S J. Gold Mini WSM Smoker


 
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ok, i guess i will have to try the clay saucer. i just didnt like it on the UDS. Mainly because i left it in the UDS and it collecting a bunch of moister and became so water logged that it get my temps at 125 for bout 2 hours and then i removed it because it was not thawing out. Once i removed the saucer form the UDS, it was still cold as a ice cube.

How big is the saucer? because a 14 inch one here is 16$. I cant find them for 4$

thanks
 
Matt,
If you foil the saucer and use it without water, you should have no problems with higher temps and moisture. I found mine at Pottery Barn for 3 or 4 bucks. It is 11.5 inches in diameter. Use large enough foil so there are no seams on the top and moisture/grease will not get on the saucer.
 
thanks PJ. I appreciate it. is it ok to have seams on the bottom?

So no water in the saucer will allow me to have 275 to 300*? I really like those temps for chicken.

How many lit coals = 275? I have to use 25 to 35 lit rancher briqs to achieve 250 in the UDS. that is wide open to. no vents closed. I live at 4600 feet so i have to add a few extra coals.



Im really excited to make this, mainly because the girl friend is interested in bbq because its all new to her. I want to pain it purple ofr her. haha
 
I put 35-40 briquettes around a can that I dump 12-16 lit into and pull the can. 4-5 nice pieces of wood in there too. I am using a solid charcoal basket instead of the expanded metal, so it acts more controlled like a stove. I tried the up-side-down can, but because of the solid basket, it limited me to sub-200 degrees due to limited air flow around the coals. I couldn't control the temps with a metal pan and went to the clay saucer. I like really low and slow so I put the water in to stabilize temps (boiling point = 212)and run with top and bottom partially closed. I haven't needed to add coals yet for a cook.
 
Just finished smoking a 8lb chicken on the small smoker using the SJG bowl instead of the SJS. The SJG is the way to go, no question. Fire burned the entire time. No charcoal ring, no ash can, and I used briquettes, which put out a lot more ash. Add to that there are 4 bigger air intake holes vs 3 smaller air intakes, and I don't need to do a mod to extend the handle for the intake on the bottom.

Now, all I need to do is dump the ash from the bowl before my next cook.

Regarding the foil covered clay dish, I think its the way to go. Easy to clean, keeps the temps around 200-225 degrees. And now I don't have to worry about the fire going out. I can just let the cooker do its thing.

On to this cook. This one was done in 20 degree weather, so I used a LOT of fuel (relatively speaking). I did a mojo criollo chicken. Marinated it for about 12-18 hours. Just pulled it out the bag, and put it on the smoker, and 4 hours later I had a meal.

Picture of the Gold on the bottom before I set it up with the smoker.
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Here is how I built the fire. I stacked the coals on either side of the vents so I had an 'air tunnel' in the middle to make sure all the air hit all the coals.
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This is what I used to start the fire. I think its about 12-15 coals. Probably should have used more to start the fire as it took a while for the fire to get up to 200+ degrees.
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Here is the chicken in the pot. I should have added some seasoning salt/rub. The chicken was VERY moist, but I think I would have prefered a brine, and rub. Well At least I can say I tried it.
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Coals dumped into the 'wind tunnel'
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I then used my tongs to put half the coals on each side.
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The coals are burning much more completly after 3 hours. I hav no concern with the ash snuffing them out.
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And we are done. Four hours later we have smoked chicken. Chicken was cooked on the center rack. Skin was tough and not crisp.
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Like I said, the chicken was VERY MOIST and had some flavor, but it needed more. The cooking technique is great, but the seasoning needs more work.
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Close up, can't believe I am cooking chicken that's this juicy and moist.
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Let me know if you have any questions.
 
Matt, unless you really want to keep the temps low, there's no need for the clay saucer.. I use a foiled aluminum pie pan, think about 10 inch diameter. Got it at a restaraunt supply store.

I like to cook at least in the high 200s and get those whole chickens done in 1.5 hrs vs 3-4.

I also use a Silver but added Gold holes on the sides for additional air flow.

John
 
so whats the diff between the smokey joe silver and gold? How much more is it for the gold and is it better to use?

Ok, i will try the pie pan idea and see what happens. I like to cook high 200's as well. This allows for a crispier skin and not a tougher one imo plus i am a 20 credit hour student so time is VERY limited to me.

thanks for all the pics guys

thanks.
 
I bought both my sjs (new) and sjg for $20 on craigslist. I agree an 11 - 12" pie pan is good option, all you need is something to buffer the direct heat/flame.

The difference for our purpose is that the SJS has the air holes on the bottom. While this is great for grilling, its not a good place for a long time smoke. On the SJG the airholes are on the side, and they are larger and there are 4 of them. Also all the ash collects in the bottom of the bowl, not into a small ash catcher at the bottom of the bowl (its a lot messier to clean up, and you STILL have to empty most of the ash out the bowl.

I just think the SJG is a smarter design and in the end you get easier cooking. I don't think I will be using this to cook chicken anymore, I prefer to cook my chicken at 400 degrees, and I won't get those temps in this device.

You can get what ever you want, but I just wanted to show you what I did to get to where I am.

Its all about making good food, and having fun along the way. There are NO rules, do what you enjoy.
 
Originally posted by Matt T:
so for 5 bucks more, whats the advantage?

better air flow or something?

thanks guys.
Click to expand...

The air vents are on the sides instead of the bottom so you don't get any ash dropping out the bottom or clogging the bottom vents. Plus, the temperature consistency is just awesome when you are using it as a smoker.

If you are going to use the SJ primarily as a smoker, the gold is totally the way to go. It's a passable grill but makes an outstanding smoker.

If you are going to use the SJ primarily as a grill, you may want to go with the silver unless you are going to use it as a travel grill (the gold seals up better and the lid snaps on...it's made to travel). The silver makes and excellent grill but has some drawbacks as a smoker.
 
jhunter,
Ya know, I don't think that the air tunnel thing in neccesary like it is when you are grilling. I just fill the cooker all the way up with K except for a little well in the middle and dump all the lit charcoal in the well. It works great.

Awesome looking food, man!
 
Originally posted by Justin W:
jhunter,
Ya know, I don't think that the air tunnel thing in neccesary like it is when you are grilling. I just fill the cooker all the way up with K except for a little well in the middle and dump all the lit charcoal in the well. It works great.

Awesome looking food, man!
Click to expand...

Thanks Justin. That's my first cook on the gold and know if I kept the air tunnel the coals would stay lit. I will try it with more coals the next time I do ribs/butt/brisket...
 
@Jhunter.

Thanx for the info. I am goign to spend the extra 5 bucks then and get the SJG. i want to take this camping and need it to work with me and not against.

Im shootin for three racks. i ordered my steamer last night and now i just need the dang SJG. thats tomorrows buy.

thanks
 
so since i have no idea what one im getting from walmart.com, i checked there website and the one i ordered had these specs listed

Product in Inches (L x W x H): 13.0 x 13.0 x 16.0

model = MEXICANA-34

What say you?

thanks guys
 
You'll have to wait and see. For my SJS, one I found with a width of 13-3/4" was perfect, but one I ordered from Target was 14-1/8" and too wide.

If it's the right width, that 16" height will be nice.
 
So if all goes well, i should have all the stuff tomorrow to start my build. I just need some input of where the holes go in the steamer to hold my cooking grates.

does the heat diffuser go on the cooking grate thats actually "in" the smokey joe gold?

Im trying to get 3 cooking grates in my steamer and im not sure what the requirements are for how high they need to be from the heat.

thanks

supposedly my steamer is 13x13x16 high
 
Matt, this is where some have done things differently.

I cut out the bottom of the Tamale pot except for an inch around the sides and I used the exisiting steamer pan that came with it to hold the pie plate/diffuser which is about 2.5 to 3 inches from the bottom of the pot.

I just drilled more holes in it (steamer pan).. as much as I could to allow smoke to move through it.

Others have just drilled holes on the bottom of the pot and sit it into the SJ and added a rack to hold the diffuser pan.

Anyways whereever you decide to place your diffuser pan, measure up from there where your grills will sit.

My middle grill which is my bread and butter sits 4 inches from the top. The bottom about 3.5 to 4 inches below that. That leaves room to add a 12 inch steamer rack on top for a 3rd grill.

Photo 2 at the link:
http://www.virtualweberbullet....ncreasecapacity.html

John
 
I wanted mine to be able to hold 2 pork butts or rib roasts. The bottom rack sits where the tamale rack would have been and I think the middle rack is either 5.5 or 6 inches above that. That's a little snug and sometimes pork butts will end up touching a little as they cook and plump up but it's not a big deal. I did two rib roasts over Christmas and figured out a standing rib roast would fit on the bottom without touching the top great but it only had a half inch of clearance so I took the bones out of the bottom and it cooked great. I wanted to have plenty of room to put anything in the top rack (since I figured I'd be using that the most anyways) so I cheated a little bit in favor of having more head room with the top rack.

I guess my point is to think about what you plan to use it for and hang the grate accordingly. If it's going to be ABT's, moinks, or ribs, you can get away with making it more narrow (and probably hanging extra grates) than if you are planning on doing bigger roasts.
 
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