How to Mount Handles Video


 
Does not look like they have these on the Canadian Lowes site
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I'll go into the store and check it out.
 
Originally posted by Stefan B:
Does not look like they have these on the Canadian Lowes site
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I'll go into the store and check it out.
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do you have a Home Hardware around you? i know its on their website

canadian tire also carries the ideal brand as well as the genie brand which makes garage door handles,
 
There is a Home Hardware about 20mins away from me. Canadian Tire & Home Depot very close by.

THIS looks like it i believe?
 
Originally posted by Mike Durso:
Scary idea.
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Why "scary", Mike. If you ever MUST lift an active middle section and don't have handles, THAT is scary. (Been there done that.)

This is a great mod. It adds great stability for lifting the WSM mid-section. It's up to the "fire user" to exercise appropriate care and caution if playing with that fire. I've only used my WSM about 12 times in the six months I've had it, but one of those times a problem in the coals required that I remove the entire middle and top to fix it (or abort the cook). With a full load on both grates, THAT was REALLY scary having no handles and convinced me to do it. (With the lid off, you get a full face of hot air and smoke.)

Rich
 
I would never suggest moving the middle section for any reason and i have never found a reason to.

if the coals are burning, they are burning. if you need to add some, you can fabricate a chute out of ductwork and it'll funnel it all in there right from a chimney starter.
 
The only times I've felt the need to remove the middle section mid-cook was when my briquettes were smothered in ashes and I wanted to stir the coals without stirring up the ash and getting it all over my food. I carefully lifted off the middle section with its heavy load of meat and water, did my business, and replaced it successfully.

But I will say that it's a scary proposition and quite risky. In recent years, I've tried to avoid doing this whenever possible and just very gently poking at the coals to dislodge ash without making an ash cloud inside the cooker.

Of course, eliminating water reduces the risk to a large extent.

Regards,
Chris
 
when that has happened has anyone tried something like a wire brush and a long handle to sorta scrape the ash off without creating a dustbowl? Hmm
 
Not a wire brush -- I would think that would cause even more ash cloud. I use a long fork (gotta be useful for SOMETHING).

I think Chris' comment about lifting the entire top off to avoid dusting food with the ash cloud is another good one. The ash from K can be smothering depending on the circumstances. The problem I had with the coals was simply that they just wouldn't keep burning. Whether from ash or whatever, that one time I had a real problem that I was able to resolve by removing the entire mid and top sections without aborting my cook.

"Why add handles" remains a valid question given the safety concern. I've posted about some difficulties with ash due to the mod where I wired in a smaller grate inside the charcoal ring. This mod was primarily intended to address an issue with small lump (not briquettes) falling through, but I thought (correctly) that it would also help with managing and clean up with K. But I learned after a couple of cooks that if the grates are crossed (90*), it interferes with the K ash falling through. Since then, I make sure with K that the grates are lined up bar on top of bar and have had no real ash problem. But this is a real example of how you might want handles if you have to deal with an issue.

There's not argument that removing the mid section while active is not the safest operation with the WSM. Great caution should always be used. But I would rather have the handles and feel "relatively" safe and able to remove the mid section, than find myself again in a situation where the only way to save the cook is to remove it and not have the handles in place to make it as safe as possible.

For five dollars and five minutes effort, why wouldn't you want that extra "tool" in your bag?

Rich
 
I added horizontal handles for mine just to make it easier to " handle it " in and out from my garage.
The only time I usually remove the middle section is for doing something that needs a sear at the end, like a Tenderloin.
I don't use water, so no worries on that.

Tim
 
To each there own. I have found myself needing to add additional charcoal to the smoker to get the last few hours of a very long smoke done. It's much less "scary" to do this with handles because you can handle the middle section without gloves. Usually, my meat gloves are covered in, well meat stuff.

Just a preference I have. Agree with Rich. For $5 and a few minutes, why not do it?
 
I'm using my WSM for the first time today since adding the handles. I've already used the handles, but not for lifting off the mid-section. I just wanted to turn the cooker for a better pic (it's on wheels also) and the handle made that really easy.

Edit: And later I had an even better reason to move it with the handles (not lift, move). The weather turned on me and before the cook was over the sleet started. The cooker would have been fine, but I didn't feel like being in the cold and wet, so I pulled the whole thing by the handles over under the covered part of my deck. So I was only cold
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Rich
 
Just adding to list of uses for the handles. Just put on a 13 lb brisket. Since I have the 18.5" WSM, most of the time when I do briskets I foil the tip of the flat since it will be against the side wall of the lid. Normally I am battling the smoke coming out of the WSM because it's usually assembled.

Not this time. Assembled the top portion "smoke in the face" free, then placed the entire top section onto the bottom section. Thanks to the handles, was super easy and stable. A thing of beauty.
 
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