Hey Guys,

I have been thinking about creating a mini WSM smoker based on what Branon S. has posted at http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...023/m/5870049575/p/5. Another person at http://www.bbq-brethren.com/fo...owthread.php?t=82255 has also attempted this.
My question is whether I would need a charcoal basket or not? Can I just put the charcoal on the charcoal grate? Will the tamale maker be able to handle the heat if I don't use a charcoal grate? -Thanks.

i don't have a basket. mine works just fine with me just piling it up. i may use a ring if i see something that will work. remember that you don't need a huge pile of charcoal in the mini.

do you know where can I get the extra cooking grate? Also what do you use to hold the terracotta plate? -Thanks.

cooking grates can be gotten at most lowes and hd's. i use the baffle plate that comes with the steamer. i set a trivet on that and then the 12" pan that i use on top of that. i'm still not sure a terra cotta plate is needed. won't hurt for sure though.

I made a ring out of some thin sheet aluminum and drilled some holes in it. I did a test burn yesterday using the ring and regular old (last year's) Kingsford. I used a square sheet of the sheet aluminum to cover the vent to prevent the ash from clogging it. I got 10 hours out out of the burn before the ash filled the charcoal bowl up to the charcoal grate.

I'm doing another test burn with some lump tonight.

I'll post the results later.

I did a slab of baby backs on the Mini on Saturday - dang good ribs!

Pat