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Post by aguaski on Sept 3, 2014 18:37:30 GMT -5
Greetings all. I just found this forum and it looks like a terrific community. I live in AZ outside of Phoenix so most of my smokes are done in the dry desert climate. I also like to smoke when camping at higher altitudes in the Northern AZ mountains. About 4 years ago a family member shared with me a pork roast he cooked on a WSM. I was hooked but the price tag of the WMS was a turn off. Eventually I purchased an ECB and did all the usual mods. I had a lot of success with my ECB and it was fun adding new mods I found on the internet. At the same time I was using my ECB I ran across plans for building a mini WSM using a Smokey Joe and a tamale pot. I built the mini WSM which was a lot cheaper than buying a full size WSM. I continued experimenting on both the ECB and the mini WSM. Over the years my ECB really began to show its age. Although it is supposed to be painted with a high temperature paint I noticed some flaking. I repaired the flaking but it returned after a few months. This was a problem for me because I like my cooking tools to appear clean and in good repair and it was becoming difficult for the ECB to meet this requirement. Well last week I was browsing through a second hand store and found a nearly new 22.5 Weber Kettle for $10. The ash pan was missing but everything else was there and in nearly new condition. This was my opportunity to gracefully retire the ECB from service. I could not walk to the cash register quickly enough to purchase my find. After acquiring my new to me Weber Kettle I started researching the best way to use it as a smoker. That is when I discovered the Smokenator. My Smokenator has already been ordered from Amazon and should be delivered this Friday. I am really looking forward to testing out the Smokenator.
I don't yet have direct Smokenator experience, but do have a lot of smoking experience using the ECB and the mini WSM. I have smoked pork roast, brisket, chuck roast, ribs, turkey, pork loan, tip roast, meat loaf, and chicken 1 time. I am not sure what I will tackle first with the Smokenator but right now I am leaning towards chuck.
More about me: I am married with two teenage children. I enjoy distance running which is a nice hobby to match with my smoking habit as I am able to burn a lot of the calories I take in from my BBQ addiction. I also own a ski boat and spend weekends at the lake with my family. The lake is where we usually finish off our leftover Q from previous smokes. I also have a pop-up trailer I regularly take camping into the mountains, and that is where I make use of my mini WSM. Hopefully I can contribute to this community as much as I learn from it.
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Post by rangerone on Sept 3, 2014 20:08:30 GMT -5
Hello aguaski, and welcome to the Smokenator forum. It sounds like you have the smoking experience, you just need to get familiar with the Weber + Smokenator combo. I look forward to hearing how it compares to the ECB once you get used to it. I am sure you will have many tips for a newbie like me.
Remember to post often and include pictures of your cooks. I love to see what other people are cooking.
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Post by ncsmoker on Sept 3, 2014 20:45:36 GMT -5
Welcome aquaski. You can get a new ash pan either through Weber parts or maybe through Amazon. They are not very expensive. Have fun learning the SN and I'm sure you'll be up and smoking things soon. It takes a little getting used to setting the vents in the right position but other than that it works great.
Tom aka NC
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Post by pilfjd on Sept 3, 2014 22:43:21 GMT -5
Welcome to the forums! Definitely share your experiences. Like rangerone, I am a newbie. When you say distance running, are you talking ultra-marathons and the like?
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Post by aguaski on Sept 3, 2014 23:40:50 GMT -5
pilfjd - No, I don't do ultra marathons. I like doing things like Ragnar relays. I average just over 40 miles a week. That may not be a lot for really serious distance runners but it is a lot more than most non-runners can imagine.
ncsmoker - I was able to install a galvanized pail where the ash pan goes. The kettle I acquired still had the clips on the legs and with some adjustment they support the pail perfectly. I think I like the pail over the OEM pan because it can hold a lot more ash.
I also ordered an OEM thermometer and bezel. I already have a wireless digital thermometer, but I like having something built into the lid. Hopefully this weekend I can pull out the entire family of smokers and take some pics that I can post. The ECB will eventually have to go to another home, but I may keep it for a few months while I dial in on the Smokenator. The ECB has all the mods so hopefully I can get a little cash for it through Craigslist, but it will get donated to a second hand store if there are no takers.
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Post by aguaski on Sept 6, 2014 23:23:47 GMT -5
Okay, this is my first attempt posting a photo. Hopefully this works.  This photo is my current family of smokers. From left to right is my mini WSM, next is the new to me Weber Kettle, and last is my ECB. Our community is having a garage sale in October so I think I will use that as an opportunity to part ways with the ECB. Part of me wants to keep it but I don't see myself using it after I get dialed into the Smokenator. The mini WSM is a keeper because it travels well on camping trips and is nice for quick smokes. I received my Smokenator a couple days ago. This afternoon I installed the OEM thermometer and bezel. Unfortunately this weekend is a bit too busy for me to be tending to a smoker. The next week and a half stays busy with business and personal travel so it will be late September before I get a chance to fire up the Smokenator for the first time. |
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Post by rangerone on Sept 7, 2014 18:08:08 GMT -5
Hey aquaski, that is nice group of equipment you have there. Alas, I only have my Weber 22.5" so far, but who knows where this wild new smoking addiction will lead me...
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Post by pilfjd on Sept 8, 2014 9:43:53 GMT -5
Is that a smokey joe? What did you do to the stock pot? Cut out or drill holes in the bottom? That looks like a neat idea!
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Post by aguaski on Sept 8, 2014 11:40:03 GMT -5
Yes, it is a Smokey Joe with a 32 quart tamale pot between the lower bowl and the top lid. I used tin snips to cut out the bottom of the pot so it is more of a cylinder now. The grill racks inside are the same as the charcoal grates used in a 22.5 kettle. The tamale pot is easy to find on Amazon and possibly your local Walmart. Everything fits together like all the pieces were designed to go together. If your interested in building one of these little units then Google search "Mini Weber Smokey Mountain". There are a lot of details on the internet for building this. I can easily smoke an 8-10 pound pork roast on this thing. When cooking at home I do prefer something bigger like the ECB or my new kettle, but the mini WSM is perfect to pack on camping trips and picnics. The best part is all the mods are made to the tamale pot with no changes to the Smokey Joe. That let's me still have an ideal grilling surface when I am out and about for burgers or steaks.
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Post by aguaski on Oct 14, 2014 16:43:07 GMT -5
I have been traveling on business a lot so it took me until last weekend to do my first smoke with the Smokenator. I just did a simple pork butt. It was devoured so fast that I forgot that I wanted some pics. I guess I guessed right on the airflow as the Weber held a perfect 230 temp the entire time. Bottom vents were wide open and the top vent was approximately 1/2 closed. I was really impressed with how easy it was to hold the temperature. I am looking forward to trying different things out. The nice thing about AZ is I can comfortably smoke year round.
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Post by ncsmoker on Oct 14, 2014 20:01:22 GMT -5
I also smoke year around even here in the mountains of NC just have to pick the days. LOL Keep on smoking and document your results down in the S-view of the forum. It helps all of learn new techniques and new guys learn from the more experienced smokers.
Keep on smoking and always have fun in what you are doing. I always advise new smokers to keep a note book on what they are doing for each smoke so they can duplicate what they have done before.
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