Newbie here, some help with ECB mods please.

tayogs · Mar 15, 2015

hi, just back yesterday from home depot with my new ECB, im completly new in the art of smoking, after some research and reading ill start with the mods to the ECB, but if you can help me with the list of the essential mods and some links with the better options to do this ill really appreciate that.
Planning to do some ribbs next saturday. Thx

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tayogs
Mar 15, 2015

timberjet · Mar 15, 2015

I suggest you type ECB mods into the search bar at the top of the page. Happy reading. I started out with that smoker and don't miss it one bit. But that said I made some damn good grub on that baby. It is in the backyard now with flowers growing out of it. Don't expect to be able to set it and forget it. It will take constant attention to make it perform no matter how many mods you do to it. First thing I did was put the legs on the outside of the unit. After reading some of the mods other people made you will understand why. Second thing was to drill more holes in the fire pan and add a grate for the ash to fall through. Third thing I did was to build a UDS and I have never looked back. It cost about the same to do that then it did to buy the ECB and all the modifications I did to it. I hope I don't offend anyone who has love for their little R2D2 smoker but I just figured I would let you know what you are in for.

thinblueduke · Mar 15, 2015

0. Looks like you've already got the thermometer

1. Holes in the charcoal pan and a few bricks or cinder blocks to set it on

2. Grate for the charcoal pan

3. Legs on the outside

4. Vent holes in the top of the lid

5. Rope or gasket around the rim of the lid

6. Search bar

7. Add your location to your profile

Welcome and good luck!

509smoker · Mar 15, 2015

Welcome to a lifetime of disappointment! Just kidding, but in all seriousness, this thing will make a smoking champ with the amount of work it involves. This site is a good resource. Right off the bat I drilled holes in the firepan and mounted legs on the outside, also put a grill thermometer on the lid. I did a couple of practice smokes then did a beer can chicken, it was a major success. Next I removed legs and set it on the lava rock pan and installed a lid dampener, I'm using less charcoal now, but struggling to get temp to 225 for the slow cook. I did ribs today, which were pretty darn good I must say, lots of complements to the chef from the guests as well. Next I will install rope gasket, carriage bolts to suspend firepan and some dampener to the lava pan, all in do time. Do one mod at a time and learn what works for you. The minion method is where it's at for charcoal, and rial oak lump works great. Good luck! And keep us posted!

bpinmi · Mar 16, 2015

Here's my thread from my ECB mods last year. I've since added some holes to the bottom of the charcoal pan. Other than that it's worked out great as I learn the ropes of smoking meat. Will probably stick with the ECB another year before upgrading to a new unit. One thing I haven't done yet is add rope around the base of the lid. Not having it hasn't affected anything much from what I can tell.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/169807/ecb-mods-complte-with-pics

tayogs · Mar 17, 2015

Just start the assembly and mods of this ECB, but today i go to the beach with my familiy and make some ribeye in my portable Brikman grill, how do you think about remove the lid of the grill put the smoker on bricks and use this grill as charcoal pan, do you think it will work? The size of the grill is exactly the diameter of the smoker. Thx

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tayogs
Mar 17, 2015

thinblueduke · Mar 17, 2015

If the portable grill has ventilation on the bottom, and the ECB fits smoothly over the top, I'd say that would work really well. Many ECB owners have used a similar portable Weber to do the same thing.

tayogs · Mar 17, 2015

Yes it have the classic 4 hole ventilation with lid and fits in the ECB, i think i'll ty this in my first attempt with the ribs. Thx

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tayogs
Mar 17, 2015

And this is the way i use it when grilling

tayogs · Mar 17, 2015

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tayogs
Mar 17, 2015

thinblueduke · Mar 17, 2015

Looks good. Make sure to post some Q-view (pictures) of your finished ribs. Good luck and happy smokin'!

thinblueduke · Mar 17, 2015

So does the portable grill have an upper grate, a lower grate, and a pan under the lower grate? If so, I would remove the pan under the lower grate. It should give you better control of the airflow.

gary s · Mar 17, 2015

Here you go This is one I did

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tayogs · Mar 23, 2015

Here is my ECB in it first smoking session

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tayogs
Mar 23, 2015

tayogs · Mar 23, 2015

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tayogs
Mar 23, 2015

tayogs · Mar 23, 2015

And here is my first try of ribs, I think it was very good for a newbie my wife and kids liked it a lot

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tayogs
Mar 23, 2015

tayogs · Mar 23, 2015

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tayogs
Mar 23, 2015

I used the 3-2-1, pecan chips the first two hours, sprayed Apple juice each hour, some problems to keep the temperature al 220 all the time, some times 200 and after adding charcoal 250, after all that excellent taste, need a little more cook

gary s · Mar 23, 2015

Nice Job, They look good to me, Takes a smoke or two to get comfortable

Gary

thinblueduke · Mar 24, 2015

Looks nice... thanks for the Q-view. An occasional temp spike up to 250 is no big deal.

Keep up the good work.

bpinmi · Mar 26, 2015

Nice job on the ribs!

509smoker · Mar 26, 2015

Those ribs do look great, your figuring it out. I did ribs as my second cook, smoker hovered around 210 for an average over the entire smoke and they turned out great. I plan on rocking out this modified ecb for a couple years and then buying a weber smokey mountain. I hope by then smoking will be a walk in the park.

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