Smokin' in ILLinois

[marshman71]

Howdy SMF,

Apparently I'm supposed to introduce myself been a long time visitor to the site, lots of great recipes and info.

Honestly don't know why I didn't join sooner I've been smoking and grilling for long time, definitely not a newbie

nor a seasoned pro either. I can hold my own, however always eager to learn something new to step up my game.

Currently I have 2 of the old reliable Weber 22" Kettles.  Love these guys.  Used to smoke everything on them.  

added a BGE thermometer to the one I use most its pretty damn accurate.   My fiancee bought me a Smoke Hollow 30" 

electric smoke for Christmas last year. ( Best girl friend ever, Right )    wasn't keen on it being electric or reviews of some on this 

model ( it was a gift and i wasn't gonna return it ) but after a few mods to it this baby is solid and I absolutely love love it.   only wish it was larger.  Mostly I'm  cooking for her and I or if couple guests stop buy its perfect.   I did buy 3 more racks for it and an extra element so I'm ready if this one takes a poop.   With the addition of the other racks I can loader up pretty good.

Anyway enough about me and my stuff.   Hit me up anytime 

 

[nickyb]

Welcome to the forums, or from lurking I guess.  Definitely a keeper there with that girlfriend of yours.  I need to get myself a Weber Kettle as I love being able to grill like that.  I think my wife might shake her head at me though.  

What mods did you do to your Smoke Hollow?

NickyB

 

[marshman71]

First I chucked the chip pan.  I then took the water pan and drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom and converted that to the new

chip pan. it now allows for more wood and longer burns.   

Second I drilled a hole about the size of my digital temp probe right in the middle of the side of the cabinet and then put a plastic

bushing in there so I can insert my probe in there to get a more accurate temp reading since the guage is a good 20-30 Degrees off.

I took baking pan that's exactly the size of my racks and use that as my new water pan / fat trapper.  this is a dual purpose device as

well it serves to keep all the drippings off my element so it stays nice and clean and also keeps any of the drippings from putting out my wood.

which I have read alot of other owners kept having problems with.

Finally I removed the vent tube from the top of the cabinet which opened up 2 more holes to allow for a little better air flow.   These small mods have made a super improvement on how this baby functions.

I'll have to take a couple pics and add them here   for other users.

 

[seenred]

Welcome to the forums!  Glad you've joined us.  You've found a great place to learn and share ideas on our favorite pastimes...grilling, smoking, and curing great food!  There are lots of friendly and knowledgeable folks here who really enjoy helping one another.  Sounds like you're a seasoned veteran, so I'll be looking forward to learning from your experience!  Just ask any time you need help and you'll get plenty!

Red

 

[kathrynn]

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us!

Jeff offers a free 5 day E-Course.  It's packed with great information to use...no matter what your experience level might be!  http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/terms-of-service

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat

 

[marshman71]

OK here's a few pic's of the slight mods I made to the Smoke Hollow 30" electric I have.  

Mind you I need to clean this baby yet. So don't judge me ( Ha Ha ) only got the water pan changed out and the chip pan dumped after this weekends cook.

Racks still need cleaned.

BushingModInsideView.jpg

• marshman71
• Jun 17, 2013

BushingModOutside.jpg

• marshman71
• Jun 17, 2013

VentTubeAssembly.jpg

• marshman71
• Jun 17, 2013

WaterPanGreaseCatcher.jpg

• marshman71
• Jun 17, 2013

     

WaterPanMod.jpg

• marshman71
• Jun 17, 2013

1st 2 photo's You can see the small bushing and where I placed it and how it accommodates the temp probe.

3rd Photo shows by removing the single vent tube there are now 3 holes in the top and though its not much it does allow it to breath better.

4Th Photo is simply a 10x13 pan I picked up at Dollar General for about $4.  just lined with foil fill with desired amount of water and the grease and fat will fall into that

both keeping the drippings off your Wood and snuffing it out. & also your Element which should help keep it clean and prolong life.   My element looks a little rough only

because I realized this was a problem after using it a few time now problem solved.  then just remove foil and the dripping for easy clean up. Easy Cheesy.

5Th Photo  is the original water pan I drilled a bunch of holes in now I have a much larger chip pan which allows for a little longer smoke without adding.  Original Water Pan was 

worthless in my opinion since it wasn't very big and sat right on the element water just evaporated had to be filled about every hour...  NO Thanks...  I don't want to be opening the cabinet that often and once the water was gone the temp would skyrocket.    so I made better use of it ...   and simply just tossed the original chip pan.

Hope this helps anyone who may have purchased this model .... i really love it ... it does a wonderful job.