SJP/WSM Stacker Mod

[Jeff J]

Since my Spirit 500 restore was halted, I need another project to work on. I was lucky enough to score 2 SJP's a few years back during the Ace Hardware Christmas closeout for $20 each. I hadn't really done much with them, except last year I got a ProQ WSM stacker and using some leftover Brinkmann parts kind of made a mini WSM out of it. It has been in the garage for awhile, and I've decided it's time to bring it back to life. I plan to clean everything and paint the stacker, rework the guts with SS bolts instead of the Brinkmann parts, and figure out a better way to remove the charcoal grate for easier ash cleanup, without detaching the stacker.

Some photos of where I am starting:

The Lid with a thermometer hole, 2 18.5 grates, 1 22.5 charcoal grate, and a Brinkmann 15 inch water bowl. All ready for cleaning...

The SJP base and the stacker. When I got the stacker, I turned it upside down to accommodate the SJP config, and remounted the handles in the correct orientation...

I am hoping that if we stop getting late afternoon rain, I can pressure wash and scrub everything tomorrow.

 

[Tony R]

Looks like a cool project...
Cant wait to see the final result.

 

[Jeff J]

Well it turned out to not be much of a restore. It just needed pressure washed and I scrubbed the exterior with some Brillo pads, and it looks good as new. I figured the paint would come right off of the Stacker, but it is solid. So I'll detail how I put this together a year ago:

I drilled 4 holes in the groove on the base of the SJP, and installed 1.5 inch SS bolts for charcoal grate support. I wanted to eliminate the inherent problem of the SJP where the 18 inch charcoal grate sits below the vents, and instead used a 22.5 inch grate above the vents (where the cook grate usually is) for increased airflow and control:

The stacker itself is turned upside down, and I have remounted the handles. It contains donor parts from a Brinkmann ECB (bowl and mounting hardware). The bowl and 1st grate sit about 6 inches above the charcoal grate. I then installed 1 inch SS bolt about near the top to accommodate a second cook grate. The two cook grates are spaced about 6 inches apart as well.

The water pan is centered on the door opening to facilitate charcoal and water adding, and I can stir the coals with a 12 inch grill hook that I cut the end off of:

 

[Jeff J]

She has thermometers installed at grate level on both cook grates (in the door and lid):

And after a little cleanup, SJPSM (Smokey Joe Platinum Smokey Mountain) is ready to go again!

I'm in for $20 for the SJP, $65 for the Stacker, I got an ECB for $25 for donor parts, 2 thermometers, and misc SS bolts for a grand total of about $130 or so for the whole thing. The Stacker is hard to remove without standing on the legs of the SJP, so I just use a shop vac with a crevice tool to suck the ash out when needed. It holds a pretty steady 230 on the lower grate and 270 on the upper grate with all vents 1/2 open.

Thanks for your interest!

 

[Clark "Harbormaster" Hodgson]

Nice documented build Jeff.

Cooked on it yet? Curious how the charcoal grate above the vents works.

 

[Jeff J]

Nice documented build Jeff.

Cooked on it yet? Curious how the charcoal grate above the vents works.

I did a few butts on it on it several times before the cleanup, and it will run about 8 hours on a single full load of charcoal. Holds temps at 240 (lower grate) and 260 (upper grate) with the vents about 3/8 open on the bottom and top. Water pan needs h2o added about every 4 hours or so. I also moved the charcoal grate up to the water pan level once and used it to grill some steaks and it hit 550 with no problem. I am very pleased with the performance, and the higher profile of the charcoal grate. Plenty of room for ash droppings in the bottom of the kettle, and none have made there way out the side vents so far.