Many questions on building the Mini wsm


 
J

Jon Duncan

New member
Okay, so I'm about to build one- I have the vasconia pot and the SJ. I have poured over the mini wsm threads and still have a good amount of questions (I'm not so much the handyman). I figured I'd use the hole drilling method with a diffuser plate and figured I could always change to the sawed out bottom method, but would not be able to go back once i sawed it out.

1. Paint- I might not even paint it, but if I do, is primary necessary in addition to the high temp paint?

2. Is it recommended to drill the holes AND use a steamer plate/diffuser? I noticed some people said they had problems with the 12 inch clay saucer, and am wondering if it was more the size of the saucer that gave them trouble or if the material used also inhibited temperatures. I'm looking at 10 and 11 inch pans and saucers.

Here are some I'm considering:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_94458-303-6...r&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=clay+saucer&facetInfo=

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001332TAW/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFN5E/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018ZMLLC/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004022VO2/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00022447Q/?tag=TVWB-20

In the 3rd and 4th one, it looks to be about 10.5 inches, which might be a good length as well as the 11 inch items. In the last two, there is nonstick and regular. Would the nonstick make a difference with grease, or should i just go w/ the cheaper one and foil it? I also looked into using a pizza pan, but seems like it might not hold enough of the grease and might cause a mess pulling it out. I'm leaning away from using the clay saucers, just b/c I've read about them breaking on people mid cook. I'm leaning toward either the cake or flan pan (cake is a little deeper). Which would you go with?

3. What do I use to hold up the diffuser? A trivet? A SJ cooking grate? how far above the holes in the bottom do I place the grate to hold the diffuser? Also- I saw some people used a coal grate for a weber ots, and I'm guessing that is just for if you cut the bottom out?

4. I might have to buy this for the thermometer installation ( it is a river country made for the 1/2 inch npt fitting, and I don't think I have a 13/16, but my neighbor might). Will this go through the metal okay-

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203261...toreId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=203261640#.UTdc9KKdEw-

Is there a better drill bit for drilling through the metal (or just as good)? My buddy did say he had a 1 inch hole saw i could use, so I might use that for the bottom holes. Is there a best drill bit for the holes on the bottom? Also, What is the best size hole for the bottom of the pot? I've heard of people going as high as 1 inch.

What is the best placement of the thermometer? Middle? Right under the top grate?

5. What size hardware should I get? Stainless? I read somewhere to make sure it was not galvanized, or it would be really bad for the food. I had also read about someone having the bolts/screws going from the inside of the pot to the outside. what do you guys recommend?

6. Eyelet/grommet mod for a maverick et-732- I have no idea how to do this, so I might just put the probes through the top.

Any answers to these questions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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As for drilling large holes invest in a decent step drill bit. It cuts nice, clean holes. Lubricate the bit before each drilling.
 
Drill out the bottom if you are planning on doing some longer cooks. This allows for more charcoal in the bottom. It's quicker to cut out the bottom than it is to drill a bunch of holes. Tin snips work great for this. Takes all of 3-4 mins.

Find the cheapest pan you can find and foil it. I use an 11 inch shallow baking pan that cost me about $3.00 at walmart. I tried the clay saucer for awhile and the weight started to put pressure on the screws and lower part of the pot over time. I have heard this from others as well.

As far as primer, I do not think it's necessary, but won't hurt. I've made 5 without primer and they are holding up great. Just spray enough to coat it well. Don't forget the clear coat.

If you remove the bottom of the pot, you will need to drill holes for longer screws to hold the diffuser. I used (3) 4-5 inch 1/4 screws. Place these just below the indention line that goes around the pot. This will hold the diffuser above the bottom of the pot and allow for lots of charcoal on the longer cooks.

You can use a regular drill bit to drill holes. These pots are very thin and not hard to drill thru. I used 1/4 inch all the way around. No special drill bit needed. I used one of these thermometers and it's worked well so far. I placed it in the middle between the 2 grates. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JHV114/?tag=TVWB-20

Get stainless. It's a little more expensive, but not much.

As far as grommets go, I went with the Cajun Bandit grommet (1/4) inch. Easy to install. Just drill a 1/4 inch hole and install. takes 30 seconds. Here is the link. http://cajunbandit.com/wsm-parts-mods/ It's worth it.

I hope this helps. Have fun. You will love it.
 
Excellent response!

J Pichey said:
Drill out the bottom if you are planning on doing some longer cooks. This allows for more charcoal in the bottom. It's quicker to cut out the bottom than it is to drill a bunch of holes. Tin snips work great for this. Takes all of 3-4 mins.
Click to expand...

How long do you consider a long cook? I was hoping to get 6 or 8 hours out of it. If so must I cut the bottom out? Also, I'm having trouble understanding how removing the bottom will allow more coal to be used.

J Pichey said:
If you remove the bottom of the pot, you will need to drill holes for longer screws to hold the diffuser. I used (3) 4-5 inch 1/4 screws. Place these just below the indention line that goes around the pot. This will hold the diffuser above the bottom of the pot and allow for lots of charcoal on the longer cooks.
Click to expand...

Could I just use the smokey joe cooking grate at the bottom of the pot, or the 18" ots coal grate and not install hardware, or do you recommend using the hardware?

J Pichey said:
Get stainless. It's a little more expensive, but not much.
Click to expand...

What size screws/bolts do you recommend for holding the cooking grates in place?
 
Jon Duncan said:
Also- what is the cheapest canned food I can use as the vent/ash cover?
Click to expand...

I bought a big can (4" diameter) of Bush's BBQ Beans on sale and used that.

I like to use 1/4" - 20 round head bolts for grate support. They come in several short lengths for that perfect fit.
 
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I've let mine go for 12 hours for a pork butt. The charcoal was built up like a pyramid and was high enough to poke thru the hole in the bottom of the tamale pot. You can use a grate to hold the diffuser. Get this from home depot or amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WEIKL0/?tag=TVWB-20


1/4 (Diam) X 1/2 (Length) works great for me. The shorter the better.



If you have not purchased your Smokey Joe yet, I would go with the Gold version. It has the vents on the side instead of the bottom. Much easier for air flow and you do not have to worry about the clogging at the bottom.

The 1 lb pan is fine. Not to heavy at all.
 
Is it okay to just rest the bottom grate on top of the heat diffuser, or should i get the extra set of screws/bolts?
 
Yes. You will still need the extra grate to lay the diffuser on top of. Get 2 extra. 1 will come with the smokey joe. I would get one of the heavier pans for the diffuser so that it can withstand the weight of the meat. if you are cooking a 9 lb pork butt, you will need it to hold up to the weight. Something like this : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFN5E/?tag=TVWB-20


Jon Duncan said:
Is it okay to just rest the bottom grate on top of the heat diffuser, or should i get the extra set of screws/bolts?
Click to expand...
 
Do the size of the holes really matter? I saw a video where they put he larger holes toward the outside. Is that advisable, or should I do it uniformly all around?
 
I'm not sure what your asking on this. "Larger holes toward the outside"????

Jon Duncan said:
Do the size of the holes really matter? I saw a video where they put he larger holes toward the outside. Is that advisable, or should I do it uniformly all around?
Click to expand...
 
I was asking, if I do drill holes instead of completely removing the bottom, I've seen people use one inch holes on the outside diameter of of the pot with smaller 1/2 or 3/4 inch holes on the inside, and I didn't really understand why they did this.
 
It is just for looks, mabye some possible benefit in the way it will perform as a defuser. It is also probably because the original steamer such as in the Vasconia pot may have had different sized holes. I started out planning on doing that until I figured out that it wasn't worth the effort. I did use the steamer as a template for where to drill the holes in mine.

IMAG0922_zps264c3654.jpg
 
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The bottom should be drilled out to allow as much heat flow as possible. Drill pattern and hole sizes don't matter, you just don't want it to be too restrictive. Otherwise you'll waste fuel and also never reach higher cooking temps for high temp cooks.

You can always place a smaller diameter pizza pan, clay dish, or whatever to further diffuse the heat, if desired.

Of course, on the other hand, the easiest solution is just simply cut out the bottom and get done with it. :)

P1060981_zps6d1c243d.jpg
 
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Jon Duncan said:
Okay, so I'm about to build one- I have the vasconia pot and the SJ. I have poured over the mini wsm threads and still have a good amount of questions (I'm not so much the handyman). I figured I'd use the hole drilling method with a diffuser plate and figured I could always change to the sawed out bottom method, but would not be able to go back once i sawed it out.

1. Paint- I might not even paint it, but if I do, is primary necessary in addition to the high temp paint?

I painted mine and used engine paint from the parts store, it's good to 500 degrees. Lowes/Home Depot also sells grill paint. Either is godd but, yes you need high temp paint.

2. Is it recommended to drill the holes AND use a steamer plate/diffuser? I noticed some people said they had problems with the 12 inch clay saucer, and am wondering if it was more the size of the saucer that gave them trouble or if the material used also inhibited temperatures. I'm looking at 10 and 11 inch pans and saucers.

Here are some I'm considering:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_94458-303-6...+saucer&pl=1¤tURL=?Ntt=clay+saucer&facetInfo=

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001332TAW/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFN5E/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018ZMLLC/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004022VO2/?tag=TVWB-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00022447Q/?tag=TVWB-20

In the 3rd and 4th one, it looks to be about 10.5 inches, which might be a good length as well as the 11 inch items. In the last two, there is nonstick and regular. Would the nonstick make a difference with grease, or should i just go w/ the cheaper one and foil it? I also looked into using a pizza pan, but seems like it might not hold enough of the grease and might cause a mess pulling it out. I'm leaning away from using the clay saucers, just b/c I've read about them breaking on people mid cook. I'm leaning toward either the cake or flan pan (cake is a little deeper). Which would you go with?

I don't think it's reccomended to either drill holes or cut out the bottom. It's personal preference. I cut mine out on the three I made and used unglazed terr cota pot. I have no issues and think mine performs well. I also bought an 8" and 6" clay saucer but have yet to use them. I thought I may be able to reach higher temps with them but I really haven't had a need for them yet. Me...I would go cut out bottom and clay saucer assortment.

3. What do I use to hold up the diffuser? A trivet? A SJ cooking grate? how far above the holes in the bottom do I place the grate to hold the diffuser? Also- I saw some people used a coal grate for a weber ots, and I'm guessing that is just for if you cut the bottom out?

Why re-invent the wheel. Follow the parts list in the sticky in this forum. Use the charcoal grate and you won't go wrong.

4. I might have to buy this for the thermometer installation ( it is a river country made for the 1/2 inch npt fitting, and I don't think I have a 13/16, but my neighbor might). Will this go through the metal okay-

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203261...toreId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=203261640#.UTdc9KKdEw-

Is there a better drill bit for drilling through the metal (or just as good)? My buddy did say he had a 1 inch hole saw i could use, so I might use that for the bottom holes. Is there a best drill bit for the holes on the bottom? Also, What is the best size hole for the bottom of the pot? I've heard of people going as high as 1 inch.

What is the best placement of the thermometer? Middle? Right under the top grate?

I used regular drill bits. You can buy an assortment from Lowes with sizes from 1/16" to 1/2" and the you will have all the sizes you need for the stainless "grate holding screws" and the hole for the river country thermo. I used the River Country and drilled a 1/2" hole, the thermo actually threaded into the hole for a good tight fit.

5. What size hardware should I get? Stainless? I read somewhere to make sure it was not galvanized, or it would be really bad for the food. I had also read about someone having the bolts/screws going from the inside of the pot to the outside. what do you guys recommend?

I used #8 x 32 stainless with acorn nuts on the inside.

6. Eyelet/grommet mod for a maverick et-732- I have no idea how to do this, so I might just put the probes through the top.


Use the threaded lamp rod available at your local Lowes/HD. I would plave it between the upper and lowe grates (assuming you are using two). Then you can route the probes to either easily

Any answers to these questions would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

A look through the long Mini build sticky will guide you as well.
 
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Sorry, I was confused. It's hard for me to help on the hole drilling as I always remove the entire bottom. It's just easier for me. I prefer EASY. ;)
 
Is there a cheaper alternative to the cajun bandit grommets? I'm kinda on a budget, so if there's not, I probably won't do it.

And I might end up cutting the bottom out. I just figured I could play around with different combos first if I didn't- with diffuser, without... If I cut the bottom out, the diffuser would probably be required.

And I'll read through the sticky.
 
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