S J. Gold Mini WSM Smoker


 
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Originally posted by Paul S (Missouri):
I got one from Target and it was a no go on fit, too big around. So I tried this one and it works perfectly, slightly more expensive but has free shiping from Amazon so at least for me it was cheaper than driving around trying to find one somewhere. It also has black plastic pieces on the handles that stay cool while smoking and a round black plastic handle on the lid unlike the picture on Amazon? Not sure why.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00194DVJI
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Hmm, very tempting with the free two day shipping (prime). $33

vs.

Walmart in stock for ship-to-store @ 9 miles away, actual travel/shopping time w/ traffic 1 hour at best, $24, available for pick-up in 4-7 days, vehicle gets 18 mpg, gas @ $3.70

Price difference of ~ $5.30 in favor of WM

Incidentals:
- could sit on my butt and drink beer for that 1 hour instead

- Doesn't include wear and tear on the vehicle for that 18 miles

Sounding like Amazon for the win.
 
Sounds like a good plan, it worked for me
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Here is what the pot looks like, quite a bit different from the picture on Amazon but for a change it is an improvement and not the other way around.

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My smoker worked great for its maiden voyage. The temp stayed pretty steady at about 225 to 250. The only thing I didn't expect is that the lid was a little difficult to take off during the cook. I'm assuming this is due to a little bit of expansion of the metal with the heat. I'm painting it today.

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OK, I finally got all the parts and pieces to create my mini smoker. I decided to poke holes in the bottom of the pot instead of cut a hole. I may need to put a few more in to get get proper heat to the food. We will see, opinions would he helpful as well. Here are some pics.
I used expanded metal to create a firebox:
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Holes in the bottom of the pot:
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Tamale heat sink - Note the notch for installation:
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Install of steamer tray:
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Heat sink:
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Inside the pot:
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Complete:
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mike, it sticks due to the smoke/oil. etc. becomes like a glue. just wipe the edges off when you can.
j boldt, i would drill more bigger holes. also you need to get a trivet and put the dish on that. i use a pan that is larger so it will catch more of the grease. the one you have is to small and you will have a mess rather quickly.
 
j boldt, i would drill more bigger holes. also you need to get a trivet and put the dish on that. i use a pan that is larger so it will catch more of the grease. the one you have is to small and you will have a mess rather quickly.
Click to expand...

George, I am unsure what exactly a trivet is, I also bought a 12 inch pan but that would cover the outside holes on the steamer tray. Should I use that and drill holes on the outside of the steamer tray along with more on the bottom of the pots? I have a question about that, has anyone used boring bits to drill the holes?
 
if its truly 12" then you should be ok. my pizza pan that i use is 12.5". meke sure you foil that dish or yer gonna have a mess. thinking about it, i don't think you will have any heat issues using the two. just try it and see !
 
So I poked 5 more 1 inch holes in the bottom and decided to do a test run. I put foil around the bottom edge of the pot for a good seal. without food I got it so stay steady @ 250 for about an hour, then due time I had to put it out, all that said, I think this little cooker will do a great job for me.
 
I also just drilled holes, 12 @ 3/4" dia. in the pattern shown, I then set a foiled pan right on the bottom of the pan to catch drippings and act as a bit of a heatsink for the bottom of the pot. My first rack sits directly on the rib where the steamer plate would have been, a second rack is halfway between it and the top and then a third rack at the very top. I do not use a fire ring or anything and I can cram almost 2 weber chimneys of coals under the pan. It holds temps awesome just like everyone elses, I have held 225-250 for 6 hours without really ever touching it, when I shut all the vents and the coals went out there was about half left unburned. I have also held 300-325 for about 4 hours on a chicken cook, when I snuffed it there was almost half the coals left unburnt. Depending on how I use this thing I may eventually cut the bottom out so I can raise the drip pan up to the bottom of the lowest grate and get more coals in the SJG. All in all this thing works great.
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Paul... I did mine almost exactly like you did yours. I drilled two rows of holes around the bottom near the outer edges and left the middle intact. I used a 10 inch ceramic pot bottom wrapped in aluminum foil and have three racks spaced like yours. It worked great.
 
Mike...it is amazing to me how well these little things work and just how handy it is. I have a 22.5" WSM on the way, but the size and fuel conservation on ths thing makes it perfect for a regular family meal.
 
It is about the simplest solution for sure, but I can't take any credit I tried to build it like one I saw in previous posts, may be a combination of a few, I can't remember this was such a long post and there were so many different variations.....lol

Like a previous poster I pile all the grates in the bottom, then put my wood chunks, bag of charcoal, temp probes, gloves etc. inside and secure the original lid on with a bungy cord, anything I can't fit in the pot goes in the SJG which locks together with its handle thing and I take it all with me camping. I can stick it in the fire ring with the confidence that I can leave it for several hours unattended while I hike, fish, take a nap, or whatever.
 
You guys Rock!
I'm building one at the moment for a close friend for a wedding present.
I'll post pics when it's done, just going on advice here, not re-inventing the wheel on this one.
...btw, the Sears close to me carries the tamale pots if anyone is having a hard time finding them.
 
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