coals and the bottom of the water pan.

I also share Bob's concern about the gap between the ECB walls and the lip of the charcoal pan.  I wish I could have it both ways, but the tighter the fit down there, the harder it gets to lift the unit off of the coals and put it back on.

 

[kh39540]

It's crazy how the Smokey Joe fit. It puts the coals at dang near the exact same height as the original coal tray with the same gaps around the sides. I was curious about that gap myself when I bought the ECB aswell as the lack of a coal grate and air holes for the coals. But it was almost like the smokey joe was designed for this purpose....

I'll get some pictures of it during it's inaugural smoke...And mine... (Doing baby backs and a butt, by the way... Also gonna try them Wicked Beans I found on here...)

I like the legs on the coal tray there Duke. Looks like it meets the purpose. Did you drill any air holes in it? I am worried about temp control this weekend....

 

[kh39540]

 
That's a winner for sure! Have you seen the mini WSM? Smokey Joe with a 32 Q pot and it looks like a WSM only mini sized. 

Now if we could close that gap between the the smokey joe and the walls of the ECB...

I think I saw a Mini WSM at Walmart for 199.... 

I wish there was a way to close that gap, but I am planning on lifting the ECB off of the coals to add coals and chips during the process. Which do ya'll think is more important? This is my first rodeo, remember...

Later

Kevin

 

[thinblueduke]

Hey Kevin,

Being able to pull the body off of the smoker is definitely more important than that gap.  If you've got the pan raised up around the original position, and it's a summer day with not much wind, I'd say you're golden.

I originally went with the five big holes, then added the smaller ones later when I was experimenting with a portable gas burner underneath.

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• thinblueduke
• Jul 11, 2014

Ya know, if there were a way to shape the chassis into an hourglass shape, it could solve that issue...

4e111fd7025f31e5_5704-w251-h251-b1-p10--modern-mir

• thinblueduke
• Jul 11, 2014

 

[thinblueduke]

One more thing... if you have any cotton or hemp rope handy, it can help seal the lid.

getarope.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 11, 2014

 

[bobank03]

or a stove gasket... 

Kevin, Where ya from? Add your location to your profile, or everyone will keep asking you. It also matters as to what's available and not available. 

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• bobank03
• Jul 12, 2014

I just prop my firepan up on some old paver block/ bricks, but my pan is quite a bit higher than it was stock. but still enough space between it and the water pan which I use as a diffuser and not for water. The cobble acts as a heat sink to keep the temps from fluctuating too fast. (I don't have to move my setup around too much so this is ideal for me!)

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• bobank03
• Jul 12, 2014

Cobble stone and water pan

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• bobank03
• Jul 12, 2014

All foiled up and ready for smoking

 

[bobank03]

I also put my holes along the side of the coal pan and then added two webber grates to keep the coals from dying in their own ash. Can't really see the holes, but there are three on each side just below where the grates line up. 

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• bobank03
• Jul 12, 2014

 

[bobank03]

 
I think I saw a Mini WSM at Walmart for 199.... 

I wish there was a way to close that gap, but I am planning on lifting the ECB off of the coals to add coals and chips during the process. Which do ya'll think is more important? This is my first rodeo, remember...

Later

Kevin

Kevin, that is actually the "small" WSM. The mini is a Smokey Joe and a 32quart pot put together and for less than $100- you have a mini-wsm.

Here is the forum. 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/groups/show/40/mini-wsm-users  

Since you already have the Smokey Joe all you would need would be the pot and a few grates and some odds and ends. 

This is a perfect project for those of us who love to tinker! 

With regards to the gap? Not much you can do, gotta have something so you can lift off the ECB and get to the pan.