Matt in Vancouver
TVWBB Member
First off a huge thank you to this site for introducing me to the mini wsm. My father recently turned 60 so as a special gift the family chipped in to set him up with an 18.5" WSM with all the accessories. While researching I of course caught the BBQ/Smoking bug and decided to build my own mini!
After researching and gathering materials for a few weeks I finally built my mini but with a bit of a twist. I used the steaming tray from the Vasconia pot and cut the center out to make a ring that I could hang a shallow SS water pan (bowl) from. I then drilled many holes in the remaining ring to act as a diffuser so that the smoke is forced to the outside of the smoker by the bottom side of the SS bowl, then through the diffuser into the cooking chamber. Thanks to the stepped lip on the steaming tray (now the perforated ring) the bowl actually hangs about a 1/2" below the top lip where the first cooking grill sits allowing for good airflow around the meat.
Nothing too out of the ordinary other than the diffuser setup. One probe grommet for my Maverick, 2 cooking grills, cheap-o weber thermometer for the barrel and a stainless charcoal basket.
I've now done 2 smokes, both times a combo of pork and beef ribs, and both cooks came out amazing! This little smoker is awesome and half the fun is in planning and building it yourself!
Looking forward to trying a pork butt this weekend!
Thanks again TVWBB!
After researching and gathering materials for a few weeks I finally built my mini but with a bit of a twist. I used the steaming tray from the Vasconia pot and cut the center out to make a ring that I could hang a shallow SS water pan (bowl) from. I then drilled many holes in the remaining ring to act as a diffuser so that the smoke is forced to the outside of the smoker by the bottom side of the SS bowl, then through the diffuser into the cooking chamber. Thanks to the stepped lip on the steaming tray (now the perforated ring) the bowl actually hangs about a 1/2" below the top lip where the first cooking grill sits allowing for good airflow around the meat.
Nothing too out of the ordinary other than the diffuser setup. One probe grommet for my Maverick, 2 cooking grills, cheap-o weber thermometer for the barrel and a stainless charcoal basket.
I've now done 2 smokes, both times a combo of pork and beef ribs, and both cooks came out amazing! This little smoker is awesome and half the fun is in planning and building it yourself!
Looking forward to trying a pork butt this weekend!
Thanks again TVWBB!
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Tips or observations welcome!
