As if I didn't already have enough smoking equipment. I have a stick burner and an MES 30. I needed something to cook with on charcoal. I've pretty much got briskets mastered on the stick burner, but it requires lots of babysitting. I've smoked 5 in a row that look like this. With wonderful flavor.
The MES is set it and forget it, but on my opinion there is no comparison to the stick burner. So I set out for a compromise. Found a food grade drum that had housed orange juice for $25. It was from Mexico. My wife is from Mexico as well and she is wonderful. So I knew this was the barrel for me.
I found all the hardware and was concerned about the charcoal basket. I can weld but don't have the equipment. My wife and I were in academy on the off chance we might find something there. She came across a 24 quart steamer/fryer basket. It was $10 and looked perfect. My only concern was if it would hold enough fuel for an extended cool. I also got a 16" pizza pan and used 3" x 1/4" stainless bolts, nuts and washers to attach the pizza pan/ash catcher 3" below the basket.
I filled it up with around 8lb of briquettes and 4 or 5 mesquite chunks. Then lit 20 briquettes in my charcoal chimney and dumped on top. Set up my maverick et-732 and set the temp to 250. Just like I was cooking.
It maintained 250-255 from 7:30 sat night till around 3:00 Sunday evening at which time I dumped the 30 or so still hot coals in the firebox on my stick burner, reloaded the basket and used the still hot coals to get it going again when it was back to 250 I added a small 2lb cut brisket as a test. I smoked it for around 5 hours. Till IT 200. Without ever opening the lid or touching the intakes.
I'm very impressed with this thing and expect to get lots if use out of it.
The MES is set it and forget it, but on my opinion there is no comparison to the stick burner. So I set out for a compromise. Found a food grade drum that had housed orange juice for $25. It was from Mexico. My wife is from Mexico as well and she is wonderful. So I knew this was the barrel for me.
I found all the hardware and was concerned about the charcoal basket. I can weld but don't have the equipment. My wife and I were in academy on the off chance we might find something there. She came across a 24 quart steamer/fryer basket. It was $10 and looked perfect. My only concern was if it would hold enough fuel for an extended cool. I also got a 16" pizza pan and used 3" x 1/4" stainless bolts, nuts and washers to attach the pizza pan/ash catcher 3" below the basket.
I filled it up with around 8lb of briquettes and 4 or 5 mesquite chunks. Then lit 20 briquettes in my charcoal chimney and dumped on top. Set up my maverick et-732 and set the temp to 250. Just like I was cooking.
It maintained 250-255 from 7:30 sat night till around 3:00 Sunday evening at which time I dumped the 30 or so still hot coals in the firebox on my stick burner, reloaded the basket and used the still hot coals to get it going again when it was back to 250 I added a small 2lb cut brisket as a test. I smoked it for around 5 hours. Till IT 200. Without ever opening the lid or touching the intakes.
I'm very impressed with this thing and expect to get lots if use out of it.
