Can I turn this into a smoker

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pete2190

Newbie
Original poster
Sep 14, 2015
4
10
I've never owned a smoker, but have always been interested.  I saw this for sale at a local online auction, and would like to buy it and turn it into a smoker.  I've researched some UDS Builds, and think I could make it work, but would like to hear from somebody with more experience than me.

Thanks




 
Unfortunately I don't know and wouldn't be able to find out until after I purchased it. It's fairly cheap though so I might just buy it and find out.
 
It is hard to tell but my guess would be yes you could but you shouldn't. 

I have learned the hard way that a good UDS comes down to how well it is sealed. You most likely will never be able to get that door sealed enough. Without the door being sealed you will have air being drawn in through the door making it impossible to regulate temps. 

Was it originally a grill? 
 
Thanks for that info. Yes, the description said it was a promotional miller lite grill.

You're right, just looking at pictures it doesn't appear like it would be that air tight. If the price is right I may purchase it anyway just to see.

Do you know if there are any gasket type materials that you can use in cases like this that would hold up to some heat and help with a seal?

Thanks again!
 
Yes you can buy gasket but it isn't cheap. You would spend $40 or more for that. At that point between buying the grill and the gasket you could have gotten a drum and had it sand blasted (give or take since I don't know how much the grill is). 
 
FWIW, I found a couple of these on the web for $99 each. No mention of what they are made of, but description says 40" tall and 18" wide. Not much help, but good luck on whatever you decide to do :-)
 
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Good to know, this one appears to be about the same size. This auction closes tomorrow night and it's under $30 right now so if it stays low I'll buy and resell if it doesn't work out. Thanks for the info.
 
For 30 bucks, Pete, you can keep the pans for a water pan and charcoal pan, and the meat grill for a barrel smoker, and put a garbage can liner in the Lite can for outdoor parties if it doesn't work out as a smoker. Win / Win for $30 :-)
 
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