Cajun Bandit (Weber Grill Mod)


 
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Chris just shipped my unfinished Bandit today! I am going to attempt to match the color of my green OTG with Stove Bright high temp Forest Green. We'll see how that goes. I will post pics and hopefully some cooking pics as soon as I've got it spray bombed.
 
One more photo from LDean: Cajun Bandit painted to match OTG, added thermometer.

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I just received my Bandit yesterday and it is built like a tank. I won't have a chance to fully assemble or paint it until next week, but I will give a better review when I cook on it.
 
Originally posted by Jake S:
One more photo from LDean: Cajun Bandit painted to match OTG, added thermometer.

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Wow! The paint job looks great! This Cajun Bandit is looking more and more appealing the more I think about it. I was all set to build a UDS, but now that I have a Performer and an OTG, I'm thinking about getting this for my OTG instead of building the UDS (since I don't really need two 22" kettles).
Decisions, decisions....
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Best of both worlds, Mike. Leave the center section out, and you can still use the OTG as a grill, you just have to bend over to check it. Almost like a Smokey Joe Uranium or something.
 
Originally posted by C.Perres:
Hey guys, I know a lot of you have bean waiting patiently for the stainless door for the WSM, I've had tickets for Talledega for a few months now and it's this weekend , so i wanted to post a pic of the prototype in steel to tide you over for a bit, hope it works. I'm not bringing my laptop with me so i will answer any questions on tuesday. Thanks for your support on the Bandit also. Any and all input welcome and helpfull.prototype door(steel)
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Chris,
Im liking that SS door. Please let me know when you have it completed and a price for it.
Thanks
 
I met Chris yesterday at the Rocket City BBQ Cookoff in Huntsville. A heck of a nice guy and fun to talk to. I bought a Cajun Bandit from him for one of my OTS's that I have in the basement.

It's boxed up in my basement and I will do a photo shoot of unpacking it and setting it up.

I really enjoyed talking to Chris and wish I could have visited with him a little more.

I've got a couple of "pet" projects I've had on my BBQ list for a while that I'll bet somebody with his skills and equipment could help me with!

Also, there were SEVERAL folks cooking at the Rocket City contest with a combination of the Cajun Bandit and 18" WSM's. I talked to one of the owners and he was quite impressed with his Bandit.

I know it's not the same as a 22" WSM in all respects, but it's a heck of a deal for those of us with some extra 22" kettles.

Pat
 
Mike - what kind of paint (brand and color) did you use to repaint the mid section of your bandit to match your OTP? I have a OTP in that color that I want to rehab/mod for some friends of mine who are Michigan State fans. I might even buy them a Cajun Bandit and make them a combo grill/smoker.

Thanks Mike.

Pat
 
Pat:

I painted it with Rust-Oleum high heat, three coats, good for 1100 degrees. I could only find it at Home Depot, no color name on the can, just a green lid, with high heat on the front of the can.
I did my first cook yesterday, using 2.5 chimneys of Kingsford with Pecan smokewood, 2.5 gallons of water, to cook 2 pork shoulders and a slab of pork ribs. Mounded, the CB will likely hold close to 4 level chimenys of charcoal. I found that the CB is much tigher than my old 18" WSM, no leakage around the door, very little around the top, none around the bottom. The cook was 12 hours long, out of fuel when I finished. Had two rain storms blow thru, had to use the wheels to move the CB under cover. The paint held up and I am very satisfied with the GB conversion. Eating pulled pork and ribs today, I need a nap.
 
Thank you Larry! I know where to look. HD is near my office.

I agree with one of your earlier post that the old BBKettle with the three bottom vents would be the ideal bottom for the CB conversion. I have one at the lake house that I saw on the Grand Rapids CL and has my friend and next-door-at-the-lake neighbor pick up for me.

I like your mods with the wheels. Somebody had a pic - maybe it was Larry W - of a round rack that sits on top of the grill grate and lets you put another grill grate on top of it. I could see that being a highly useful tool on the CB's second rack (prob not enough clearance on the top rack - or you could lower the top rack a bit.

Maybe I can talk Chris into making a prototype of one for me to test for him!

Pat
 
Chris - Is the paint used on the Cajun Bandit non-toxic paint? (Is it clearly indicated in the MSDS?)

Also, I'm interested in how this would work on a 22.5" Performer? Would it be too tall? Can it cook for 8-12 hours without ashes stopping it up at the bottom of the one-touch vents?

Can some other folks that have used it attest that it does not leak liquid/moisture down the sides from the top cover?

Thanks.
 
Steve:
The height at the top of the handle on top of the Performer will be about 58". Look at the post on page 2, there is a photo of the CB installed on a performer, it will add 18.5" to the height of the performer. I do not believe you can buy leaded paint anymore. Regarding water running down the sides, my first cook did not have any. If that concerns you, use a heat sink without water, like a ceramic planter base or sand. My Son who lives on Puget Sound, gripes about the way the WSM allows rain to run down the dome into the WSM. On my first cook, I removed some ash with the ash catcher, necessary on long cooks.
 
LDean,

Thanks for the info.

Re: The paint. I don't mean lead paint and toxicity when you eat the paint or absorb it in your skin. I mean, does it release any toxins in the cooker when you cook. You can only use certain types of paint on the inside surfaces of a grill, smoker, etc., because of that concern.

Thanks.
 
Steve - I don't know if Chris monitors this forum or not. There is a "contact us" tab on his website. I'll bet if you send him your question there, he'll get back to you about the paint.

Pat
 
Hey Pat was nice to meet yu at whistle Stop. For all the ones that are interested I took My Cajun Bandits to the com and the only thing I didn't cook on them was chicken. I cooked that on my 18" bullet. I have modified my CB with the BBQ Guru. I just bought the CyberQ2. It worked just as it was supposed to. I did have to drill my own holes for the fan adapter as it just isn't a good fit to try to put it on the bottom. I have a 4 cfm fan on one and a 10 cfm fan on the other. Both worked well but I would recommend the 10. The controller will ramp down the fan as needed. I had to take an 1 1/4" hole saw and put the hol in the Kettle bottom. I then put the wsm adapter in. I closed the bottom vents and put the metal tape on them. No I didn't win anything but I can't blame it on the smoker.
 
purchased the cajun bandit about a minth ago and finally got it put together--maybe 20min to convert my unused kettle to what seems to be a handy size home smoker--was packaged well, went together in a heartbeat and fits the stock parts just fine--gonna mount a thermo from the bds and the cooker will be complete
buzz
 
Chris, J.Key, anyone else...

I have a couple of older 22 (and a 18) kettles laying around of which I seldom use both at the same time but once a month I cook pork butts for a non profit (100-150 people) and could use extra space.

Looks like your product could work out well for when I do the extra meat.

Question is as follows..

We all know that a WSM is just the bottom pieces of the corresponding sized kettles with a 3rd piece in the middle.

One of my older 22s is a Bar-B-Kettle which the bottom piece has the metal handles and 3-4 hole vents on the bottom. The other is a one touch 22 (fin vent).

Because the Bar-B-Kettle has the 3 vents on the bottom, I thought this should be a superior top piece with the One Touch on the bottom and Cajun Bandit in the center not only because the ventilation is already there but becaue it gives it more room to cook something taller like a big turkey or maybe even add another rack.

I would add 3-4 vents on the sides of the One Touch like the standard WSMs.

Let us know how you feel the Cajun Cooker will fit with a bottom kettle used as a top piece. The currect 22 WSM center piece should allow this to fit as I know the 18 does.

John
 
If I understand correctly you want to use two bottom sections and the CB in the middle. That will not work. the two ends of the CB are different. One end of the CB fits inside the bottom portion of the kettle and the other end is designed so the lid of the kettle rest on top. Maybe you could request a modified center section with 2 ends the same. Your best bet is to contact Chris through his web site.
 
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