Hello all. First, let me say this site is great! I've learned a lot already and haven't even started smoking yet. I just purchased a used Brinkmann Pitmaster deluxe and after reading a lot of the posts here and watching a lot of videos, I am proud to say I am done with the refurbishing and mods. Thanks.
This was the condition it was in when I bought it.
Smoke box was full of rust and grease.
Firebox didn't look that great either.
I tore everything apart, stripped it and repainted using high heat paint.
Doesn't look like the same smoke pit I bought for $50 anymore.
I lowered the smoke stack to the grate and added the felt to "seal" the chamber. The felt, which is the replacement gasket for the Big Green Egg, works great, by the way. Also added the thermometers at grate level as well as the oven thermometer until I get a digital probe.
I'm not a metal worker so I used an idea from a video I saw where a guy took an old sheet tray and drilled holes in it. The baffle is an oven liner. I'm wondering if this will be thick enough to dissipate the heat at the firebox side. I've run a couple tests and the temps are almost identical at both ends but will know more when I get some meat in there.
I tried the felt on the firebox but, as you can see, it was too hot. I also tried high heat RTV gasket maker but that just peeled off. Any ideas to help seal up the firebox? The charcoal basket is a grilltop wok and a couple cooling racks for cookies attached using coat hanger wire. Like I said, I'm not a metal worker. So far, this set up has held up to the heat but I'm interested to see just how long it will last before I have to go to expanded steel.
Eventually, I would like to move the external thermometer down to grate level and add a shelf on the front and side but there she is. Let me know what you think and I can't wait to post pictures of my first smoke and more to come!
This was the condition it was in when I bought it.
Smoke box was full of rust and grease.
Firebox didn't look that great either.
I tore everything apart, stripped it and repainted using high heat paint.
Doesn't look like the same smoke pit I bought for $50 anymore.
I lowered the smoke stack to the grate and added the felt to "seal" the chamber. The felt, which is the replacement gasket for the Big Green Egg, works great, by the way. Also added the thermometers at grate level as well as the oven thermometer until I get a digital probe.
I'm not a metal worker so I used an idea from a video I saw where a guy took an old sheet tray and drilled holes in it. The baffle is an oven liner. I'm wondering if this will be thick enough to dissipate the heat at the firebox side. I've run a couple tests and the temps are almost identical at both ends but will know more when I get some meat in there.
I tried the felt on the firebox but, as you can see, it was too hot. I also tried high heat RTV gasket maker but that just peeled off. Any ideas to help seal up the firebox? The charcoal basket is a grilltop wok and a couple cooling racks for cookies attached using coat hanger wire. Like I said, I'm not a metal worker. So far, this set up has held up to the heat but I'm interested to see just how long it will last before I have to go to expanded steel.
Eventually, I would like to move the external thermometer down to grate level and add a shelf on the front and side but there she is. Let me know what you think and I can't wait to post pictures of my first smoke and more to come!
