A New Build: 24x30 Vertical Offset - A Custom Build For JLeonard!
- Thread starter seenred
- Start date
-
Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
Well…. Was on the patio smoking while Zeke did his part to fertilize the yard and got to looking at my MB gasser. Got out the measuring tape and used the dimensions Joel had on his drawings vs the size of the gasser. I now really have an idea of how big this thing is gonna be!!!
Jim
Jim
Yeah it's gonna make that MB look mighty small! There will be some "dead space" - for lack of a better term - in the bottom of the CC (the air gap below the entry from the FB is not really usable space). And we'll still have to decide exactly how may racks to put in it and how much clearance between them...but a minimum of 4 racks will still give you somewhere in the neighborhood of 2300 square inches of cooking area. The RF I built and sold to Ryan has barely more than half that amount - with a bigger overall footprint.
Red
Was piddling around on a calculator I'd found online and was coming up with pretty close to that number every time I ran it. I was like.."no way. I gotta be doing something wrong."
Jim
Won't know an exact number until I actually fabricate the racks, but my estimate is that they'll be about 26" x 22" each...times 4 is 2288 square inches. 4 racks would allow around 6-7 inches of clearance between racks. If we lowered the clearance, I could probably get one or two more racks in there - which would make for a ridiculous amount of total cooking area!
Red
Thats what I was thinking. Im thinking the bottom rack will run hotter than the others so it would be perfect for chicken and the like.
Jim
Jim, I think you might get to eat with your son's football team with that much cooking space!
Ryan
Ryan
My thinking too. About 7 inches of clearance is what I have in my Limo Jr, and it's just about right. Since I hardly ever use all 4 racks at the same time, I usually just put a big pan on the bottom rack to catch grease drippings. And I just take a rack out when I need more clearance...when I need to cook something taller like a turkey of a whole chicken.
You may be right about the bottom rack - only time will tell! Plus, if we go ahead with a coal rack for the bottom of the CC, you'll use that bottom cooking rack a lot for direct-gilling.
LOL yeah, I'll bet you're right, Ryan - this might be able to feed a whole football team!
Red
Even just using 3 racks that thing will hold a ton of butts! Might even be able to feed a cheer leader or two!
Jim
Jim
Well I'm still making progress!
I think my last update was getting the firebox put together and tacked up. On to the cook chamber next...
I decided to go ahead and cut out the opening for the stack in the top panel of the CC before welding the CC together. Then the process begins of fitting up the panels, squaring and clamping, and tacking them together.
The CC is all welded out. The pics below give you a better idea of the size of this pit. You'll notice that the CC is sitting in the floor directly below my overhead chain hoist. That's because the dang thing's so heavy, only way I can pick it up is with the hoist. I figure the CC alone probably weighs almost 400 lbs.
I won't cut the CC door out until the hinges I ordered come in, so I can make sure I leave proper clearance and structural support on the edges for the door frame and those big hinges.
I bought some 4 inch bullet hinges at my steel yard a few weeks back, and thought they'd work fine on both the FB and CC doors...well the farther along I get, the more I realize how heavy the CC door is gonna be! So I rethought the 4" hinges for that door and ordered 3 heavier 6" hinges. I'll still use 2 of the 4" hinges on the FB - plenty beefy enough for that door...but I want to make certain Jim never has any problem with that heavy CC door sagging or breaking undersized hinges.
I was maybe half way through getting the FB all welded out, when I ran out of shielding gas for my welder. I'll make a run to my welding supply store in the morning and pick up a new tank of gas.
Tomorrow will probably be a good day to do that, cuz the forecast says it may be too cold to work out there for a day or 2. By the time it warms up enough for me to get back in the shop, maybe those hinges will be here, and I can get the FB weld-out finished and cut out the CC door.
That's all for now - thanks for following along!
More to come...
Red
I think my last update was getting the firebox put together and tacked up. On to the cook chamber next...
I decided to go ahead and cut out the opening for the stack in the top panel of the CC before welding the CC together. Then the process begins of fitting up the panels, squaring and clamping, and tacking them together.
The CC is all welded out. The pics below give you a better idea of the size of this pit. You'll notice that the CC is sitting in the floor directly below my overhead chain hoist. That's because the dang thing's so heavy, only way I can pick it up is with the hoist. I figure the CC alone probably weighs almost 400 lbs.
I won't cut the CC door out until the hinges I ordered come in, so I can make sure I leave proper clearance and structural support on the edges for the door frame and those big hinges.
I bought some 4 inch bullet hinges at my steel yard a few weeks back, and thought they'd work fine on both the FB and CC doors...well the farther along I get, the more I realize how heavy the CC door is gonna be! So I rethought the 4" hinges for that door and ordered 3 heavier 6" hinges. I'll still use 2 of the 4" hinges on the FB - plenty beefy enough for that door...but I want to make certain Jim never has any problem with that heavy CC door sagging or breaking undersized hinges.
I was maybe half way through getting the FB all welded out, when I ran out of shielding gas for my welder. I'll make a run to my welding supply store in the morning and pick up a new tank of gas.
Tomorrow will probably be a good day to do that, cuz the forecast says it may be too cold to work out there for a day or 2. By the time it warms up enough for me to get back in the shop, maybe those hinges will be here, and I can get the FB weld-out finished and cut out the CC door.
That's all for now - thanks for following along!
More to come...
Red
Jim, are you buying a whole pig... cuz I think it will fit!
Looking good Joel!
Ryan
Looking good Joel!
Ryan
Ok call it the “Blue Smoke Breast”I hope the only smoke that comes out of it is Blue Smoke!
Red
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
Similar threads
Hot Threads
-
Red's Santa Maria Build - A Custom Grill for JIMSMOKES!
- Started by seenred
- Replies: 29
- Other Builds
-
Instant Pot help, my first try was a fail.
- Started by forktender
- Replies: 25
- General Discussion
-
Homemade Chili + Cinnamon Rolls = WOW
- Started by yankee2bbq
- Replies: 23
- General Discussion
-
Featured 35 Day Dry Aged Brisket Point
- Started by civilsmoker
- Replies: 19
- Beef
