Mini WSM Finally Done!!!!

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Is this thing bad to the bone?

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max8950

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Mar 21, 2013
75
11
Arlington, TX
Well I am done with the mini WSM. I will fire it up in the next couple of days to test it out. I had so much fun making this thing I want to make them and sell them. 

Smokey Joe Silver - $8 - Flea Market
32 Quart Tamale Pot - $18 Flea Market
2 - 7431 grills - $20 (Do not buy the 7440, they are about 1/4 inch too small.)
1 - 10'' terra cotta pot saucer
1 - bbq gauge stole from other smoker
1- Engine paint (black)
4- 1'' magnets (converted the silver to a gold with side air vents)

I did the whole thing for about $65. I cut out the bottom and then cut the ring off the steamer plate the pot came with. This way I can have the steamer tray in for low and slow cooks and remove it for high heat cooks. 

Let me know if you like it and have any questions

The lid did not fit good so I used the vise grips and clamped down the lip of the pot a little bit. Now it has a great seal. 






 
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Looks good man 
icon14.gif
  Make sure you post your first smoke with it 
th_wsmsmile0ly.gif
 
Looks good to me from what I can see...I'll look at your pics when I'm on a computer. Hope it tests well for you... Let the drippings go to the coals as much as possible, it makes all the difference especially for chickens!

Case and Webo made theirs out of the Silver as well and might be able to give you tips if you need to make adjustments...I used the gold.
 
I closed down the bottom vent and drilled 4 holes in the side covered with magnets. It is my silver to gold conversion. I am firing it up in a couple hours. Will update you on the temps and stability. 
 
Max, Ive seen the magnet thing somewhere else... and I remember them having worries with the temps being to hot. My problem is have to many cocktails and forget how hot the bottom gets... think the magnets would burn my damn fingerprints off.hehe.. ill try to find that article and see if he has adjusted the mod yet. He hadnt burned it in when he wrote the article.
And keith... I finally saw the Gold version at a store. . I should have looked there first. Gotta love Cabela's..
Mike
 
ok I just painted and glued some 1 inch dowels to each magnet. this will keep me from burning my fingers but will not address the melting magnets thing. I have the intake vents a little higher than normal and the charcoal basket should keep the coals off the edge of the grill. We shall see , keeping my fingers crossed. 
 
The good thing is max.. the holes are there... so if magnets dont work.. you dont have to redrill anything. Let her rip. . And see how she handles ; ) let us know on here for other future mini builders.
Mike
 
The mini is really smoking now. I started about 8 coals in the chimney starter, let them get going and dumped them into the middle of the basket. It took about 20 minutes to hit 225. now the thing is going up steady, about 10 degrees per 5 minutes. I am going to take it to 250 and them start choking down the vents. I am interested to see how long I can maintain a low and slow temp. Waking up in the night every 2 hours with my NBBD might be a thing of the past! Sleep is good. 

 
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this is a party. The smoker is really smelling good. I am stepping out of my comfort zone with this machine. For four years I have been a 225 low and slow guy. If I take ribs and pork butt to 250 or 275 do you think I need to take some sugar out of my rub recipe? 

parts

2 - salt

2-  white sugar

4- brown sugar

1 - cumin

1- chile powder

2 - black pepper

1 - cayenne pepper

4 - papirika

1 - garlic powder

1- onion powder

Should I go 2-1-1 on the ribs if they are cooking at 275?
 
Nice build!

Do you mean cooking them to an internal meat temp of 250 or 275, or is that the smoker temp? I would reduce the sugar but I don't know by how much as I don't use a lot of sugar in my rubs and I use Turbinado (Sugar in the Raw) or Pure Cane Sugar. I did Baby Backs a few days ago at 250-275° and cooked them 2-1-1, if those are Spares you might want to go 2-2-1 or even 3-1-1 depending how much smoke you want to give them.
this is a party. The smoker is really smelling good. I am stepping out of my comfort zone with this machine. For four years I have been a 225 low and slow guy. If I take ribs and pork butt to 250 or 275 do you think I need to take some sugar out of my rub recipe? 

parts

2 - salt

2-  white sugar

4- brown sugar

1 - cumin

1- chile powder

2 - black pepper

1 - cayenne pepper

4 - papirika

1 - garlic powder

1- onion powder

Should I go 2-1-1 on the ribs if they are cooking at 275?
 
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cool thanks for the tips. It looks like with the dampener and clay saucer in this is a low and slow machine. I think I would have to remove the dampener to get the temp higher. It is pegged at 250. Intake vents are 1/2 open exhaust 3/4 open. now the interesting part will be . . . how long will it stay at 250 if I dont mess with it? Any guessers? I think 3 more hours. I started the fire almost 2 hours ago.  
 
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