# My new smoker setup.



## smelt240 (Mar 16, 2016)

Ok, so I had posted last year about building a smoker trailer, and doing a concession deal.  Well, after lots of research, more reading, and more research, I was ready to build it last fall.  Then I blew out my back at work on Nov 20th.  After 3 months, they finally figured out I had a couple herniated discs, and I had surgery.  But as luck would have it, I was out of work (still am for at least a couple more weeks), and bored looking at craigslist.  Found this.   The Smelt Shack.













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__ smelt240
__ Mar 16, 2016






 22' 10,000lb trailer, 8x10 on board commercial kitchen, the smokers are a large reverse flow (500 gallon propane tank), and a big ol Backwoods setup.  Im running the BW as I type, with the Guru its holding fast at 240.  This thing came with everything I need to do a full BBQ business, but for now, til my back is better, its for family BBQs, and small parties.  the kitchen is lined from the roof peak to the floor with stainless steel sheet, stainless prep tables, buffet setup for around 400 people, picnic tables, signs, paper goods, foil, it all came with it. Plus a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel to haul it with.   Ive only burned it twice before today, this is the maiden voyage with the BW, but that reverse flow is niiice!  Had a guy drop off a quarter cord of cherry this morning, got 3 sticks in the BW tuning up a couple racks of baby backs, a few pounds of country style ribs, and a dozen wings.  there are still 6 empty racks, and I could have fit what Im doing on 1. Ill try and grab some Q view shots here in a few minutes, and do an update on here.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 16, 2016)

That's quite the rig! Looking forward to the Q-view!


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## smelt240 (Mar 16, 2016)

I just sauced and wrapped the ribs, forgot to take a picture!  ill go snap one now, and throw it on photobucket...


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## smelt240 (Mar 17, 2016)

Computer wouldn't cooperate yesterday afternoon.  Weather I guess. Here's a quick Q view.  I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be with the outcome.  But a 100% new to me smoker, and the new cherry wood may be to blame.  The smoke flavor seemed REALLY concentrated, seemed to burn nice and clean, but tasted a little dirty.   Might give it another go today, depending on how hard it rains. 













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 And yes, the smoker is really grimy. Getting a full scrubbing this weekend.  The country style ribs were added 3 hours after the baby backs, so no bark yet in the picture, but it got pretty nice, they only saw one stick of cherry, and tasted much better. With the water pan, it doesn't get as dry as Im used to in the offsets, but we'll get there. Didn't know what to do with myself not misting hourly...  Im mostly using the B.W. to get long cooks going in the pm, then head out at 3 am to light the big boy, and get everything ready for lunch service.


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## smelt240 (Mar 17, 2016)

Few more quick pics, computer was being horrible yesterday.  Set the Guru at 225 for finishing, stayed right where I put it, at the 8 hour mark,there was still a bit of coals in there.

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 A shot of the cooking area on big boy.  The warming rack is over the firebox, and has a sliding vent, to allow heat and smoke from the cook chamber in, or it can be closed up, and just get 140-150 degree radiant heat off the top of the firebox. The smaller chimney is damper controlled to fine tune the warming chamber temp.  The previous owner was getting 42 roaster chickens on this one per burn. Its hard to get a picture that shows how big it is.  This is my new favorite cooker.  I did 40 or 50 lbs for last week's party, and everything was perfect.  Not too bad for my 2nd burn, I thought.  1st one was to clean out all the nasties from a month of sitting.  Got to log my next few cooks, checking out hotspots ( I don't think there will be too much in that department ).   The reverse flow plate is super thick and heavy, it takes about 1.5 hours in 45 degree weather to get up to temp, but once its there, boy does it hold.


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## SmokinAl (Mar 17, 2016)

Boy, that's quite a rig!

Al


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## smelt240 (Mar 17, 2016)

Thanks, I wish I could say I built it, but oh well, Ill be doing a lot of minor fixing up to it. Plus- once in a while, my mind takes over, and says if I can be bought for less an a third of what it would cost to build....  I am still doing my 320 gallon setup, just to build one.  Now that I have seen this bigger sale version, It has given me some new ideas on my smaller one.  I have a 16 foot dual axle trailer (used to be a camper), the tanks, 10' of 6" well casing and a pile of misc. steel for the build. Once I can lift more than 10 pounds, I'm starting it.

     Ill try to get more pics of the stuff in my basement that came with this deal.  I was adding it all up, and just stopped.  There's a (now- with a bit of work by me) fully functional commercial hotdog cart that was included as well. This should be fun.

    Next real burn is this weekend.  40 lbs of butts, ribs, hotdogs, and maybe a brisket, if I can find a decent one around here. I think Im going to go back to oak and maple for my smoke sticks this time.  The cherry is good, but Im not sure its my favorite.  We don't have a lot of wood to choose from, and it is illegal to import firewood into Maine.  I found some hickory in Kittery, which is as Southern Maine as you can get.  100 miles away though.


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## bbqwillie (Mar 19, 2016)

That's a heck of a rig you got there!  I vacation a little further North up at Little Deer Isle. Love that area! If you get a business going I'll be sure to drop by on my next trip that way and drop off a gift to add to the shack.


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## hardcookin (Mar 19, 2016)

That is a really really nice setup!! Thumbs Up


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## smelt240 (Mar 26, 2016)

And the brisket went on at 3am. Butts will be on in 4 hours, then the baby backs in 6.    Took just over an hour at 29 degrees outside to get big boy up to 225.  I got my hands on some shagbark hickory, going to give that a go, blended with the cherry I got a couple weeks ago. Oak and maple for fire and heat. This seems to be the "hot" setup.

            My back and leg are both going back to how they felt before, so ill end up back at the doctor soon, Im sure.  Luckily Ive been able to get wood delivered, and had some help (is it called help if they do it all???)  getting it situated around the trailer.  Funny how the smell of BBQ gets free labor happening...  If you can help it, don't ever hurt your back.  I had a great surgeon, and Im sure none of the complications are his fault, I think we are just not supposed to blow discs up.  Doesn't work out all that well in the end.  Ive been out of work for 5 weeks now, luckily I can still play around with the smokers, I cant do much else.   End up back in the house on the couch every 25 minutes, but its better than nothing I guess.

          Ill try to remember some pictures as I go today,  its pretty dark out there now, something about 3:27 am...  The rig does have lights, but my hot water heater is hard wired, and Im honestly not sure what breaker shuts it off, not sure if RV antifreeze likes to be heated, so I don't want to chance my pipes all freezing up on me.  Once it gets light out ill check out the circuit box, and see whats what.  I should have bought something to cook up for breakfast.....


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## smelt240 (Apr 5, 2016)

Well, between my back not getting any better (worse if anything), and my nice newly-acquired full body cold, I haven't done much.  Next cook will have pictures of everything, its hard to get good shots while there is a yard full of people waiting to eat.

 I started a thread on the upcoming Backwoods restoration, we're going with stainless sheet wrapping the whole thing, blue epoxy finished hardware, and a few other tricks to come. Should be fun, plus make the whole thing look better in the end. And sheet metal is light enough that I can work on it.  

 Ive been reading a lot of peoples posts about fatties. Hmmm.  Ive never made one.  Been sitting here thinking aloud about what would be an awesome combo for the upcoming Bluegrass Festival.  Heres what Ive got so far:

 Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe.  I know, its been done. Still sounds good.  A swirl of ketchup and mustard, onions.... Maybe a Wellington style crust? Or served sliced with a nice big Bulkie Roll.

 Cajun Sausage and Chicken Gumbo inspired Fatty.  Rice.   Chicken.   Cajun Spices.  I might lean toward leaving the bacon off this one.  Ive never had the real thing (Maine) but ill give it a shot.

 Straight up Sausage, Egg , and Cheese Breakfast Fatty. Probably Peppers and Onions. Served in slices with a toasted English Muffin. Or whole with a package of Muffins.

 Mild Sausage, Pulled Pork, and incorporate some Apple Sauce type ingredients.  Either Cheddar, or no Cheese maybe.

 Ground Turkey, Sliced (Smoked) Ham, Cheddar Cheese.  Id have to try Smoked Ground Turkey.  Don't know if I can picture it.  Might like to taste it though, esp wrapped in Bacon...

 Problem with Fatties would be if they don't sell all that well.  I think once word got around they would, then the problem would be running out of them.  I need room for ( I figure) 6 Briskets, 8-10

Butts, 20 Roaster Chickens a day, plus whatever specials I feel like doing. Wings probably, plus others. The previous owner was getting 42 Chickens a shift on Big Boy, so I should be OK.  I guess if I put the Fatties on the bottom racks, I wouldn't have strange drippings getting on all the other standard smoked foods.  Anyway, I think my next cook will be including a few Fatties, and probably a couple chunks of Ground Turkey to give it a try.

 I'm going to have my buddy move all the bags of charcoal out of the kitchen, then I can get some nice shots of it all set up.  Should be a fun summer...


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## bbqwillie (Apr 5, 2016)

What are you going to do for sides? I'll give you a real New Iberia Cajun Rice recipe for your Cajun fatty filling.


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## jp61 (Apr 5, 2016)

Very nice!

Good luck! Hope all goes well for you!


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## smelt240 (Apr 6, 2016)

As far as sides, I have a basic German-style Potato Salad, comes out real nice, and my wife has perfected her Coleslaw, its almost KFCish, but far better.  I changed it up a bit and did some long shreds for our last cook, much better than small chunks on Pulled Pork sandwiches.  Id be really interested in that recipe BBQWillie.  I don't intend to make money off other peoples recipes, but do love to make stuff for friends and family... I might toy around with deep fried sides, but as of now, I have no room on the trailer for a fry-o-lator, and don't know what the health code requires to have one.  Maybe a Turkey fryer or something for small batches of sweet potato fries or something like that...  Id love to use my Mother's donut recipe for a breakfast item, as well as her "deep fried crescent roll cinnamon twist wrapped in bacon things" she makes.   Once I have that recipe I will share it on here.  One of the best things Ive ever had. Plus my awesome name for them.

 And thanks to all the good wishes and thoughts everyone has had so far!   I went for another DR appt. today.....   I need another MRI......   They aren't sure if Im scarred up, re-herniated, or have another issue.  So this is going to be a slower start than I was hoping, but that may not be a bad thing.  Ive done a lot of planning and re-planning lately.  Just standing in the kitchen of the trailer with a little smoke flowing out of the chimneys is a great feeling.  Now I just need a comfy chair, a medication dispenser, a small cooler, and I'll be doing great out there.  I might do a brisket this weekend, if so,I'll do a couple oddball fatties and let you know how they come out.  That Cajun one really has me thinking. If I half-cook the rice beforehand, Im hoping it wont swell too much...  The gas station down by the interstate is doing a Jambalaya Pizza lately.  Each slice weighs about a pound and a half.  You cant eat more than 2 slices, but wish you could eat it all.  If I go Gumbo/ Jambalaya/ Cajun flavors inside a big ol' sausage roll I'm not sure what will happen. I bet it will be better than bad though.....


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## 3montes (Apr 6, 2016)

Wow! how did I miss this!?! Beautiful rig! I would like to try my hand at a full blown trailer rig. Back issues are a terrible thing to have sorry to hear about yours. I have several friends that are dealing with back issues. At least you have that rig to tinker with to help ease the pain! Best of luck to you!


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## hoity toit (Apr 6, 2016)

smelt240 said:


> As far as sides, I have a basic German-style Potato Salad, comes out real nice, and my wife has perfected her Coleslaw, its almost KFCish, but far better.  I changed it up a bit and did some long shreds for our last cook, much better than small chunks on Pulled Pork sandwiches.  Id be really interested in that recipe BBQWillie.  I don't intend to make money off other peoples recipes, but do love to make stuff for friends and family... I might toy around with deep fried sides, but as of now, I have no room on the trailer for a fry-o-lator, and don't know what the health code requires to have one.  Maybe a Turkey fryer or something for small batches of sweet potato fries or something like that...  Id love to use my Mother's donut recipe for a breakfast item, as well as her "deep fried crescent roll cinnamon twist wrapped in bacon things" she makes.   Once I have that recipe I will share it on here.  One of the best things Ive ever had. Plus my awesome name for them.
> 
> And thanks to all the good wishes and thoughts everyone has had so far!   I went for another DR appt. today.....   I need another MRI......   They aren't sure if Im scarred up, re-herniated, or have another issue.  So this is going to be a slower start than I was hoping, but that may not be a bad thing.  Ive done a lot of planning and re-planning lately.  Just standing in the kitchen of the trailer with a little smoke flowing out of the chimneys is a great feeling.  Now I just need a comfy chair, a medication dispenser, a small cooler, and I'll be doing great out there.  I might do a brisket this weekend, if so,I'll do a couple oddball fatties and let you know how they come out.  That Cajun one really has me thinking. If I half-cook the rice beforehand, Im hoping it wont swell too much...  The gas station down by the interstate is doing a Jambalaya Pizza lately.  Each slice weighs about a pound and a half.  You cant eat more than 2 slices, but wish you could eat it all.  If I go Gumbo/ Jambalaya/ Cajun flavors inside a big ol' sausage roll I'm not sure what will happen. I bet it will be better than bad though.....


Put some rice in it and call it Boudin

HT


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## smelt240 (Apr 7, 2016)

More researching this morning.   Trying today with no pain pills, but its not going real well. Feels like a horse kicked me in the back of my thigh...  Anyway, I might have the Wife bring home a smallish 8-10 lb brisket for Saturday. Weathers not supposed to be great, but Ill be running this thing in most all weather from late Spring thru Fall if I go full scale with it. Might as well try it out in damp weather.  Been trying to decide if I want to mess with rain caps on my main stack....  It has a sliding damper lid, which keeps the rain out when not in use, but I run it almost open when Im burning.  Being reverse flow, rain's not going to drip into my firebox, but my grease buckets will probably overflow with rainwater.  Just thinking a cap may interfere with smoke flow and draft. And not being able to run up and down a ladder doesn't help matters any.

       Also been doing a lot of book reading lately. And yes, one of the first (and best!) books I've purchased and read was Jeff's. Very thorough. Its really cool that he uses recipes from the forums in it as well. If you don't have it, I would recommend getting it.  I just ordered Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, its supposed to be a super scientific approach to cooking books.  Nice.  I'm a science weirdo anyway.  I cant wait to build my own from scratch smoker. Anybody got a low mileage back for sale?


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## perfectsmokebbq (Apr 7, 2016)

Nice rig man ! Very nice!


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## bbqwillie (Apr 7, 2016)

Sent the recipe for the rice. Enjoy. If you do get up and running commercially and you like the recipe please feel free to make money off of it. You'll probably be the only person in that area that has anything like it.


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## smelt240 (Apr 10, 2016)

I got the recipe. Thanks!  Looks to be what I was looking for.  My step-grandfather was from New Orleans, never got to taste much of his food, he wasn't around long.  What I have tried from down that way is amazing, especially when you look at how much money is in the dish.  If I get some time and extra money in the next year or so, Id like to do a food tour.  Head straight South of here first, then West from there.

  I didn't get anything to put in the smoker for last night, its still just barely above freezing right now, and its quarter of 12...  my pond was iced over again this morning.  Weather is really funny this year, it was warmer in January.   Did get another 1/2 cord of wild cherry wood dropped off, plus an eighth or so of old growth apple.  Now waiting on my sister to wake up, then show up, then stack it for some $$$...

 Might just fill up the Backwoods tomorrow, and do something with that, not nearly the tending of Big Boy.  My buddy has the sheet stainless cut and broke for the B.W. restoration, now its a matter of unscrewing the whole works, and re-covering everything with new sheets.   Someday this will be up and running. And maybe Ill be able to lift something heavier than a jug of milk.


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## bbqwillie (Apr 10, 2016)

smelt240 said:


> I got the recipe. Thanks!  Looks to be what I was looking for.  My step-grandfather was from New Orleans, never got to taste much of his food, he wasn't around long.  What I have tried from down that way is amazing, especially when you look at how much money is in the dish.  If I get some time and extra money in the next year or so, Id like to do a food tour.  Head straight South of here first, then West from there.


If you head to New Orleans and head West from there I have a laundry list of "must visit" restaurants that you need to hit while in LA. It's hard to find a bad restaurant in NO because bad ones don't last long there. Then there's The Yellow Bowl in St. Marysville for crawfish etouffee (best in LA). Patout's in New Iberia, The Boiling Point in New Iberia, Brousards in Mamou for the best authentic Gumbo anywhere on the face of the earth. The Ice House in Lafayette for the shrimp salad (Incredible!). If you're timing is right you can hit the crawfish festival in Breaux Bridge and while you're there you have to go to Mulate's (bring the whole family, you're in for the time of your life). There are many more.... The one thing they know how to do is eat well and "pass a good time, sha".


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## smelt240 (Apr 10, 2016)

Im planning to make the trip of a lifetime out of it when I finally do it. It will be a while, but will happen.  Probably spend a month and a half or so driving, and eating.

      I picked up a small half brisket today, from a local meat dealer (who Ill be dealing with 95% of the time)  He gave it to me for $3.99 a pound, grass fed.  I've read grass fed can be funky tasting, but the fat is nice and white, feels really pliable, seems like a good one.  My regular price for whole briskets is going to be $2.99- $3.49 across the board, average of 15-22 lbs.   He has a lot of good looking meats, and is a really nice guy to deal with.  Cant wait to buy some big orders from him!      I went to our local grocery store, and they wanted $7.99 a pound for a whole one...hmmm    Tough decision. Local Meat, or grocery store drugged-up cow factory meat?     Might cook the brisket up tomorrow, should only take 7 or 8 hours, its a 5.7 pounder.  Going to try 50/50 Maple and Cherry wood.  Might work on some killer bean recipes Ive been writing up too.  Ill get some pics when I open it up.


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## smelt240 (Apr 26, 2016)

So my back has gone really bad. MRI tomorrow night.  Ive been pretty much out of commission for the last couple weeks.  But, im going to try and get some food on Saturday morning.  Planning a 12 pound Brisket, 2 Butts, some store bought Sausage, and maybe a couple Chickens.  Im really staring to understand the workings of Big Boy, and now know he is going to need the firebox insulated soon. The smoker was built in Georgia, where the temps probably are higher than here. Prob-ab-ly.....  its 32 and snowing hard here right now....

  Im also figuring out, im not a huge fan of the Backwoods unit.  I have only used it a couple times, but it just doesn't "seem" right. Cheating, I guess.  But, once Im doing this more as work than for fun, Im sure cheating will be looked upon differently..haha... the Guru and a 6-8 hour run time will probably be my best friend..

   I didn't get any pictures of the last cook, its really easy to say I will, then forget all about it once I get going. I guess I got a couple, but its hard to take them at 4 am with the flash.

  I did a grass-fed 5.7 or so pound Brisket, which Ive heard may not be as good as grain fed.  Well, I've heard wrong.  That was the most flavorful piece of meat I have ever eaten.  I almost cried when I had to slice it and hand it out to everyone who showed up for another one of my free-to-eat practice runs.  I got 3 slices, plus the ends, and wished I had a pound for myself. As it was, we ended up with about 3.5 pounds after cooking, which wasn't much when 16 people showed up.  So I've reserved a 12 pounder from the same batch for this weekend. $3.99 a pound.  The grocery store is now up to $8.99.

   Also the wood mix ended up being equal Oak, Maple, and Cherry to start the coals, then down to 75% Cherry 25% Apple for the rest of the cook.  Kept it nice and clean, and WOW!  What a flavor that has!  The Cherry smoke is strong, but the Apple comes thru nicely. As long as my wood guy keeps me supplied, this will be my go-to mix.  The color is hard to believe.

 Ill keep updating as we go.


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## bbqwillie (Apr 29, 2016)

Hang in there buddy. Don't downplay that Backwood just yet. It can produce some good BBQ.

And I hate you. 3.99/lb for brisket...... I'd kill for that.


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## smelt240 (Apr 30, 2016)

I know I'll like the Backwoods once I get used to it.  Should have used it this morning, then I wouldn't be sitting here typing at 2:54am....  Probably be in bed.  But, im going to crack open Sam Adams can #1 in 6 minutes, its 3 o'clock somewhere!   Then play with fire til 5pm, rest 30 pounds of meat, and wait for the vultures to show up...haha.


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## bbqwillie (Apr 30, 2016)

smelt240 said:


> I know I'll like the Backwoods once I get used to it.  Should have used it this morning, then I wouldn't be sitting here typing at 2:54am....  Probably be in bed.  But, im going to crack open Sam Adams can #1 in 6 minutes, its 3 o'clock somewhere!   Then play with fire til 5pm, rest 30 pounds of meat, and wait for the vultures to show up...haha.


I bought my little Backwoods back around 2001-2002 and it's served me well. It's looking a little ragged around the edges now; these NE Winters do take their toll. I'm going to try and refurbish it this Summer. I picked up a Dyna Glo 47" offset that I'm playing around with, so the WSM is my  go to right now. But it's looking a bit tattered around the edges (bought it in 2003). I think I'm gonna pick up a 22.5" WSM to replace it. I've certainly got my money's worth out of the the 18.

As for the "vultures" showing up..... we should all have those problems. Family, Friends and Food.... don't get no better.


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## smelt240 (May 21, 2016)

Well, I haven't been on much lately.   Had the MRI, showed the nerve still being compressed, just today got an automated call from the doctor, got to schedule a spine injection for late next week.  That should be lotsa fun.....   but anyway,   I have a small cook going now, found 3lb brisket flats at the grocery store for $1.99 a pound.  Bought 8 or 10, they actually cook up nice.  I have 2 on there now, plus some boneless pork butt (all they had, unless I wanted a 15 pounder, which would be great, but we were at the store at 8:30am today, with no fire yet), and 2 half racks of baby backs.  Should be pulling it all around 4:30/ 5 o'clock,  got to open a beer I guess....

  So the next plan is to try and get a big cook going, hopefully they can figure my back out a little better soon, and I can get doing something


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## smelt240 (May 21, 2016)

BBQWillie said:


> I bought my little Backwoods back around 2001-2002 and it's served me well. It's looking a little ragged around the edges now; these NE Winters do take their toll. I'm going to try and refurbish it this Summer. I picked up a Dyna Glo 47" offset that I'm playing around with, so the WSM is my  go to right now. But it's looking a bit tattered around the edges (bought it in 2003). I think I'm gonna pick up a 22.5" WSM to replace it. I've certainly got my money's worth out of the the 18.
> 
> As for the "vultures" showing up..... we should all have those problems. Family, Friends and Food.... don't get no better.


And yes, Ive used the Backwoods a couple times in the last 2 weeks, and it does a really nice job, now that the temps are getting better outside, everything comes up to temp way quicker, esp the BW unit.  My big one was ready to cook in less than 45 minutes today.  Plus Ive used less than a half of the wood I did at 32-40 degrees, now that its 80.


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## benh (May 21, 2016)

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## bbqwillie (May 25, 2016)

BenH said:


> 20160305_115917.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice setup but it's probably posted in the wrong forum. Probably want this in the electric smokers forum. We burn wood here. And Welcome to the Forum. I see this is your first post. You might want to add a little commentary to the pictures and then head over to the newcomers forum and tell us a bit about yourself. Best Regards - Willie.


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## smelt240 (May 27, 2016)

It was MADE of wood though... It does look like nice rig...   Anyway, I'm doing what I am hoping is one of my final practice runs this weekend. My wife called me and said the grocery store had brisket flats for $1.99 a pound again.  So my instant response was "Buy them all."  So now our freezer has 10 or so 4 pounders, with a few left out for this weekend.  Picking up some pork butts later today, and might do a turkey again if the prices are right.. These little cheater briskets are spoiling me.  5-6 hours and out....

  Ive been burning an Oak/ Cherry/ little bit of Apple combo, and its working great. I think this will be my standard mix.  Now if they can figure my back out, things will be pretty good.  Im hoping to get some fresh paint and stain done on the trailer soon, but the weather here pretty much is terrible til July.  It stops snowing so the black flies and mosquitos can kill us, then the pollen starts in so I cant see or breathe without sneezing, then it rains for a month.  Its early, and my back was bothering me last night, so I drank too much beer.  Now im done whining.

  Back to the smoker...   Ive been looking at insulating my firebox.   Im thinking of a 1/4" plate lining, with a 1" air gap, and maybe some hi temp insulation in there. Cant hurt I guess.  My big problem is not lifting heavy things.  I do have an engine crane though....

 Im going to try and get some pictures of this cook, and maybe the mini car show we'll be having in the yard.  If I don't get back before then, wishing everyone a safe and happy Memorial day!


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## benh (May 27, 2016)

Sorry about that. Thanks for the heads up.


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## smelt240 (Aug 3, 2016)

Its been a while.   Dr. says the only option to fix my back problems is more surgery.  Now I don't know what to do.  But anyway....   I've done a few more smallish cooks, the hard part is not being able

to sit or stand for any amount of time.  I'm thinking about mounting a hammock hanger right on the side of the trailer. I did get the water hooked up, and ran all the RV antifreeze out of the system. Talk

about nice, having 4 sinks and hot water 10 feet from the smoker! Everything works as it should, so when my health inspection finally happens, it should be somewhat easy...

      I have been working on designing a smaller scale rig, based on a 2 axle, 16' trailer that I picked up for $100.  I have the 300 and 100 gallon propane tanks for the smoker, if I can find another 100

pounder, that will be my warming unit, mounted right over the firebox. Ill add a charcoal/ wood grilling pit, probably an old oil tank, laid down.  Expanded stainless grilling racks, pretty much like

Big Boy has.  Once this one's done, Ill be able to use it for smaller parties, just a couple EZ up tents, and my catering tables should do it. Plus, I've been seeing them rented for pretty big $$$ around

here.     I should add the grilling setup to my big trailer as well.  Now if someone had a good back I could buy.....


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## smelt240 (Apr 8, 2017)

Well, its been quite a while. My back has gotten quite a bit worse, and I think the trailer is sold. Not what I had hoped for, but Im not sure what else to do. I did a mini brisket for my birthday on my small smoker, and had quite a time with it. When my back acts up bad, I can barely stand. Muscle relaxers seem to help out a bit, but they make the brain mush for hours. Thanks to all the heroin addicted scumbags here in Maine, we cant get any pain pills for anything short of death. But anyway, Ill still be looking around on here, and hopefully I can find a procedure that doesnt have a good chance at making me worse off than I am now.


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## bbqwillie (Apr 15, 2017)

smelt240 said:


> Well, its been quite a while. My back has gotten quite a bit worse, and I think the trailer is sold. Not what I had hoped for, but Im not sure what else to do. I did a mini brisket for my birthday on my small smoker, and had quite a time with it. When my back acts up bad, I can barely stand. Muscle relaxers seem to help out a bit, but they make the brain mush for hours. Thanks to all the heroin addicted scumbags here in Maine, we cant get any pain pills for anything short of death. But anyway, Ill still be looking around on here, and hopefully I can find a procedure that doesnt have a good chance at making me worse off than I am now.


Sure am sorry to hear this, guy. I was looking forward to a little run up into your area and sampling some good Maine BBQ. I sure hope things work out for you. Best to you and the family.


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## smelt240 (Apr 21, 2017)

Yeah, its been hard.  Things were seeming to be going OK, but I just wasn't getting better very fast.  The last doc I saw thinks the scar tissue basically un-did what the surgery tried to do, or at least that's how he explained it. The quick improvement seemed to get worse, and now, honestly, Im feeling worse then I did before the surgery.  Ive gotten somewhat used to my left leg being "dead" most of the time, but I still cant justify going and getting cut again, in case it does come out worse again.  But enough belly (or back) aching.

 Moral of the story I guess is: if there something you want to do, do it now while you can.  I was going to do my trailer on weekends at first, to feel it out, while I kept a real job.  Now I cant do either.  A guy from Ga. is getting a pretty good deal on a turnkey trailer though, and he sounds like he knows what he is doing.  Like I said last time, Ill keep lurking around here, and maybe someday, they will figure out a new procedure that wont kill me. Or at least try to.


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