# well i bought an offset smoker



## cody27 (Jul 9, 2010)

I assume this is the place for new guy introductions so here goes

ive always loved BBQin and dabbled in smoking a little with my brothers little chief smoker but never done anything more than salmon or trout as ya cant really get much in those things and not being able to afford a new large unit ive been browsing the classifieds this spring and finally came across this cheap (i assume offshore) offset smoker from real canadian superstore that unfortunately i can find anything whatsoever info wise on the smoker but ive been researching and plan to do the main mods as i am more then able to fabricate damn near anything i put my mind to and i got the tools to do so, so the plan is to take this cheap smoker (_$50 used/$75-$200 new from what i found depending on when it was bought_) and beef it up to something that is plenty capable.

ill post up some pictures tomorrow once i clean it and maybe you guys may have come across it and could give some insight, if not oh well.


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## pineywoods (Jul 9, 2010)

Welcome to SMF glad you decided to join us. Congrats on the new smoker. Post those pictures and more than likely somebody here can tell you what kind it is and maybe even some more info. Have fun and happy smoking


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## chefrc (Jul 9, 2010)

Welcome Friend

I am excited to see these pics of your smoker. Glad you joined us, But not as glad as you will be. I love these people and they have the best recipes , help and attitude on the net. Welcome Again Friend


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## deannc (Jul 9, 2010)

Welcome aboard Cody!  Congrats on the smoker acquisition!  You'll find a ton of information on here and a lot of great folks who are more than willing to help out.


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## cody27 (Jul 9, 2010)

Ok so now that the temperature outside has drops below 30'C ive had time to vacuum the cob webs and ash out of the thing and aside from expected surface rust on the inside it seems pretty solid.

so heres some shots of it
























Items that it came with include:

*Decent cover

*4 stainless grilles for smoke chamber [ _2-Top 2-Bottom _]

*2 grilles for fire box [ _1-top 1-bottom_ ]

*2 wood chip pans

and the previous owner modified the fire box for a propane burner but it comes out easily enough but ill be cleaning up the install for sure if i decide to keep the burner in there.

going to add some bracing to the legs as they feel pretty flimsy when moving it around, possibly grab some better wheels as it has the typical 5cent plastic ones and im going to have to figure out how to make the overall setup more air tight so to say as there is a noticable gap around the firebox door, the main lid is slightly bowed and i think i can fix it be adding some sort of extra hinge to the middle.

also the drip/oil tray is a joke that is maybe 3.5"x3.5" and 3/4" deep [_that was plenty full_]so im going to cut a hole in it so that a soup can will fit.

as for heat distribution in the cooking chamber i havent decided which route i will go

*Fire Bricks

*Tuning plates

*Convection plate [ _i think thats what it was called...plate with gradually increasing holes drilled in it_ ]

and lastly i will be getting 2 thermometers for it as the one in there now is a joke that just says [ _WARM , IDEAL , HOT_ ] and to finish it off ill restain the handles and boards and get new stainless hardware.

any input is much appreciated.

thanks


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## pineywoods (Jul 9, 2010)

Looks pretty good. I would keep the propane setup but I think you need a cover over the burner to protect it from the ash falling into it


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## caveman (Jul 10, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Cody.  After you get that baby all cleaned up, you will be smoking in no time.  I don't do propane but I guess it comes in handy for those difficult days.  Good luck with your new toy.


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## chefrc (Jul 11, 2010)

Thanks Cody

 That is a beautiful thing. I am very happy for you. This is an addiction you can't get away from. And trust me you don't want to. I been doing it 33 years and everytime is like the first time. I do different things almost everytime.And you can't lose. Smoking is better then anything I have ever done. Again congrats on that beautiful smoking lady you have.


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## smokinthesmc (Jul 11, 2010)

Nice pick up there, i feel a well used smoker means it works good, if it didnt, it would'nt get used. Now get to use'n it and post some Qviews. Have fun and enjoy. Welcome to SMF.


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## bbqhead (Jul 11, 2010)

looks like you got a nice cooker there.  like pineywoods said i would keep the propane set-up as an option. but looks like you got a good deal.


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## rdknb (Jul 11, 2010)

Welcome to SMF nice find on the smoker.


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## toxie (Jul 13, 2010)

Welcome to SMF!! Lots of good folks and information here...


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## wingman (Jul 13, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. Nice find. As stated above jeep the porpane setup but cover it and use it as a log starter. :-)

Throw on a decent thermometer and some paint. Then thow on some butts!


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## billbo (Jul 13, 2010)

Welcome aboard!


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## cody27 (Jul 13, 2010)

well little bit of effort and it already looks much better, i sanded down all the wood and re-stained it, cut a hole in the grease tray so i could attach a soup can to it so i dont have to worry bout over flow, cleaned all the nasty out of the insides, replaced most of the hardware with new quality stuff and repainted the firebox as the paint had burnt off the bottom and i wanted to stop that surface rust before it got any farther.

got a few more things to do before im happy with it but i have a question for you guys about leaks, the fire box is removable and sort of locks into some holes and doesnt create any kind of seal between the firebox and the cooking chamber and you can see light between them so i am sure its going to leak like a sieve and my first thought for sealing it was exhaust wrap inbetween but im not sure i want automotive products around my food so i figured id see what you guys have used to seal off leaks.

thanks


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## flyfishjeep (Jul 13, 2010)

cody27 said:


> well little bit of effort and it already looks much better, i sanded down all the wood and re-stained it, cut a hole in the grease tray so i could attach a soup can to it so i dont have to worry bout over flow, cleaned all the nasty out of the insides, replaced most of the hardware with new quality stuff and repainted the firebox as the paint had burnt off the bottom and i wanted to stop that surface rust before it got any farther.
> 
> got a few more things to do before im happy with it but i have a question for you guys about leaks, the fire box is removable and sort of locks into some holes and doesnt create any kind of seal between the firebox and the cooking chamber and you can see light between them so i am sure its going to leak like a sieve and my first thought for sealing it was exhaust wrap inbetween but im not sure i want automotive products around my food so i figured id see what you guys have used to seal off leaks.
> 
> thanks


I took some Hi-temp silicone and smothered the seam where the smoker box attaches to the main chamber.  It dried clear, so I didn't have to worry about it looking crappy.  This will work along the welded sections too, and any other misc. holes that are there. 
Also look at putting in a baffle to spread out the heat inside the smoker, but you may have done that already.

All together it sounds like you are well on your way to having a great smoker and lots of good eats ahead of you. 

Pictures are always good too!

Welcome aboard!


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## cody27 (Jul 13, 2010)

yea at the moment im just trying to decide whether i want tuning plats or just one plate with holes that gradually increase in size towards the far end but ill see when i get my thermometers in either end and go from there


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## cody27 (Jul 13, 2010)

one task down and a few more to go, went to a local store that specializes in fireplaces, ovens BBQs and such and found what i needed to fill the gap its a graphite/fiberglass braid that they use mainly for glass in ovens and fire places and it wont burn and was easy and cheaper than silicone, so for $14 @ 5' and about 5minutes of my time it should be good to go

now on with some pics













and there it is restained wood and shiny new hardware now i just need 2 thermometers and im ready to start cooking


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## meateater (Jul 13, 2010)

Welcome to the SMF. Glad to have you here. Lots of good folks, great recipes and knowledge. Looking forward to your first qview.


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## tukson (Jul 19, 2010)

Great lookin smoker you got! I used the same kind of webbing for a seal on my firebox and it has worked well.... I think it works better where it is not being opened and closed a lot, so I put hi temp silicone around my main smoker door... put a good smooth even bead around the smoker then lay a piece of saran wrap over it and close the lid and let it set up, then the saran wrap peels off and leaves a custom fit gasket.. I used this same thing on an old pickup door weather gasket and it works fantastic and by using black silicone with saran wrap over it, the final job looks very professional as long as you have a helper and use rubber gloves and don't get it all over the place... you can use a razor blade to do the final trimming the next day.


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## cody27 (Jul 19, 2010)

yea i was going to get some large rivets and put the braided stuff on but i havent even fired the thing up yet so im going to wait till i get it smoking and see what needs to be done from there


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## cody27 (Jul 19, 2010)

well new job has been kickin my butt and i havent been much into doin much after work the last few days but today i got a coal basket fabbed up out of some extruded steel i had laying around and im going to hit the steel yard tomorrow for some angle iron so it has a bit of rigidity and a more professional look than the bailing wire thats holding it together at the moment and ill stop by the hardware store as well and see if they got more BBQ thermometers and pick up some coal and such and fire this thing up and see what else needs doing and then i got a salmon sitting in the freezer that will make a good test subject


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## duffman (Jul 20, 2010)

Wow sounds like you are having a great time. I am going to be getting some of that braid here in the next few weeks to seal up my firebox. Glad to hear you had an easy time installing it.


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## cody27 (Jul 20, 2010)

well i figure i should post some progress pics, got my coal basket and baffle made for $10 worth of steel and bout 30 min of my day














gave it 1" legs so it sits pretty stable just above my burner in the firebox.

and the basket is 5" deep so it should hold plenty

the baffle i made from 14Ga sheet metal and simple made a cardboard template, copied it to the steel and gouged the metal where the bends needed to be and bent it with a body work hammer, it sits on the lower grill(3" off the bottom) and butts up to the firebox hole













And apparently Grill thermometers are like gold cause i checked three places today and all were sold out so im going to check out a few other places over the next few days and hopefully i can get my hands on some so i have an idea of what temps im operating with.


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## duffman (Jul 21, 2010)

Looks Nice. I have been debating on a baffle myself, you will have to let me know how it works out.


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## cody27 (Jul 21, 2010)

yea for sure, im hoping i can get some thermometers and have it fired up by the weekend but it should most likely happen on saturday


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## cody27 (Jul 23, 2010)

well ive looked high and low and cant find any temp gauges locally and places that would stock them i seem to always get the kid that barely has a clue what im talking bout let alone if they can order them in for me..
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





..but i gave in and picked up a digital thermometer with pager that seems to have all sorts of bells and whistles as for my temp gauges ive found a set of 2 for just over $20 on Ebay so im going to order those and they should arrive in a week or two...as far as smoking anything that has been pushed up till tuesday as i got booked for work and all i wanna do after work is take a nice long nap......this new job is killing me with these 6AM shifts
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





anyway thats my update for now talk to ya all later


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## cody27 (Aug 14, 2010)

well been busy with life and havent had much time on the computer but the thermometers i ordered finally showed up yesterday and put them in this morning and they look great, put them as low as i could on the lid and the probes sit about 1.5" off the surface of the grill so now i gotta find something else to smoke....mind you thats not the hard part its finding the time that is killing me


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## kcbluesnbbq (Aug 14, 2010)

Hey Cody, looks like you are off to a great start. Kind of a neat looking smoker. Can't wait to see food come out of it.


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## cody27 (Aug 14, 2010)

well so far  i have done up 2 salmon and they turned out great for a trial run, im thinkin maybe another salmon to give the gauges and some other fixes a go and then maybe some ribs or a pork shoulder


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## kcbluesnbbq (Aug 15, 2010)

Now that you have good therms, it shouldn't be to hard to get a handle on temp. With that baffle it should help eliminate the big hot spot by the fire box. You will find that you will still be hotter near the box though. Just place the meat a little farther from fire box and you should get good results. I fought that same problem till I put a plate that curved out from opening of fire box. Still hotter at that end, but stuff that I want to cook faster can go at that end.

When you get some ribs or butts going, put up some qview.


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