Recent content by brianillinois

Boatbum, you maybe aren't giving the government enough credit. They are very good at passing legislation, and fairly good at enforcing it. Whether it's good legislation, that's another matter altogether. Love Gary's new suit!

The EPA is funding a study to look at the particulates you breathe when grilling. Any predictions on how long before the feds start cracking down on backyard smokers? Story...

I'm hoping I can find a few on sale. But my local store on Saturday said I bought the last two, and other nearby stores were already sold out.

I smoked my first corned beef briskets yesterday. I didn't post pix sooner because, quite frankly, I was really worried it'd be a big fail. I prepared them by soaking in water for about three hours, then coating in mustard and covering in cracked pepper. I smoked the briskets for about three...

Light that puppy up!  

Looks awesome. Did you use wood to fill the gap between cooking chamber and outer shell?

Tkish, while you were out of town, I sneaked over to your house and finished your fridge/smoker build for you. You're welcome. Oh, by the way, I might have left a tool or two sitting out, and I might have forgotten to tidy a few things up. Sorry 'bout that.

Great idea on the heat shielding/venting. Nice.

Before you drill your side holes, make sure you've got the appropriate hardware lined up first. My plan was to use 1 1/4-inch black pipe, then use fittings that would snug up, airtight, to the inner and outer walls. Simple, right? Well, black pipe's diameter is smaller at the ends, so it only...

Sir, you have a nice-looking hole. (Sorry, couldn't resist) Actually that is a fine cut. What size are you cutting, how many, and what will be your method for making an airtight passage from inner hole to outer hole?

Starting to apply some black. I thought about a black Hammerite finish, but I'm liking this flat black. Sort of gives it the look of the steel cookers. And I think the powder-coated shelf and spring handles, as well as the chrome latch and emblem, will really pop against the black.

tkish, you're probably going to find that the hole-cutting and plumbing is a bigger P.I.T.A. than imagined. I've got the broken drill bits and jigsaw blades to prove it. But I've now got all of the holes and plumbing done, except for the exhaust. When I was at the fabricator the other day, I saw...

I gave her a sanding today, just enough to remove any scratches and a few specks of surface rust. Smooth as a baby's rear: Then I gave it a first coat of primer. I think it's going to end up taking paint nicely.

Oh, and yes I do let it rest in foil before pulling.

I take it to 195. It's not quite as moist as a butt, but by no means dry. It's turned out very well each time, so far at least. Thanks for your comments.