Brian Harris
New member
I bought a used Ranch off of Marketplace last week. It came with a brand new set of charcoal and grilling grates ($418 on Webers site).
I gave it a good deep cleaning and started making some basic upgrades to it. There was some damage on the rim where it was slightly bent and rusted. There was also a small dent in the lid where the enamel had flaked off. I straightened out the rim and painted both it and the dent.
Mods so far:
1) Tel-Tru thru the top vent - This was simple, I just unbolted the nut/bolt holding the top vent on and ran a small Tel-Tru thru the hole. The Tel-Tru in the dome is reading about 45 degrees warmer than the temps at grate level. I did calibrate the Tel-Tru using both the Cold and Hot water methods. I also checked it against a probe inserted through the top vent.
This is the Tel-Tru I used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F1XYBMV/?tag=tvwb-20
2) Installed a LavaLock gasket
This is the gasket I used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F9FE60K/?tag=tvwb-20
3) Made a BroNSear out of two Weber charcoal baskets. It fits the opening of in the grate perfectly. I just wired it together to test it out, I'll make it permanent with either rivets or bolts now that I know it works fine.
4) The bottom vents are a pain to adjust as you can't see them. You have to reach under the hot kettle to manipulate them. I didn't like that so I made an extension handle using a piece of 1/4 - 20 threaded rod. I took the front vent off, drilled holes in both tabs, and ran the rod through it. I'm really happy with how this looks and as soon as my parts come in, I will be doing this on the other two vents.
Other things I'm going to do:
1) Mount my FireBoard Drive fan. I am going to try installing via one of the existing vent openings first. If that doesn't work I drill a hole and mount it that way.
2) Take the base off of it and have the base powder coated.
3) Mount 1 or 2 FireBoard screw-in ambient probes right under grate level. I'm going to cook on it a few more times before I do this so I can decide on the best placement of the probe(s)
I did my first cook on it for my Son's 27th birthday. Here is the Ranch with 3 3.5lb Tomahawk steaks, 6 leg quarters, 4 baked potatoes and 4 ears of corn. I still had room for more.
The food was delicious.
I gave it a good deep cleaning and started making some basic upgrades to it. There was some damage on the rim where it was slightly bent and rusted. There was also a small dent in the lid where the enamel had flaked off. I straightened out the rim and painted both it and the dent.
Mods so far:
1) Tel-Tru thru the top vent - This was simple, I just unbolted the nut/bolt holding the top vent on and ran a small Tel-Tru thru the hole. The Tel-Tru in the dome is reading about 45 degrees warmer than the temps at grate level. I did calibrate the Tel-Tru using both the Cold and Hot water methods. I also checked it against a probe inserted through the top vent.
This is the Tel-Tru I used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F1XYBMV/?tag=tvwb-20
2) Installed a LavaLock gasket
This is the gasket I used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F9FE60K/?tag=tvwb-20
3) Made a BroNSear out of two Weber charcoal baskets. It fits the opening of in the grate perfectly. I just wired it together to test it out, I'll make it permanent with either rivets or bolts now that I know it works fine.
4) The bottom vents are a pain to adjust as you can't see them. You have to reach under the hot kettle to manipulate them. I didn't like that so I made an extension handle using a piece of 1/4 - 20 threaded rod. I took the front vent off, drilled holes in both tabs, and ran the rod through it. I'm really happy with how this looks and as soon as my parts come in, I will be doing this on the other two vents.
Other things I'm going to do:
1) Mount my FireBoard Drive fan. I am going to try installing via one of the existing vent openings first. If that doesn't work I drill a hole and mount it that way.
2) Take the base off of it and have the base powder coated.
3) Mount 1 or 2 FireBoard screw-in ambient probes right under grate level. I'm going to cook on it a few more times before I do this so I can decide on the best placement of the probe(s)
I did my first cook on it for my Son's 27th birthday. Here is the Ranch with 3 3.5lb Tomahawk steaks, 6 leg quarters, 4 baked potatoes and 4 ears of corn. I still had room for more.
The food was delicious.
