S J. Gold Mini WSM Smoker


 
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I think the charcoal basket is very helpful with keeping the coals centered over the bottom vent. I have tried using the mini w/ and w/o the basket and w/ the basket works better for me.
 
just a note here on the ash vs bottom vent plugging issue. i made a little mod using a small can. i found a can 2" tall and about 4" wide. course one end is cut off. i then cut a bunch of holes near the uncut end which now becomes the top. place this over the vent and it works great. the coal grate will actually hold the can in place. the other day when i was smoking and the wind was blowing i used more charcoal than normal. i had no plugging issues. the next day when i went to clean it up the ashes were up to the coal grate. the air coming through the drilled holes kept the ashes away so all the vent holes stayed clear. i recommend this to all that do the mini mod.
 
To Pat on where in Dixie I'm at -

Jackson! By way of International Falls, MN. I'm still thawing out. Learned my first BBQ lesson right away; If you don't cook it more than 8 hours, it's not BBQ - it's grilling.
 
Wow - culture shift! You should thaw out rather quickly in the Jackson humidity. I have a great friend from Jackson. When asked why she married her husband (she's about 70), she replied "Because he had a car and could get me out of Jackson!"

Actually, I love "LA" - "Lower Alabama."

I'm sure you will adjust to the slower way of cooking, talking, and generally doing everything slower! That is not a bad thing!

Welcome to the Heart of Dixie!

By the way and to stay on topic - I've been working on some mod's to the WSM in an effort to overcome the shallow bowl and charcoal ash build up choking out the fire. I've managed to get 10 hours of burn time at 250, but I think I can do better. I don't know that I can get 16 hours like I've gotten on my full-grown WSM, but I think I can get 12!

I'll post the results when I've done some more "research."

Pat
 
Hey George - what came in that can you have? I keep looking for a little can like a tuna or cat food can but they all seem to have a plastic coating on the inside. I guess I could burn off the coating with my weed burner, but I would prefer to just find a regular steel metal can to make your mod.

I've been using a square sheet of aluminum over the bottom vent, but I think your mod will be more effective since with briquettes the ash still slides under my aluminum sheet and chokes off the vent after about 9 hours. I did another burn last night with some Pulbix Greenwise lump and didn't get the 12 hour burn I was searching for, but then again, I didn't do anything to the coals like bank them or add some unlit before I went to bed. When I checked this morning, the cooker was cool but there still was a faint glow in the charcoal. I think the sprinkler came on and that affected the smoker temp.

Pat
 
S J. Gold Mini WSM Smoker
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Hello all S. J. Gold Mini WSM Smoker fans!

I have been following this thread with a great deal of interest for quite some time now but so far I have been unable to find a "steamer" pot with the proper O.D. to interface with the mini smokers base or lid. Both pots I have purchased (Amazon and WalMart) have been greater than 13.875" O.D.

So if any of you would be willing, I would appreciate it if one of you good souls could give me the information about the source of the pot you have had good luck with and are using now.

Thanks in advance, Mike
 
Originally posted by Meho S:


I have been following this thread with a great deal of interest for quite some time now but so far I have been unable to find a "steamer" pot with the proper O.D. to interface with the mini smokers base or lid. Both pots I have purchased (Amazon and WalMart) have been greater than 13.875" O.D.

So if any of you would be willing, I would appreciate it if one of you good souls could give me the information about the source of the pot you have had good luck with and are using now.

I found one online through a restaurant supply store, KaTom, out of Russellville, TN. It cost double the steamer, but this will outlast the Smokey Joe. This stock pot is 5/32" thick and doesn't have the lip like the tamale steamer has but it holds heat very well. Part number 5813132. I used an angle grinder with 80 grit to grind the bottom to fit inside of the Smokey Joe Silver. The grates fit nicely without binding inside. See my previous post on some of the other things I had to do to jazz it up. There is a butt on it as we speak, and it is holding 235 very consistently. I pulled the pot off to verify the burn (can in middle with lit coals minion method) and the temp only dropped 5 degrees inside.
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This one appears to be the correct dimensions, according to the description. Almost $60 though! I'd like to find one a little cheaper, but just may pull the trigger on one of these.
 
Almost $60 though! I'd like to find one a little cheaper, but just may pull the trigger on one of these.
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4mm thick material. The one I have is probably 1mm and for sure not more than two. For that price you do get some value.
 
pat, not sure what i used. i just burned it out on some coals.

Originally posted by Pat Smith:
Hey George - what came in that can you have? I keep looking for a little can like a tuna or cat food can but they all seem to have a plastic coating on the inside. I guess I could burn off the coating with my weed burner, but I would prefer to just find a regular steel metal can to make your mod.

I've been using a square sheet of aluminum over the bottom vent, but I think your mod will be more effective since with briquettes the ash still slides under my aluminum sheet and chokes off the vent after about 9 hours. I did another burn last night with some Pulbix Greenwise lump and didn't get the 12 hour burn I was searching for, but then again, I didn't do anything to the coals like bank them or add some unlit before I went to bed. When I checked this morning, the cooker was cool but there still was a faint glow in the charcoal. I think the sprinkler came on and that affected the smoker temp.

Pat
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the brand i used was bene casa 32 qt pot. it fit like a glove. i went back to get another one and they were all gone. havn't seen one since.
 
Thank you all so much for your responses and advice. Looks like I'm "off to the races" and now can do some meaningful shopping based on your recommendations.

I wish you all a safe and fun filled holiday!

Mike
 
I'm a little bummed about this tamale pot thing. Everybody seems pretty confident you can't buy the original IMUSA pot that fits on the Smokey Joe. I wanted to make one more for my dad. Should I just plan on paying more money for a different pot, or am I missing something?
 
Originally posted by Ernie D:
I'm a little bummed about this tamale pot thing. Everybody seems pretty confident you can't buy the original IMUSA pot that fits on the Smokey Joe. I wanted to make one more for my dad. Should I just plan on paying more money for a different pot, or am I missing something?
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I would say a better description is not confident that you can order the cheap pot from Amazon. Check your local Target and Wal-Mart stores as well as any Mexican grocery stores. In the Chicago area I'm close to one of the largest concentrations of Mexicans outside of Mexico. I found the IMUSA pot at a local grocery for $65. (Did not buy it!) I ordered my first from Amazon and got the right one. Later on, I found a couple more at a local Wal-Mart.

Right now I can go to walmart.com, enter IMUSA in the search field and the 32 quart steamer comes upo as the first result. If I click "find in store" I get a list of 8 stores, 4 of which show stock. The price is $25 and you save shipping if you can find it locally.

That said, if I had known about the heavier duty pots, I might have spent a few extra bucks for one of those.

Lastly, keep an eye on the Cajun Bandit web site. They told me they had a conversion kit under development, though I don't know if that's still the case. And with it being relatively cheap to roll your own, I'm not sure how they could make one at a competitive cost. But, it wold be interesting to find a sheet metal fabricator who could make one out of stainless. That would be sharp!
 
I walked in a half dozen hardware stores, big box stores and taquerias with a tape measure before finally finding the right sized pot at a little taqueria next door to the Mexican/Peruvian restaurant we frequent. It cost me about $25. I don't remember the name brand, but I do remember that I measured the diameter of about a dozen pots before I hit on the right one.

I agree that this selection is one best done in person if you can. I also note that I checked at a restaurant supply store that had the exact correct diameter in stainless steel and in HD aluminum but they were very pricey. The point of this experiment when I started was to make something functional (the Smokey Joe) and make it more functional (Mini WSM) and to do so on the cheap!

My stockpot/tamale pot wasn't terribly thick, but thick enough that I wore out several Dremel cutting blades cutting out the bottom.

The performance, however, is quite good - I can get 9 hours on a single load of briquettes or lump, using a makeshift 9" diameter charcoal ring that is just tall enough that a grill grate would fit on the rim of the charcoal bowl designed to hold it.

So, get yourself one of the tape measures with a belt clip and start the search - and don't forget to hit the thrift shops and goodwill stores - could find one that would work there on the real cheap!

Pat
 
George - I've got an idea that I think might make the can idea even better. Let me see if I can put together a prototype and I'll post the picture. I won't be able to try it for about 10 days 'cause I'm on vacation but I'd like your comments on the idea.

Pat
 
TAMALE STEAMER SOURCE:

In an effort to locate a pot to build my third Mini WSM for my youngest son, I tried a local Target, where I bought the last one, none on display. I checked with the nearest Walmart and they still have the the 32 qt steamer, price up to $23.95 from $19.95, 6 months ago. The pot is marked "IMUSA 32 quart Tamale/Seafood Steamer", no model number shown, marked made in China. It is an exact fit. I went ahead and bought 2. If looking for a pot, measure from the center of the handles, from the outer edge of the rim to the center of the curled top rim, it is 14.5".
Likely only stocked in areas with a high Latino population. I suspect you can order one from their website and ship to your local Walmart.

LDW
 
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