Aussie Mini WSM


 
R

Richie

New member
Hi all,

So I just joined up and about to start a WSM build – the difference? I’m from Australia, so we have to do it much tougher with parts!

I have to say, I LOVE BBQ. I’ve been to the states twice now, and both times tried a variety of BBQ, I’m hooked. I especially love pulled pork and wings! The bug really got me when my boss gifted me his old Weber OTG last Christmas, which I’ve done six pulled pork, three briskets, Nandos (peri-peri) chicken, prawns, a pudding, sausages and the Christmas ham. I love to eat :D

Anyway, this post is serving as a log/kick in the *** to hurry up and build one of these. My aim was to make a mini WSM that could hold 225F with ease and something that takes up a little less room in the yard. The 14.5” WSM is very hard to get here, and when it’s available, its AUD$500, the 18.5 is AUD$749 and the 22.5 is AUD$999, so even if I spend a couple of hundred dollars on this project, I’m still far ahead on buying a 14.5” WSM.

Anyway, to start off, log of parts purchased so far (as of 7 January 2016, all prices in Australian dollars):

Smokey Joe Silver (wooden handles) - $20 off gumtree (really stoked to get a wooden handled version!)
Smokey Joe Silver - $30 off gumtree
30L Aluminium Stock Pot - $75 from Stanlee (http://www.stanlee.com.au/) in Osborne Park, Western Australia
Assorted bolts – free from my shed!

So the easiest way for me to get another cooking grate was purchasing the second Smokey Joe….until today when I emailed weber about the 18.5” charcoal grate and realised it was only $18, including shipping, assume the cooking grates are similar pricing. So for now, I’m going to use the cooking grate from the second Smokey Joe but I’ll probably sell it off and just buy a new grate from Weber direct (anyone in Perth want it, hit me up!).

The pot was the major kicker, at $75. To be honest, even shipping one from the states was going to cost the same. I searched high and low for pots, brew stores, etc. I did find a polished stainless steel one that fit perfectly, but it was going to be hard to paint and hard to cut the base. The pot I got is as good as it gets in aluminium and was purchased from a commercial hospitality supplier. It fits ‘snug’ on the bottom, I’m waiting to see after cutting if it has a tad more flex, if not, I think I’ll have to ever so slightly sand the bottom. The lid fits perfectly!

So that’s where I’m at. Currently conflicted about whether I drill holes or cut the whole bottom off. I really do most of my long cooks on the weber, my short cooks get done on a gasser, so I think cutting the whole bottom out is preferable to add more charcoal. I’m also conflicted as to how I will mount my grates as well, I saw an awesome idea where the user had put carriage bolts through the grill into so they sit on each other, rather than through the side.

Anyway, hopefully a post this weekend with some progress!
 
First of all welcome to the forum, nice to have another member from Australia. Sounds like you're off to a good start. I have a mini that's about three years old and also a 18.5 WSM, because there is only two of us the mini gets used the most. It's very stable and very fuel efficient, you will be very pleased I'm sure.
 
Hello down there! Be sure to include pictures of your mini. I've often thought about making a mini myself but I like my 18.5 so much and the economies of smoking larger quantities that I've never gotten around to making one. I like to load up as much meat on my 18.5 as I can and then freeze it and use as needed. But I've always thought it might be fun to own a mini and do just a meal or two's worth at a time, especially when camping. You mini owners may convince me to go ahead and try to make one.

It looks like you're already an experienced smoker and I'm getting hungry just thinking about the things you've already made. I might have to hop on a plane and join you someday for some "shrimp on the barbie"! - sorry, I couldn't resist!
 
Steve Porter said:
Hello down there! Be sure to include pictures of your mini. I've often thought about making a mini myself but I like my 18.5 so much and the economies of smoking larger quantities that I've never gotten around to making one. I like to load up as much meat on my 18.5 as I can and then freeze it and use as needed. But I've always thought it might be fun to own a mini and do just a meal or two's worth at a time, especially when camping. You mini owners may convince me to go ahead and try to make one.

It looks like you're already an experienced smoker and I'm getting hungry just thinking about the things you've already made. I might have to hop on a plane and join you someday for some "shrimp on the barbie"! - sorry, I couldn't resist!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your kind words Steve. Unfortunately the WSM here are way overpriced (more than double the US price), so the mini it is. I LOVE my regular Weber, but I wanted to build the mini as it's more compact and I have times where I'm cooking a low and slow on the weber and then need more space to do wings or something, so now I'll low and slow in the mini and everything else on the normal weber.

Anyway, spent some time on the weekend sanding down the bottom of the pot to try and make it fit nicely. No go. Ended up borrowing my old man's sander, still no go.

So, I did what any other man would do, I used some manual coercion (read: hammer) and gave it some light taps around the bottom. The bottom seemed to flare out the slightest bit (couple of mm), so the hammer just straightened it out a bit. It ain't holding pressure/hot water, so eh!

Anway, progress!

hlhWJE4.jpg
 
Don't waste your time drilling a bunch of holes in the bottom. Cut it out. This will give you the ability to due high temp smoking or low and slow long cooks. Longest smoke I've done in my mini's was 14 hours, one overloaded basket running the pit at 265°f.
 
CaseT said:
Don't waste your time drilling a bunch of holes in the bottom. Cut it out. This will give you the ability to due high temp smoking or low and slow long cooks. Longest smoke I've done in my mini's was 14 hours, one overloaded basket running the pit at 265°f.
Click to expand...

I ended up cutting the bottom out anyway. I looked at posts both for and against, and ended up borrowing the old mans jigsaw, cut through like butter. I was having issues sourcing the racks which is why I considered drilling for a diffuser, but after buying two old smokey joes off a local buy and sell and just acquired a weber 18", which has a rack and wooden handles to go on my OTG, I'm now set.

Life has gotten in the way, but it's a long weekend here this weekend, so I'll probably be fitting the racks and getting it painted, ready for a test run hopefully on Monday.

Also in the process learned how easy it is to get Weber spare parts, literally emailed them and the replacement racks were like $18 including shipping, wish I'd learned this before acquiring the second and third BBQs :D
 
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