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
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!
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

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!