S J. Gold Mini WSM Smoker
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George Curtis
TVWBB Olympian
whats wrong with the dremel ??
The paint job looks awesome. I know what I'm doing this weekend. Good Job!
No, my lid does not fit perfectly but does create enough of a seal that I'm not worried about it. I tried hammering the lip and using a vice but was on my way to destroying the whole thing so I decided to be happy with the way it was.
No, my lid does not fit perfectly but does create enough of a seal that I'm not worried about it. I tried hammering the lip and using a vice but was on my way to destroying the whole thing so I decided to be happy with the way it was.
Thanks Branon.
It turned out way better than I expected. I hope it looks that good after I use it a few times. I was afraid if I didn't paint the thing that every time I looked at it I would see a tamale cooker instead of a smoker. LOL.
I'm wondering if there is a mod we could do to get the lid to fit correctly...like some sort of gasket or something. Any ideas?
It turned out way better than I expected. I hope it looks that good after I use it a few times. I was afraid if I didn't paint the thing that every time I looked at it I would see a tamale cooker instead of a smoker. LOL.
I'm wondering if there is a mod we could do to get the lid to fit correctly...like some sort of gasket or something. Any ideas?
George Curtis
TVWBB Olympian
not sure what pot you got but the lid fits perfectly on the pot i got. you should be able to fix the dremel. did you check the brushes ?
George,
I'm not very handy so I didn't check the brushes. I didn't even know the dremel had brushes. Right now it's totally dead...not making any noise or doing anything with it's turned on.
I have the IMUSA 32 quart. It's VERY close to fitting but the pot is just slightly too big to sit down on it correctly. I'd guess its off by no more than 1/8-1/4 of an inch in the diameter.
I'm not very handy so I didn't check the brushes. I didn't even know the dremel had brushes. Right now it's totally dead...not making any noise or doing anything with it's turned on.
I have the IMUSA 32 quart. It's VERY close to fitting but the pot is just slightly too big to sit down on it correctly. I'd guess its off by no more than 1/8-1/4 of an inch in the diameter.
Brian N (Smokin Turkey)
New member
Not to hijack this thread, but the brushes on that model of dremmel come out through 2 plastic cups on the sides. They are spring loaded and will easily come out. I had the same model and it did it to me. Last year I got the new model 2.2 amp or something. It handles so much more cutting without overheating. Definitely I use the air chuck to blow it off everytime I use it though. When the brushes get hot, they can melt the housing (which mine did) and fuse the whole thing to the rotor.
Most times, if it gets hot enough to ruin the brushes, it's toast in the smaller 1 amp model.
Good luck though and that black pot looks sweet! I think when I get mine built, I will be doing the same thing!
Most times, if it gets hot enough to ruin the brushes, it's toast in the smaller 1 amp model.
Good luck though and that black pot looks sweet! I think when I get mine built, I will be doing the same thing!
I tried out the smoker for the first time today. It worked GREAT!
Temperature control was awesome and it stayed around 225-235 the whole cook until I brought it up intentionally at the end.
I made a couple more changes along the way. I crimped the lid like Neal suggested and the lid fits perfectly.
I also made a "double decker" grill grate.
I did this for three reasons
1) It catches some of the charcoal that falls through the cracks because the second grate is at a right angle to the first (however, setting the grates right on top of each other works better for this purpose)
2) It creates more space for ash in the bottom of the bowl.
3) It creates a gap in the side of the charcoal rim to mount a Guru adapter (something I may or may not do). Otherwise there is no good place to mount it.
One problem with this is that it may make it difficult to keep enough charcoal in the bowl to cook overnight...which would defeat the purpose of installing the guru in the first place for me.
Tomorrow I'm going to put this little dude through it's paces. Going to try to do 2 7.5 pound pork butts at once.
Temperature control was awesome and it stayed around 225-235 the whole cook until I brought it up intentionally at the end.
I made a couple more changes along the way. I crimped the lid like Neal suggested and the lid fits perfectly.
I also made a "double decker" grill grate.
I did this for three reasons
1) It catches some of the charcoal that falls through the cracks because the second grate is at a right angle to the first (however, setting the grates right on top of each other works better for this purpose)
2) It creates more space for ash in the bottom of the bowl.
3) It creates a gap in the side of the charcoal rim to mount a Guru adapter (something I may or may not do). Otherwise there is no good place to mount it.
One problem with this is that it may make it difficult to keep enough charcoal in the bowl to cook overnight...which would defeat the purpose of installing the guru in the first place for me.
Tomorrow I'm going to put this little dude through it's paces. Going to try to do 2 7.5 pound pork butts at once.
Hi Justin, Please keep us posted on how well the paint adheres to the aluminum. I have a daughter-in-law (to be) that would like a colorful Weber. I'm reluctant to paint due to concern about adhesion.
Hi all,
For the purposes of making a mini-WSM, is there any wisdom for whether the SJS (bottom vent) or the SJG (side vent) works better? I'm happy with my SJS and wonder if that's what I should be looking for.
thanks,
walt
Walter,
I hated my SJG until last week when I discovered this thread. For years, it was used primarily as a place to dump hot ashes so they could cool off before I put them in the trash can (which by the way, it's great for since it's designed primarily to contain ash). Now I love it. I have a silver I love for grilling, but I haven't ever tried it for the Mini-WSM.
I personally think that the very thing that makes the gold such a bad griller is what makes it a great smoker. Restricted airflow. But I also love the fact that I never have to check to see if my vents are clogged and I don't have any ashes falling out the bottom.
I think it comes down to this. If it going to be used primarily as a smoker and occasionally as a gril, I'd probably go with the gold just for the ash control. If it is going to be used frequently as a grill as well I'd probably go with the silver.
I hated my SJG until last week when I discovered this thread. For years, it was used primarily as a place to dump hot ashes so they could cool off before I put them in the trash can (which by the way, it's great for since it's designed primarily to contain ash). Now I love it. I have a silver I love for grilling, but I haven't ever tried it for the Mini-WSM.
I personally think that the very thing that makes the gold such a bad griller is what makes it a great smoker. Restricted airflow. But I also love the fact that I never have to check to see if my vents are clogged and I don't have any ashes falling out the bottom.
I think it comes down to this. If it going to be used primarily as a smoker and occasionally as a gril, I'd probably go with the gold just for the ash control. If it is going to be used frequently as a grill as well I'd probably go with the silver.
Thought I’d give you guys some pictures this morning.
It’s 9 am (ish) here and I just put those pork butts on.
One thing I figured out this morning which excited the crap out of me is that this middle section can come inside to put the cooker together. No more standing outside in the cold putting the cooker together. I put it together on the counter and just take the whole thing outside and set it on the charcoal rings. Easy!
My hopes in building this thing was that it would give me the capacity to do 2 large pork butts at once. I was a afraid there would not be enough space.
Turns out it wasn’t a problem at all.
By the way, I coated these butts in mustard and then covered fairly evenly with a moderate amount of rub. (For some reason, this picture is only picking up the pakrika which was was clumpy in the bottle and didn't coat evenly.)
We just joined Costco so this was my first time using boneless pork butt. That might have had something to do with this fitting so easily because it seems like in the past that the 5.5 inches between grates might not have been enough clearance…but like I said…so far, so good.
Isn’t this a beautiful site first thing in the morning?
It’s 9 am (ish) here and I just put those pork butts on.
One thing I figured out this morning which excited the crap out of me is that this middle section can come inside to put the cooker together. No more standing outside in the cold putting the cooker together. I put it together on the counter and just take the whole thing outside and set it on the charcoal rings. Easy!
My hopes in building this thing was that it would give me the capacity to do 2 large pork butts at once. I was a afraid there would not be enough space.
Turns out it wasn’t a problem at all.
By the way, I coated these butts in mustard and then covered fairly evenly with a moderate amount of rub. (For some reason, this picture is only picking up the pakrika which was was clumpy in the bottle and didn't coat evenly.)
We just joined Costco so this was my first time using boneless pork butt. That might have had something to do with this fitting so easily because it seems like in the past that the 5.5 inches between grates might not have been enough clearance…but like I said…so far, so good.
Isn’t this a beautiful site first thing in the morning?
George Curtis
TVWBB Olympian
just for giggles i went out and rechecked the fit of my pot. the pot i have fits so perfectly that i will swear that it was made/machined for the sj. there is no sloppiness nor tighteness that would require any alterations. the cooking grate fits inside so well that there is just enough clearance for the grate to fit inside. so for those that can find mexican/spanish, etc stores, look for the bene casa 32 qt pot. mine has a flat lid.
Thanks for the info, George.
My lid fits perfectly now, but like I said, it took a little work on my part to make it fit. At first it didn't sit down properly but now it fits so perfectly that it actually seals so tight that sometimes I have to give it a small tug to get it off again. There is ZERO smoke leak around the edges. For those interested who can't find George's lid, I got the IMUSA 32 quart tamale cooker. It cost 24 bucks at Walmart.
Here's the results of my cook. For some reason, one of the butts sorta fell apart so it looks sorta like a chicken. lol.
Here they are after 7 hours in the smoke. Incidentally, this the first time I added fuel. That a pretty good run considering I was cooking 2 large butts directly out of the fridge and the fact that my "double decker" grate shortens the amount of fuel I can put in the bowl.
I really like the way this little guy handled itself. The temperature control and stability was great, the fuel usage was effecient, and I loved the fact that the entire "tamale cooker" section can be lifted off easily and bought inside to load up the meat. I don't think it's going to be an over-night cooker for me because I'm pretty sure it will work best (at least when loaded up with meat) if I add fuel ever 5-6 hours. Having said that, it was so easy to add fuel (because the cooker section lifts off so easily and weighs so little) that adding fuel is a non-issue.
All in all, everything went exactly like it was supposed to. This dude required no babysitting and behaved almost EXACTLY like a WSM...so much so that I'm surprised Weber doesn't sell something like this themselves. Of course, if they did, I'm sure it would cost more than the 40 bucks this cost me.
I'm so happy with this thing that I honestly can't see myself using my other grills much unless we are having a party or something and I need the extra capacity.
My lid fits perfectly now, but like I said, it took a little work on my part to make it fit. At first it didn't sit down properly but now it fits so perfectly that it actually seals so tight that sometimes I have to give it a small tug to get it off again. There is ZERO smoke leak around the edges. For those interested who can't find George's lid, I got the IMUSA 32 quart tamale cooker. It cost 24 bucks at Walmart.
Here's the results of my cook. For some reason, one of the butts sorta fell apart so it looks sorta like a chicken. lol.
Here they are after 7 hours in the smoke. Incidentally, this the first time I added fuel. That a pretty good run considering I was cooking 2 large butts directly out of the fridge and the fact that my "double decker" grate shortens the amount of fuel I can put in the bowl.
I really like the way this little guy handled itself. The temperature control and stability was great, the fuel usage was effecient, and I loved the fact that the entire "tamale cooker" section can be lifted off easily and bought inside to load up the meat. I don't think it's going to be an over-night cooker for me because I'm pretty sure it will work best (at least when loaded up with meat) if I add fuel ever 5-6 hours. Having said that, it was so easy to add fuel (because the cooker section lifts off so easily and weighs so little) that adding fuel is a non-issue.
All in all, everything went exactly like it was supposed to. This dude required no babysitting and behaved almost EXACTLY like a WSM...so much so that I'm surprised Weber doesn't sell something like this themselves. Of course, if they did, I'm sure it would cost more than the 40 bucks this cost me.
I'm so happy with this thing that I honestly can't see myself using my other grills much unless we are having a party or something and I need the extra capacity.
RE: fit of lid
I have 2 IMUSA steamers and 2 Smokey Joes. One SJ lid fits both steamers perfectly, the other is too tight, so I suspect that the problem may be that SJ lids vary a little in diameter. I also have a problem with the Weber grill racks, one is larger than the other. I have to force one grill into the barrel, while the other fits both barrels perfectly. I have gone to a $3.95 accessory rack, which is only 13.5" in diameter, vs 14" for the Weber SJ grill. For those that are having problems, might pick up a Craigs list SJ, usually available for $10-15. LDW
I have 2 IMUSA steamers and 2 Smokey Joes. One SJ lid fits both steamers perfectly, the other is too tight, so I suspect that the problem may be that SJ lids vary a little in diameter. I also have a problem with the Weber grill racks, one is larger than the other. I have to force one grill into the barrel, while the other fits both barrels perfectly. I have gone to a $3.95 accessory rack, which is only 13.5" in diameter, vs 14" for the Weber SJ grill. For those that are having problems, might pick up a Craigs list SJ, usually available for $10-15. LDW
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