WSM 18.5 mods


 
W

Wayne E.

TVWBB Member
Did some mods before putting the unit into service. Put the grommets on one grill grate support and handles on the other three grill grate supports. Had originally planned on putting a Moriarity side table into the two handles to the right of the door but have decided to wait on that for now.

Overall unit on caster base.
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Charcoal basket installed. Includes expanded metal insert for lump, welded on handles, ring wired to grate, and EM charcoal corral.
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Handles on lower grate.
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Brinkman charcoal pan replaces OEM Weber water pan.
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Grommets.
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Lid holder and utensil hooks.
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You must know a "guy" in the expanded metal business because that stuff ain't cheap. Here in Denver, they want $36.00 for a 24x24 sheet of I think is the 1/4" stuff. Nice set up, mine will never look like that, it'd cost me the original price of the cooker to simulate yours. You're gonna have some good memories with that for sure. Have fun!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jim Lampe:
WAYNE!
Everything Looks GREAT!!! REALLY!!!

Butt PLEASE! Cook On It!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Listen to the man............
..... and we want pictures!!!!!!!!!
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Nice bunch of mods -- and great looking WSM. You're gonna love it -- if you ever cook on it.
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But I do have a couple of recommendations.

One mod you didn't do is the two simple bolts added for a door prop. That is the single most useful mod I made. If your temp is lagging, there is no better way to get it going than the upside-down door propped open just a bit and sitting on those bolts. I may put in shorter bolts because I almost never prop more than about 1/8".

And with that expanded metal floor you added in the charcoal ring, you may well NEED that prop if you use charcoal briquettes -- especially Kingsford. All the ash generated will fill those small spaces and block air flow. Actually, I'd suggest removing that floor if you use briquettes.

And to answer Jason's question about why the Brinkmann water bowl. The Brinkmann bowl is flat on the bottom and does not push down into a full ring of charcoal like the new Weber bowl does. It's not as large as the new Weber bowl, but how often do you really need 2 gallons? I'd like to get a Brinkmann bowl even if it means refilling it on long cooks. (Yes, I do use water.)

Rich
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jason Smart:
Very nice....but why the Brinkmann bowl over the new Weber bowl? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Rich mentioned the reason behind the bowl change. I had used a friends wsm 18.5 a few times to try it out before purchasing this one and found a couple of things that were a bit irritating.

One being the depth of the Weber bowl and how it tended to crowd the charcoal in the charcoal ring, especially when using the small basket that he had made for his wsm. Further, I was using wood chunks from trees off my land for the smoke and they were not chopped into as small of pieces as the ones you buy from the store. And after searching around this fine forum I found the subject had been discussed a number of times before, and thus the Brinkman charcoal bowl.

Some pictures to illustrate.
The differences in height (depth) between the two.
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The oem Weber pan.
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The Brinkman charcoal pan.
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The other thing is the use of water vs no water, which appears to be a matter of personal opinion and a subject of many discussions on this forum. I'd like to be able to get away from using water if it doesn't impact the quality or behavior of the process too much. So I will eventually experiment with just a foiled Brinkman pan or maybe use a terracotta pot base or stone inside the pan.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RichPB (richlife):
One mod you didn't do is the two simple bolts added for a door prop. That is the single most useful mod I made. If your temp is lagging, there is no better way to get it going than the upside-down door propped open just a bit and sitting on those bolts. I may put in shorter bolts because I almost never prop more than about 1/8".
Rich </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok thanks, the door mod is easy enough to do. Yes I have Kingsford that I will be using and the expanded metal insert is just laid in the bottom and can be easily removed or installed as needed.
 
Wayne,

The mod I like is the simplest one... the hook in the block of wood to hang and attach a monitor to. I've tried a number of ways to attach my Maverick with no success, but I have the same Stanley handles and will be getting that hook from Lowes this week! Thanks for the great idea!
 
Thanks guys for the explanation on the water pan change. I am assuming based on the pics that the Brinkmann charcoal pan is preferred over the Brinkmann water pan? Looks like Academy has both of them for $4.99 so i am going to pick one up..

One more question for the OP Wayne E.

How did you connect the ET732 to the block of wood? I tried to zoom in to see but I can't make it all out. Thanks...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jason Smart:
Thanks guys for the explanation on the water pan change. I am assuming based on the pics that the Brinkmann charcoal pan is preferred over the Brinkmann water pan? Looks like Academy has both of them for $4.99 so i am going to pick one up..

One more question for the OP Wayne E.

How did you connect the ET732 to the block of wood? I tried to zoom in to see but I can't make it all out. Thanks... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for pointing that out, Jason -- I actually missed the import of it. It looks like Wayne attached a piece of metal to the block -- like one of those picture hangers with teeth that seat in a nail. I'm going to look at my Maverick for the possibilities -- already have the wood and the hook and the handles.

And again, thanks Wayne!

Rich
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jason Smart:
One more question for the OP Wayne E.

How did you connect the ET732 to the block of wood? I tried to zoom in to see but I can't make it all out. Thanks... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
The ET732 sending unit has that wire hanger bracket that can be clipped to the unit. Pictured below on left.

The bracket is two piece deal held together with one small screw. I removed that screw which separated the wire part from the part that clips to the back of the sending unit. Then I just used a small wood screw to screw the part that clips to the unit onto the wood.

This allows you to remove the sending unit from the wood/bracket if desired.

th
 
I just received my Brinkman charcoal pan and was surprized at how light the metal is. The base lends itself to an 18 ga. 8" dia. piece of stainless with I am going to bond to the pan with JB Weld. This way the base of the Brinkman will stand up for a few years to come and I will have an airspace in the application!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gary S:
I just received my Brinkman charcoal pan and was surprized at how light the metal is. The base lends itself to an 18 ga. 8" dia. piece of stainless with I am going to bond to the pan with JB Weld. This way the base of the Brinkman will stand up for a few years to come and I will have an airspace in the application! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you foil the pan it will do fine. Mine still has the original UPC sticker on the bottom after many long cooks.
 
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