size of wood pan?

[twistertail]

I've got the smaller size GOSM and am tired of using the tiny wood box. I'm going to have a guy I work with weld me up a bigger pan. How much room do I need to leave around the edges of the pan? I want it to be as big as possible but still need to allow air flow.

 

[dionysus]

A welded wood box would be great, but I use a 5lb coffee can cut down to about half size. It's cheap, works great (it's big enough to get descent sized chunks into) and is easily replaced. Either way just make sure you have enough room (at least a couple of inches) between the top of the wood box and the bottom of the water pan

 

[richoso1]

Dionysus has the right advise, easy to understand and concise. The coffee can wil heat faster and does the job without much expense and /or time..

 

[richtee]

Oh, and burn off the paint first...LOL!
I know someone- here I think..that uses an old cast iron fry pan too, if ya got one layin round.

 

[twistertail]

It wont cost me anything to have the pan made. I smoked a ton of stuff at work this summer so the guys around here are willing to do anything I ask when it comes to my smoker.

 

[old poi dog]

I have the same sized GOSM smoker. I went to Walmart and purchased a 10 inch cast iron fry pan. (Even better if you can get one from a garage sale or thrift store.) I inverted the chrome stand that came with the smoker and placed the pan on that so that it sits about 1/4 inch above the burner hole. I think that the larger area of the pan lets me adjust where to place my wood chunks so that they're off to the side of where the flames are heating directly under the skillet, thus preventing flareups. An added benefit is that when I am done smoking, I lift the pan out by the handle and dump the ashes in the trash.......Works for me. Someone here suggested it and I thought I'd pass it on.