Cajun Bandit Mods

[Brian Moriarty]

Hey all you Cajun Bandit users! Are there any mods you've done or any tips/tricks you care to pass along?
I've been having a blast with mine and the Weber rotisserie/Char-Broil basket. Done a few cooks both direct and indirect, used it in a competition and got a First Place and 180 score in Chicken and did a nice low n' slow on some Babybacks and ABT's!
I thought I'd share a couple of the mods I've been playing around with and see what anyone else is doing with them?

Added a 22" WSM thermometer in the kettle lid

18" WSM charcoal ring

11" charcoal ring

Ash pan from a Sears/Weber Economy kettle

Some of the things I've noticed is that the Cajun Bandit cooks similar to my drum smokers, work fast with the lid off, temps spike then stabilize, I'm controlling temps more with the lid vent and the one touch is almost completely closed.
What's working for you Cajun Bandit users out there? I'd love to hear.

 

[Jake S]

Okay, I'm intrigued by your cheapo ash pan... I assume it keeps ash out of the one touch assembly but still allows sufficient airflow?

Also, how's your fuel consumption? I find that when cooking at the 225-250 range, I consistently run out of fuel around 11 or 12 hours.

Techniques?
I shut top and bottom vents all the way when I take off the lid. That way the temp starts coming back down quickly when I shut it back up.
There seems to be a sweet spot with the one touch barely cracked and the top vent wide open that will hold 225-250 for hours on end.
At the time I was considering the CB, I wished I had an OTG to sacrifice. In retrospect, I think the OTS is perfect, because I can get easy visual confirmation of my vent settings.

If you're bringing home trophies, you should be the one sharing techniques!

Mods:
I have some CB eyelets and a stainless door that I'll get around to at some point. Right now the only things I've done that could be remotely considered modifications are adding a thermometer through the lid vent (BGE branded adjustable thermo with slightly adjusted clip) and the slide-aside from my OTS setup. The slide-aside works great for a quick check n spray, but I still set the lid somewhere if I'm pulling the center section.

Good thread... I'm basically a BBQ novice, so I'm curious what everyone has learned about this contraption!

 

[LDean]

Brian:

Looks good, makes me hungry. I have a rotisserie but have not used, yet, with the CB. As you indicated, the Weber ring is a tight fit with the CB, unlike installing on the kettle.

Get rid of the cheezy handles on the side of the CB. I encouraged Chris to change the handles, but I see that your CB has the same handles as my older one. I used Genie Garage lift handles, but you will have to fill one original hole with a pop rivet and drill another hole for each handle, since the spacing is different. If I were ordering another CB, would order it undrilled with no handles, and install the Genie handle. The Genie handles stand off from the barrel, are longer, and are much sturdier.

 

[TOM BAUER]

Those thighs look pretty impressive!!! What temperature do you use??

 

[U. Jester]

Where did you get the WSM thermometer from..?!? I am a new weber owner and I'm also looking at the CB...

Jester

 

[Brian Moriarty]

Originally posted by TOM BAUER:
Those thighs look pretty impressive!!! What temperature do you use??

Direct heat @350*

 

[Brian Moriarty]

Originally posted by U. Jester:
Where did you get the WSM thermometer from..?!? I am a new weber owner and I'm also looking at the CB...

Jester

I got it from a friend that had a damaged 22" WSM lid. I'm thinking of replacing it with gasser thermometer with higher temp increments.

 

[Gary Bramley]

Originally posted by TOM BAUER:
Those thighs look pretty impressive!!! What temperature do you use??

Thighs?! Did you see that rack?

Gary

 

[Mike Stevenson]

Originally posted by Brian Moriarty:
I got it from a friend that had a damaged 22" WSM lid. I'm thinking of replacing it with gasser thermometer with higher temp increments.

If you do I want the WSM therm back!

 

[Pat Smith]

Those thighs look FANTASTIC!

I got the CB, I got the rotisserie, but I don't have the basket! Where did that come from??

Pat

 

[Brian Moriarty]

Originally posted by Pat Smith:
Those thighs look FANTASTIC!

I got the CB, I got the rotisserie, but I don't have the basket! Where did that come from??

Pat

I got it from Lowes. Char-Broil Universal fit basket #153177. I suggest modding the original thumbscrews with stainless steel eyebolts. You'll see what I mean!