Stackers and capacity extenders for 22.5


 
Jeff Padell

Jeff Padell

TVWBB Pro
I am sitting here, should be working but my mind is racing about my WSM's. Doesn't help that I have my wallpaper on the PC with pictures of my smokers.

I saw the Cajun Bandit extender and said to the wife that would be great! I already have their rotisserie and ring, and it works on both my WSM and OTG. The extender would turn the OTG into a real smoker, or add capacity to my 22.5 WSM!

BUT, I am not really sure if I need it, or should simply try some of the mods on the home page to increase capacity. I am leaning towards first trying the mods.

It would be neat to have the OTG as a smoker but here is the other part of the equation, I am the only one who really goes crazy over BBQ, the wife only really likes ribs (she said she could eat them every day), the kids eat all BBQ but not that much. For example 2 racks of ribs and we will have ribs left over, one 3 pound pork butt and we have left overs, one 4 pound chicken same thing. I have never been that big a fan of reheated frozen food, I like it fresh, probably a figment of my imagination - need to try a blind test to see if I can really tell the difference. But that being said, I could and have cooked more than needed to have leftovers, cook once for the week, but storage becomes an issue.

It is going to hit 60 today so if the rain ever stops I may make a cup of coffee and go outside to sit with my WSM's and think about how to modify them.

But the Stacker would LOOK NEAT!

I guess this year I will will find out how much I really use the WSM's. I have only been doing smoking since last June. Since the wife likes ribs so much I need to be able to do a bunch of ribs (to have leftovers) and then what I like at the same time.

the OTG has the rotisserie here

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butts

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Jeff, regarding stackers, I don't think you're going to help efficiency any by adding more space to the already big and tall 22" wsm, which is already quite the fuel hog. If needing to cook a dozen butts at a time, it's more efficient to replace the grill straps with longer ones to drop down the bottom grate. This gives more than adequate space for three grates of butts or ribs in racks.

For myself though, I've never cooked over a case of eight butts at a time or would ever need to cook over 16 racks of ribs. You mentioned ribs though, so here's a pic of my 8 slot double Weber rib rack. I found several of them for cheap online and made two of them by simply bending the wire a bit. I still haven't used them, but they seem like their pretty "stuck together".



But as you can tell, I haven't used them yet. Lately I just roll and skewer like this.


If you prefer to smoke more than half a dozen ribs flat though, you can add a third grate by installing some small screws through the grill straps.
 
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I think you are right, based on what we cook and may cook, the 22.5 can do an enormous amount of meat, and with a couple simple mods will work fine as is

It is just like being a kid in a candy store, I want that I want this....
 
Dave,

Thanks for these tips and pics. There's so much wasted space in the 22.5" WSM between the bottom of the water pan and the factory coal ring. I like the thought of an easy add-on grate solution for a third cooking level. That means nine racks of ribs laying flat. Amazing! :cool:
 
W Tyler said:
Dave,

Thanks for these tips and pics. There's so much wasted space in the 22.5" WSM between the bottom of the water pan and the factory coal ring. I like the thought of an easy add-on grate solution for a third cooking level. That means nine racks of ribs laying flat. Amazing! :cool:
Click to expand...

I think the "wasted space" is because Weber wanted folks to have plenty and easy access to the fire, as opposed to being tempted to do the hot squat and possibly get hurt. Like I said though, some have replaced the straps and lowered the pan. I wouldn't want it too much lower, but the grill strap mod is an option. Get the pan too low and not only is access to the fire an issue, but the water is going to be more prone to boil. We don't want that.

As for ribs flat on multiple grates, I've done it with good results, but it's kind of a pain and drippings will often deface the ribs. That's why I like to roll em or use rib racks. Not only is it easier to check em, vertical ribs in a vertical smoker seems to make sense. I feel I get better circulation and more even cooking.
 
While I definitely respect the other guys' opinions, I have the Cajun Bandit extender and I am VERY pleased with it. Yes, the 22" OTG can be a fuel hog, but I can smoke a 15' brisket or lots of ribs without rolling them. Let me also add that I have a 18" WSM for smaller cooks.

Here are some photos of "Gambit":

First we start with the basic 22" OTG. For better temp adjustment I added a single vent control.

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And of course I need my table. For thermal mass I use two big fire bricks from a local brick factory. Even fire-rated I prefer to wrap them in several turns of aluminum foil, just in case of boilovers.

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Inside the CB Extender, I replaced their "pizza pan" heat shield with a 18x2" heavy aluminum cake pan.

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Here's the main body assembled. I drilled a grommet on the side for thermometer wires (Maverick 732) and mounted an Old Country therm on the wall for quick glances.

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And below are a few shots of the last time I used it, in late November. I was smoking a 10 lb pork butt.

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Nice, have you every tried to get two grates in the stacker?

This is what I was thinking of, although with a 22 WSM a 14 WSM and a SJ mini, and a New Braunfels offset smoke and only doing 3 or 4 racks of ribs at a time I wonder if I really need it?
 
In my case, I've never needed the second level, I only cook for a dozen or so at most. So I can easily cook two pork shoulders, or a brisket, or a flock of cupcake chicken. And if I want to cook two meats, I can fire up the 18" WSM as well.

To be honest I suspect the thickness of the cake pan would block a second grate anyway. The bottom line was money: I already had the 18" WSM and the CB stacker was cheaper than buying a 22" WSM. I can still remove the stacker and use the OTG as a regular grill.
 
Here's my take on a 22 inch stacker. These photos are from 2002 when I had just assembled it. Still going strong although it's been transferred to a new style Performer after the cart on the old one suffered terminal rust in 2011.

There's room for three grates above the pizza stone and cake pan drip catcher. Recent addition is replacing the bottom grate with a small 20 inch cooking grate from the WSM. Makes putting the bottom grate in MUCH easier! I changed to longer screws to support it. I also just got the Weber hanging rack system, but I haven't tried it yet.

For BBQ I use the cast iron diffuser with pizza stone as shown. For roasting the Thanksgiving turkey. I replace the cast iron diffuser with a cooking grate + pizza pan + pizza stone. More airflow from the fire to the cooking chamber, easier to hold temps in the 325 to 425 range for roasting.

Day in and day out, the extender and all the extra grates, diffusers, pans, etc. sit on top of low round 24 inch diameter table with a 22 inch kettle grill cover over them, while the Performer serves duty as a standard kettle grill.



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How much more capacity do you want/need? You can add a lot of capacity with a CB Stacker and set it up to maximize the space inside. Also you can use your rotiserre ring as a Stacker (cover holes with foil tape).

At this link I show a Stacker with examples of capacity.

At this link I show what you can do with just a kettle.

A kettle and your Rotiserre ring should be able to hold two grill racks .. so maybe 4 to 6 racks of ribs laying flat.

I sold the CB Stacker to a friend and rarely cook with my 22 WSM. I find I can get the capacity I need with just a 22 or 18 in. kettle.
 
I tried using my 22 OTG to test how it holds temps, I couldn't get it below 400 and had trouble figuring out how much air was coming in from the bottom. a thermometer in the top vent was staying between 450 and 500, I had two of the charcoal half moon holders half filled and used 1/2 chimney of lit
At least at this point I find my 22 and 14 and mini easy to use for smoking and hold whatever temp I want
 
Jeff Padell said:
I tried using my 22 OTG to test how it holds temps, I couldn't get it below 400 and had trouble figuring out how much air was coming in from the bottom. a thermometer in the top vent was staying between 450 and 500, I had two of the charcoal half moon holders half filled and used 1/2 chimney of lit
At least at this point I find my 22 and 14 and mini easy to use for smoking and hold whatever temp I want
Click to expand...

The WSMs control temps very good. If using Kettle mod it takes some trial and error but it is completley doable. It's just the right combination of fire and air flow. Two baskets of coals will get you high heat. In fact I frequently do chicken cooks with just one basket of coals and vents 100% open for temps around 350-400.

To maintain lower temps in a kettle it needs a Minion start with just a few lit coals and very little air inlet. It takes some practice. But the easier route for sure is a WSM.
 
Jeff,

I was just looking at some old threads and this one cough my eye, one comment in particular...

Jeff Padell said:
I have never been that big a fan of reheated frozen food, I like it fresh, probably a figment of my imagination - need to try a blind test to see if I can really tell the difference.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying about reheating from frozen. One thing that has helped me get over that is how you prepare the reheated food. For example whenever I cook a butt (or two), we'll eat some of the fresh pork that day as the main dish and freeze the rest. When it comes out of the freezer the meat becomes part of a new dish, i.e. tacos or enchiladas or meat for a soup. While it's not the star of the dish, it gives a different spin on whatever dish it becomes a component of.

Just a suggestion. Try it once or twice and see if that helps with the mental block.
 
Brain
That will help this weekend, my 26 year old borrowed my last $20 so I have no money until payday on the 20th, have to make my gas last a week, and so I just pulled some frozen turkey legs and chicken drumsticks out of the freezer for Fathers Day, and will pull some of the frozen BBQ'd pulled pork for Saturday.
 
Dave Russell said:
I think the "wasted space" is because Weber wanted folks to have plenty and easy access to the fire, as opposed to being tempted to do the hot squat and possibly get hurt. Like I said though, some have replaced the straps and lowered the pan. I wouldn't want it too much lower, but the grill strap mod is an option. Get the pan too low and not only is access to the fire an issue, but the water is going to be more prone to boil. We don't want that.

As for ribs flat on multiple grates, I've done it with good results, but it's kind of a pain and drippings will often deface the ribs. That's why I like to roll em or use rib racks. Not only is it easier to check em, vertical ribs in a vertical smoker seems to make sense. I feel I get better circulation and more even cooking
Click to expand...

Just visually, or taste/texture affected too? Not that visual defacement isn't a concern on its own.
 
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