I was given a smokey joe ..Now what??

Grillmonkey said:

 
Yes, but it's just not as good as a charcoal basket! Just ask FWIsmoker

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Dude, just do what you want to do.   Yes ask me, ask dirtsaylor and  many others.    If you don't like our answers throw stones at us...it's all good.   

OBTW have fun shaking out the ashes and re using your leftover charcoal without. lmao

Nah man, I'm just saying let other people have their opinions, too. You jumped into this thread smacking down other people's ideas, because for some reason you think yours are best, and others who disagree just don't have your experience. And, you try to drag in accomplices to back you up, so you don't have to stand alone. I'm not throwing stones, the basket may the beat all, end all for the Mini-WSM, share your opinion, crow it from the top of the barn, just don't deny other people their opinions.

FWIsmoker said:

 
Dude, just do what you want to do.   Yes ask me, ask dirtsaylor and  many others.    If you don't like our answers throw stones at us...it's all good. 

 

OBTW have fun shaking out the ashes and re using your leftover charcoal without. lmao

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Grillmonkey said:

 
Nah man, I'm just saying let other people have their opinions, too. You jumped into this thread smacking down other people's ideas  "smacking down"  really?, because for some reason you think yours are best, and others who disagree just don't have your experience. And, you try to drag in accomplices to back you up,   OK...lol, I must have had to drag in accomplices.   so you don't have to stand alone. I'm not throwing stones, the basket may the beat all, end all for the Mini-WSM, share your opinion, crow it from the top of the barn, just don't deny other people their opinions

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  Thanks for sharing all that. 

c farmer said:

 
And, you try to drag in accomplices to back you up, so you don't have to stand alone

If your talking bout me,  I have tried with out a basket.   DIDNT work for me.

The basket WORKS for me.

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Nah, he was looking for anyone to help him out. I guess he was trying to rally troops to stand against me. It just bugs me when someone tries to shut you up because you don't agree with them or have a different point of view. Right or wrong, let everyone who wants to share their opinion or experience do it without slamming them.

Lemans said:

I love asking questions on this forum.. I posted a simple
"Ok.. Im brand new to this group.. My brother-in -law just gave me a smokey je he had in the garage..(still in the box).
I have an idea on how to build a mini WSM but Im not sure where to start.. What size pot do I start with? 32Quart?"
And I get 2 pages of help... Hey what about the ball valve mod . How high up on the bottom does it go. I have a IQ 120 I bet that would work great!

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Vasconia 32 qt, ask dirtsaylor about the valve, and yes the iq will work (i have one) but its totally not needed. It holds temps like no other...and always learn your pit before using controllers anyway.

Lemans,

Is your Smokey Joe a Silver or a Gold?  If it is a gold, make use of the existing 1 inch holes.  And yes, a IQ-120 will work quite well on a mini-WSM.  I have used one.

The IQ-120 is a bit of overkill, much in the same vein that a 454 V8 engine is a bit of overkill in a Camero; but it sure is fun.

Link to IQ-120 with a mini-WSM: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/168045/150-degree-mini-wsm-low-temp-test-with-iq-120-stoker

Right below the lip

Great pictures Case.

Well this one's really gone off the rails!! Good to see people so passionate about the little homemade frankencooker that has endeared itself to so many of us. When I built my first mini in the spring of 2012, I did try it without a basket. Being the gold version, what I found was that if I used a sparse amount of charcoal piled in the middle of the grate, I got a pretty clean, complete burn. This was fine for shorter cooks like chicken. But if I loaded the bowl all the way, I found the burn was concentrated in 2 pie shaped wedges emanating from the side vents to the center. My assumption was that since the vents were the only source of air, the rest of the coals just couldn't breathe enough to ignite. So I first used a stainless colander as a basket, then made a basket out of aluminum mesh and I've found it burns more evenly, predictably and completely with the basket in place. 8 hour cooks are a dawdle for this thing with the basket in place, and though I've not tried longer cooks others have posted that 9-10 hour cooks aren't a problem.
The only other "mod" (the whole cooker is sort of a mod I guess) I'm considering is the installation of a weber daisy wheel vent in the bottom center right where it's found on the silver. This will give me the ability to sear at temps approaching that of the high dollar streak house grills and salamanders. Other than that, as has already been said, I've learned the simple approach works best for me. It's long been said by those who know me best that I'm a bit of a simpleton, so I guess that's fitting. [emoji]128516[/emoji]