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Post by mharvey1013 on Jul 27, 2014 8:17:43 GMT -5
I love the smokenator., but early on I made two small but better improvements.
First I replaced the tiny metal coal stir stick, I was too small, too short. I bought a meat hook with a pig tail curved tip to stir
hot coal. Wooden handle, long rod, little leather strap for hanging.
Second I replaced the water pan, it's also too small and uses up too much space inside fuel chamber.
I now use a heavy gauge metal loaf pan. With the hinged grate closed, it sits level and holds way more water.
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Post by rangerone on Aug 10, 2014 10:59:23 GMT -5
Hi mharvey1013,
I finally got around to trying the loaf pan instead of the included water pan. Although the extra room in the Smokenator did allow me to add some extra charcoal, I found I did not like having to remove the loaf pan to add extra charcoal during longer cooks. I even tried leaving the hinged gate open, hoping I could sit the loaf pan that way, but of course, it would not sit properly with it left open. It seems many people prefer using the loaf pan, but I think I will stick to the smaller one for now.
I will have to look for your meat hook, as I also find the included coal stir stick to be small. Can you tell me where you bought yours?
Allan aka RangerOne
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Post by ncsmoker on Aug 10, 2014 16:04:27 GMT -5
Allan I agree the big loaf pan is two big. What I found is what is called a I think a quarter or 1/2 loaf pan that has the same outside dimensions as the pan that came with the SN. I can now go 2-3 hours without adding water using it. For the tool he is using I believe is one that is used for flipping steaks. I'll see if I can find it and post it here. Just did a quick search and found them easily here is one style www.bbqhooks.com/longezhook.html My search was, barbecue tools steak hooks, so you can do the same one and get more examples. As a thought check your Strodes store to see if they have them. Tom aka NC |
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Post by rangerone on Aug 10, 2014 19:34:47 GMT -5
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the information about the 1/2 loaf pan. I assume it sits on the Smokenator with the cooking grill hinged gate open? If so, I might give it a try. But honestly, I think the extra room I would get would only hold about 4-6 of the briquets I use, and since I will be opening the Weber hourly to stir my coals anyways, topping off the smaller water pan is not a biggie.
The steak hook looks very cool, but is a bit pricey for what I would be using it for. I am sure that I can macgyver something that will be just as good.
Allan aka RangerOne
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