I call it the 20/20 Charcoal basket...

[TulsaJeff]

Exceptional write-up! Points to you for the help that this will give lots of folks in Firebox Management 101

 

[beer-b-q]

Great tutorial on making a charcoal basket...

 

[freshmeat]

Great idea!

Any idea of how much charcoal (briquettes such as kingsford) this will hold? Any input for this being used in UDS?

 

[cromag]

I don't have pics but I followed these directions and made the box, then in my chargriller SFB I removed the rails in the SFB that the grate sits on, and grabbed 4 long bolts 8 washers and 8 nuts. I put a nut on the screw ran it down 1/4 way down the screw then added a washer. I stuck the screw through one hole on the bottom in one of the corners and topped with another washer and nut. I did this for all 4 corners making legs. That made my basket sit up level with the opening from SFB to main chamber.

 

[stircrazy]

I just built one out of the same stuff yesterday, but I needed mine to be round, so I cut the two sides like you did but I left the middle attached, folded them up and then bent them round into a circle. welleded it all togeather and then cut off the extra stuff left on the bottom to make the bottom of the basket round also.

Steve

 

[timtimmay]

I regret to report that my 20/20 basket bit the dust.  After roughly 100 hours of smoking, the center got a hole in it.  I tried to bend it back and most of the bottom was super brittle and broke off in my hands.  

 

[pandemonium]

that sucks, i thought that metal could stnd the heat? i guess the weber grate on the bottom is the key. on the round baskets i mean.

 

[scubahsteve69]

Bump...

Has anyone figured out a resolution?  I loved the idea when I read post #1, then was saddened at #27... 

 

[chefrob]

i've used the same stuff for my basket and it is still working fine......i's warped but still fine.

 

[hernando]

Very Nice tutorial 

Chefrob, what gauge did you use when fabricating yours?

 

[chefrob]

Very Nice tutorial 

Chefrob, what gauge did you use when fabricating yours?

not sure but i don't think it was anything hard core........i got it from the depot.
 

 

[smoking gun]

I've been burning lump in mine for over a year and its still solid.

 

[pandemonium]

I wonder if he didnt bang it hard while it was hot or something?

 

[ricklarge]

I think I'm going to leave that last post alone as I'm still new here and that was just too funny. Besides, I'm in the middle of smoking my first chuck and have had a few beers :)

 

[smoking gun]

  

     

.........lol

 

[smokinthesmc]

Thank you so much ! I've been thinking this project way to much and it was getting out of control. I'm gonna do this mod. Its exactly what I was looking to do.

Thanks again.   And for the $ saved by goingthis way.

 

[smoking gun]

This is an easy mod and a great way to build one. Here's a couple other methods to add..... just use the one that suits your smoker and your mechanical ability best best.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/73745/how-to-fab-a-charcoal-basket-for-your-snp

 

[john1916]

Awesome info, it's always better when you can make it yourself.

 

[nvanhorn]

Thanks for this, I can't wait to try my basket out. I just bought my first smoker last weekend ( a small cheapo horizontal offset), and the "charcaol grate" it came with has spaces about an inch wide, so my coals tended to fall through easily, leading to my fire basically sitting right on the bottom of the box. I was still able to do a seasoning run though, then topped it up with some more coals and smoked a fatty!! Going to try the basket out this weekend, perhaps another fatty or a chicken.

 

[hitechredneck]

I know this thread is old, but I have been looking for an easy way to make a charcoal box and this did the trick.  It was my first mod to my new offset smoker and I'm loving it.  I spent less than 20 bucks at Home Depot and about 10 minutes fabrication time.  It took me longer in Home Depot to find where they keep them than it did to make the box.

Super impressed and I got the 3/4" flat expanded just like the tutorial showed.

This thing holds slightly more than the medium sized bag of kingsford.  I put a whole bag in and then topped it off with some left over lump charcoal I had before doing the Minion Method and getting a nice long smoke.  (I did take my propane torch and burn off all the oils and such first...)

Again, awesome.  This is the kind of stuff I joined this forum for.