Howdy from North Carolina

[Nauglanch]

I'm somewhat of a Maker and in that vein somewhat of a "Serial Hobbyist" as my wife likes to say.

I've always enjoyed grilling - and a tad bit of smoking. You know, Brinkman that kept blowing the outdoor breaker, foil packets in propane grill, and other sketchy resulting attempts.

But time at a friend's house - sipping beer and/or scotch with a cigar while tending his stick burner has focused me hard on solving my ersatz smoking equipment issues.

Somewhat coincidentally a neighbor, renown for his smoked salmon and pastrami, gave me one of his extra, old, Little Chiefs. Awesome!

Well after two beef jerky sessions in the Little Chief it started triggering the GFCI. Well the Brinkman was borderline on power/outdoor wiring. This at 250 watts turned out to be a short in the circuit. Disassembly showed a round element and underneath very brittle insulation over wiring all smoked out and,now, looking sketchy. A slight adjustment and one of the sketchy wires popped off the element.

I contacted Smokehouse Products who now owns the Luhr line and they said "that's 40 years old" and "no parts in a long time for that".

So my intro to a real smoker is already turning into work!

I'm planning on modding it, as others have done, with a WallyWorld burner. Perhaps this weekend. I'll document it.

I'm also planning on a small charcoal and/or pellet camp smoker with a stainless half keg I was given . This would be for Boy Scout leader cooking and family camping.

That said - with those baby steps - I really want something a big bigger I can lay in a reasonable brisket (favorite!) and ribs (close second). So that's a big reason I'm here. I've perused some great work here and want to learn and also participate.

My main goals are
- family to small gathering capacity - Say brisket and rack or two of ribs ; offhand (?) capacity similar to big box 30"
- back deck - no transport anticipated
- little fiddling required - check every few hours at most, if possible, after temps stabilized. No stick tending every 15 minutes; self feed would be nice
- perhaps pellet vs charcoal/chunk . Mostly thinking for a smaller smoker may regulate and feedbetter with pellets than large chunk

Electronics ok as I'm good with that ; indeed Have two home built PID controllers built for composite epoxy curing ovens I could use. I have some ideas for very simple SSR circuits with a 555 that could be stuffed in a metal outlet box and properly sub for a "dimmer"
Metal tools: Mig Welder, metal chop saw, lathe, milling machine. Very newbie in metal fab

Hi!

[ajfoxy]

Welcome to the crew. You seem to have the experience and the tools to build a suitable replacement for your ageing smoker collection.

[Big T]

Welcome aboard!! It sounds like a mini GF would be a good fit for you. It can hold a decent amount of meat and you don't have to baby sit it.

[Dirtytires]

You said on a deck? I picture an elevated deck. Those minis are heavy and just getting it on a deck might be a chore. However, that would fulfill your criteriaif you are up to building one.

I know this is not typical advice for this forum but I might recommend a pellet traeger grill. Electric element, pellet grill will run all day long.

You mentioned propane....not a good fuel for smoking and can be dangerous.

[Pete Mazz]

Welcome

[The Czar]

Welcome aboard!!


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[Bricklayer2]

Welcome. I am located between Charlotte and Newton here in North Carolina. Good to have another North Carolinian on board

[SAFETYHARBORREDNECK]

Spent a couple years in Pineville (south Charlotte, LOL).
Depending on your budget,a mini GF would be ideal.
Or,at the other end of the budget spectrum,a UDS.
Welcome, good luck, keep us posted and, above all else, take lots of pictures or The Picture Nazi and his cohort will make life unbearable, LOL.

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[Rodcrafter]

Welcome to the crew!





I agree the UDS might be best for the deck. And the GF mini for everywhere else.

[Nauglanch]

Thank you all! And for the Carolina folk (Bricklayer2 and SAFETYHARBORREDNECK) I was past your way for the Eclipse. From home in Durham I-40 to 77 we peeled off at Rock Hill and took back roads to Greenwood, SC, missing 80% of the traffic on the Interstates. Totality was worth the crazy last minute trip. And it was crazy. My youngest said "we MUST experience totality no matter how crazy the trip". Well it was that. Found a room the day before! Luck! I was prepared to sleep in the van by a corn field if necessary! With a room (vs sleeping in the pickup truck bed) the wife also joined- yeay. Picked up my oldest at UNC (3 dorm days into Freshman year) at 10pm, drove all night, arriving 4am. Was told how many people tried to buy them off for my as-yet unoccupied room. Slept in until the maids kicked us out , ate at an Amish (!) restaurant next door, set up easy up for shade, hung out and waited. Worth it!

This morning I jumped in on hacking the hot plate into the burnt out-no parts Little Chief. Almost done - just the power cord reconnection and strain reliefs. I am taking lots of pictures and will create a post. While in it's burn in test (maybe literal with 1000 watts and 30 years of internal patina) I may start cutting up the half keg for the Boy Scout leader camp smoker project.

After this intended spelling update - the Little Chief is breaking itself in with some water and/or pellets and the thermometer just to see how crazy it is with the 1000 watt element- but I'll create a new thread for that.

[ajfoxy]

Mmmm.... no pictures, it never happened...

and all that.

[Nauglanch]

This is a tough crowd Well I posted the new build thread on Resurrecting a Little Chief: http://www.smokerbuilder.com/forums/vie ... 40&p=96790

I haven't started on the half keg camp smoker. Seems 3 sinks started leaking early January just after my left knee replacement. So tomorrow won't be a build but will be a test smoke on the Little Chief and catching up on the house.

I've another "project" but it's a doozy. That same neighbor that give me the Little Chief that died - also gave me his Tandoor / Pizza oven I helped him with. Cement lined 55 gallon drum. He finally got tired of it so we wheeled it (asphalt!) to my house down the way. Well it works and holds heat well and makes great tandoor and pizza. But the wife doesn't like it there and it is kinda in the way. Problem is - it weights alot. Yeah I know. So does the mini! I'll probably use her unti lI build something bigger and then, I dunno, already failed for free to give her away, probably bust her up and use the scrap for cash and the old burners for next project.

Build thread: http://www.smokerbuilder.com/forums/vie ... 40&p=96790

Resurrected Little Chief

Tandoor /Pizza / Smoker

And as noted in my build thread - I have no idea why the pictures are coming up sideways. Taken upright on my phone, look upright on my WinDoz, resized and looking upright on Image Resize tool. Will fix when I knwo what to do. [edit:} I think I understand the pictures. Since they zoom to correct orientation I tink the site is stacking them sideways - perhaps to conserve presentation room. Not sure. They zoom fine.

[ajfoxy]

No problem, pictures posted you are now legal...

Humans think in pictures not words and at my age when I see too many words I start to nod off.

Little Chief rebuild looks interesting. Definitely look forward to how that progresses.

[The Czar]

Sorry for making you post pics...but Ajfoxy can only read in Chinese ....


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[Nauglanch]

All good! I concurr on pictures - I was just trying to make it to lunch break to post them!

A friend who used to run a resturaunt just reminded me he has several stainless commercial refrigerators that failed inspection for one reason or another and had to be replaced. Free to me to haul away. If they're roughly comparable size then I figure if nothing else I've got 2 or 3 stainless skins to build an insulated cabinet smoker with. Perhaps even a vertical reverse flow. Under counter so it wuold be short and squat.

Perhaps I can get up there today to look. Otherwise I'm immediately way behind on researching those more on this site! Lots to learn but I've got 10th-18th of so that could be a possible start (as in "project explosion without completion to the wife's chagrin ).

Ajayfoxy - I have no pictures of the refrigerators yet! The visit hasn't happened!

[Dirtytires]

Your plate is filling up fast....

[ajfoxy]

Ajayfoxy - I have no pictures of the refrigerators yet! The visit hasn't happened!

Pace yourself brother, pics when it happens is good enough.