Baker's mini GF build

[Baker76]

I got all the outer skins welded on and ground down this weekend. I still have to grind the weld down on the doors and weld the hinges on.

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[Weldun]

Just curious, what did you decide to do with the slam latch interference issue?

[Baker76]

I haven't got to it yet.

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[scottyk]

I just drilled a hole in the door where that dimple is.. Its for the emergency exit pushrod. The reason I didnt grind it is because I didnt want to get a bunch of nasty shavings inside of the latch mechanism and have to clean it out.

[Baker76]

I will probably do the same thing for that reason.

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[Baker76]

Made some progress today. I got the doors mounted and in the process of getting it seasoned.

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[Baker76]

I only had one chimney of lump charcoal and I didn't know how long that would last so I added a chimney of briquettes to the charcoal chute. I used a weed burner for about two minutes to light the coal from the ash box. I left the ash door open for about 30 min. then closed it and ran with the ball valve wide open. At the one hour mark it was at 360 with my maverick temp probe in the center of the middle rack. As you can see, the door thermo is 100 deg less.

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[Baker76]

Closed intake to 1/4 open for the next hr. At the 2 hr mark temp was at 275. Opened intake so lever was at a 45 deg angle.
At the 3 hr mark temp was at 295.
At the 4 hr mark temp was 305. Added bacon to all three racks . temp dropped to 230 and was slow to climb.
At the 5 hr mark temp was at 288. The bacon looked like it was cooking evenly.

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[Baker76]

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[Weldun]

Did the discrepancy between thermometers get any better after running for a longer period?

[Baker76]

I pulled the bacon at the 6 hr mark temp was at 297. I opened the ash door while I had the cook chamber open taking the bacon off and closed it when I was done. The temp recovered within minutes this time.
It is now at the 7 hr mark and the temp is 306. I am really happy with how this is running, I can't wait to try some ribs on it tomorrow.

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[Tim Schmidt]

Smoker looks good!
I do not have a digital thermometer, but I think the cook chamber is warmer than my dial thermometer is reading.
Are you consistently gettin that much difference in your readings?

[Baker76]

Smoker looks good!<br />I do not have a digital thermometer, but I think the cook chamber is warmer than my dial thermometer is reading. <br />Are you consistently gettin that much difference in your readings?

Yes, the temp difference between the probe and the door thermo was consistent.

The two chimneys of coal finally started to burn out. After 9 1/2 hrs. temp is at 268.

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[Rodcrafter]

Sweet!


Making memories.

[Puff]

I'm thinking that to ideally determine that your temps are so different, tie wire the probe to the stem of the dial so that you are measuring in the same area. Then determine if your dial is adjustable and keep checking on the way up and the way down to try and sync them so there is a sweet spot. You may find the readings interesting... Don't forget the boiling water test also... 212 is 212. Or close to it ...this is an excerpt from a web article

The boiling water test is a more complicated way to test a thermometer for accuracy because you must take altitude and atmospheric pressure into account when calculating the boiling point for your location. An accurate thermometer will read 212°F in boiling water at sea level under normal atmospheric conditions, but you probably don't live at sea level and your atmospheric pressure varies constantly from day to day.

The first step is to determine the boiling point for your location using a boiling point calculator... http://www.csgnetwork.com/h2oboilcalc.html

With the boiling point determined, bring 4" of water to a vigorous boil in a short, wide pot. Insert the thermometer stem or probe 2" into the boiling water, stirring gently for about 10 seconds, then take a reading. A high-quality instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen should read within +/-0.7°F of the boiling point for your location. A high-quality bimetal thermometer like the Tel-Tru BQ300 BBQ Thermometer should read within +/-2°F of the boiling point.

Remember that there are other factors that affect the boiling point of water:

Hard water boils at a temperature 1-2°F higher than soft water, due to dissolved mineral salts.
Using a tall, narrow pot will result in a boiling point about 1°F higher than a short, wide pot.

[Baker76]

That's a good idea Puff. Thanks for the info.

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[Rodcrafter]

Good job Puff!

[Tom_Heath]

I saw the shop in the background DC. I think I need a small coal feeder again.

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[scottyk]

I only had one chimney of lump charcoal and I didn't know how long that would last so I added a chimney of briquettes to the charcoal chute. I used a weed burner for about two minutes to light the coal from the ash box. I left the ash door open for about 30 min. then closed it and ran with the ball valve wide open. At the one hour mark it was at 360 with my maverick temp probe in the center of the middle rack. As you can see, the door thermo is 100 deg less.

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Exactly my findings with it, I calibrated my dial thermometer, and both maverick probes in boiling water before I tested it and they all were within a few degrees, and yes the door thermometer is still off 100 degrees but mine was trending down to 50 degrees the longer I left the door shut. Im glad the bacon test came out good thats reassuring! I love this little smoker everything I put in it has turned out great and I've cooked with it several times in below zero temps, -30 windchill

[Rodcrafter]

That's great!


Making memories.