Bar-B-Chef Find,...is it worth it? (Plenty of Pics)

[chefrob]

good advice from dave......he only think i can add is i' pretty sure i just shot my handles with the same paint that i used for the smoker.

 

[chefrob]

Also, are you placing any kind of drip pan inside to keep it clean or what?  I didn't notice any drain holes in this so let me know your thoughts.

no, there should be a hole at the right side on the bottom around the middle....if not make one. i just use a small can to catch the drippings.

 

[xlaxx]

Took the smoker apart today.  Picked up some SS to replace the hardware.  

We'll see if the weather holds out tomorrow to get some more of the project completed.

Condition of Firebox as purchased:

Everything came apart nicely:

Condition of Smoking cylinder as purchased:

Get 'r done:

XLAXX

 

[chefrob]

it really don't look too used....with the dark drip maks on the outside i figured it to be caked on the inside.

 

[xlaxx]

Naw,...not bad at all.  I didn't even touch the inside.  

I am having issues painting it though.  I am using the Hi Temp 1200 by Rustoleum.  They have it at Home Depot.  I sanded the box and smoking chamber down pretty good with a power sander and cleaned it up afterward.  I sprayed about 2 or 3 coats over the rusty areas and the entire unit.  The smoker just soaks the paint up immediately.  I could easily spray that sucker with 20 cans of the stuff!  I did note that the pitting from rust was coming back through the paint yesterday.  I got the rusty areas down to bare metal the best I could but I couldn't believe how fast it worked thru the paint already.  Any tips on painting this thing or do I just have a goofy smoker?

XLAXX 

 

[chefrob]

not sure, i sanded mine with a wheel on a grinder and i shot it with a compressor. i'm pretty sure i used the same paint but i tried to shoot many thin coats and i let tem dry before i shot it again. living where i do this is a pretty quick process. also i just shot the basket before it was too dark.....

it's kinda dark but here is the drain/can set up

and here is the baffle in the smoke chamber from the firebox side, also you can see i put the smaller grates in the bottom of the smoke chamber as a heat sink sorta.......

maybe next week i'll do spring cleaning and clean the tuning plates so you can see them and a better shot of the smoke chamber set up. i hope this helps ya some...........

 

[xlaxx]

Thanks for the pics!  Amazing how quickly these smokers rust.  I do not have access to a paint gun nor compressor.  HD sells the Hi Temp paint in a brush-on version.  It is a satin finish.  I have painted the smoker using 4 cans of the Hi Temp spray paint already then noted the small specks of rust coming thru afterward.  I  might not have gotten all the rust off???,...should I strip it again?  I also snagged 6 cans of the same stuff but in Hi gloss.  I think, I am spending way to much in paint so far,...thoughts?  We have had rain here so it got wet soon after it had dried the first time.  The stock cover was on it too!  I sanded some places again this morning and shot it with spray paint again so I'll recheck it in the morning.  I really want to complete this and start burning it out so I can smoke some meat but this overhaul is driving me bats already.

Yes, when you get a chance, snap a few pics of the inside of yours for me.  I want to see how you have your baffle placed inside.  The tuning plates seem pretty straightforward to me.  I finished the charcoal basket today as a matter of fact.  Just need to pickup some SS screws for the bottom legs.

XLAXX

 

[aussiepete]

This is the new baffle I made for my smoker.  By cutting the plate slightly longer than the width of the smoking chamber I ground the ends to fit the profile of the smoking chamber.  It's not shown in the pic but I would normally have it double wrapped in heavy duty aluminium foil to keep it clean and to help protect the paintwork where the smoker barrel and the baffle are touching.  I also made some tuning plates but got the best result in regards to even temp across the grill with no plates and just the new baffle.

If your budget has blown out a bit due to all the paint you've bought I suggest trying just a larger baffle first before you buy your tuning plate material.  I bought everything at once and ended up wasting money on the tuning plates that I now have no use for.

 

[xlaxx]

Thank you for the baffle pic.  Is your baffle just angled downward or did you put a slight bend into it to face towards the grates?

XLAXX

 

[aussiepete]

The baffle is just sitting at an angle.  As you can see in the pic, the bottom corners sit on the radii of the smoking chamber.  The top half simply leans up against the chamber wall that separates the chamber from the firebox.  When I get time, I'll grind a larger radius on the bottom corners to better match the profile of the chamber, but even as is it works great!

 

[boykjo]

Good luck with the new/used unit. Iit will be a nice one when finished......I know it might be too late on the paint but I am not impressed with the paint from lowes or hd in the can  (sucks)...... I would use engine heat paint from auto zone but it is much more expensive and covers well.....Joel (solaryellow) used a  paint on his rig and was real happy with it....Thurmalox 270

page 8

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...lmost-ready-to-mount-the-handwashing-sink/140   

this is mine

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/101802/braunfel-smoker

Here are my mods

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110134/braunfel-reverse-flow-modification

Joe

 

[chefrob]

X, i just posted my set up for ya........

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/119651/bar-b-chef-baffle-and-tuning-plates#post_791694

 

[xlaxx]

Any recommendations or further suggestions on the sanitation process of this smoker? 

Seems most are reporting 3+hrs at 300+degrees does the job. 

Just want to make sure I am doing this right as there is a lot of Rustoleum Hi Heat paint and Copper Penetrox sealant with Anti-seize on the smoking chamber and SFB,

Thanks for the advice!

XLAXX

 

[chefrob]

not sure why the need for sanitation but 200 deg will kill pretty much anything. just run a test smoke to season it and it will be fine.........did you just paint the outside ir did you do the inside as well?

 

[xlaxx]

I just painted the entire outside,...nothing inside was shot except for some over-spray here and there around the chimney mount and firebox hole.  

Putting it back together today and will post my pics soon.  Wanted to take a few last night but the camera battery died.  

Chefrob, thank you for the guidance and pics you have posted along the way for my restoration.  I used your thread as a template for my resto-job.

XLAXX

 

[chefrob]

glad to be of some help.....it sounds like yer ready to go so put it together and light'er up. i will say i would let it sit out in the sun for about a week to let the paint cure before getting a fire going.....just a thought.

 

[xlaxx]

Finally getting around to finishing the overhaul on this smoker today.  I know a lot of you out there have been waiting with baited breath.  So I got some pics of what I accomplished over the past two weeks.  The paint job could be better and believe me it didn't last too long over the firebox after I test smoked it today.  The rest of the smoker turned out OK I think,... SO here goes,...

Putting it back together today,...



Tried to get it looking 'glass on glass'....



This finish didn't last too long once the fire got hot today,... I think these smokers are notorious for this.  A bird pooped on it too !  

Firebox lower shield, damper, SS shelf arm mounts, home-brew charcoal basket and baffle.



Paint used.  The pistol grip saved my index finger and finger tip from numbness.  A 'must-have' accessory from HD when spray painting, IMHO.



Handles getting a coat.



Charcoal basket inside the firebox.



Almost there,...



I cut and made the baffle for the chimney but the worm clamp holding it on is just plain cheesy .  

Any suggestions on what else to use to keep it there would be greatly appreciated as mine did not come with the stock crimp wire!



Side view.



Replaced all the grate screws with SS hardware. I re-used the factory hardware after applying Penetrox Anti-seize to all of it.



Love the Firebox!



BEFORE:



AFTER: (my dog... 'Dark'...smelled the bacon grease)



I test smoked it today.  I got pretty aggressive with seasoning the smoker and applied leftover bacon grease.  It ran out the sides and I had to wipe it off the entire test.   The smoker heated up really quickly.  It was running at 259 after 15 minutes with all the air intakes open.  I backed off the intake at the firebox to about a third open and left it there.  I cruised at 225 for about three hours today before I started losing heat.  I started at 5:30pm with the Weber chimney lit.  At 6:00pm, I lit the smoker using Minion Method, temp was right at 259 by 6:15pm.  Temps started dropping at 9:45pm to 180 degrees without any re-fueling.  Intake was open about 1/2 way the entire time until the very end where I opened the door to get more air to the fire but almost all the charcoal was gone at that point.  I used some Cowboy charcoal today for the test smoke.  What is a good time to reload the fuel for a long smoke?

BTW,... the stock Bar-B-Chef thermometer was pretty darn accurate,... it wasn't off by much, say 3-5 degrees.  I used an old Ponder digital thermometer.  It was crap and off by 20 degrees.  The Maverick is an impressive gadget.



Had really nice colored smoke.  I threw in about 3 pieces of Cherry for test purposes.



Here is where I was running the damper for most of the time.  Temp outside was 64 degrees with light winds.



All in all I thought it was a good test run on my smoker.  I wish the paint had held up better on the top of the firebox though.

Suggestions / comments / recommendations are welcome here.  Would like to do some ribs next week.

Thank you!

XLAXX

 

[xlaxx]

edit

 

[chefrob]

it looks awesome.....nice job! as for the paint there isn't really anything you can do around the fire box. i just give it a spray once in a while......

 

[xlaxx]

Thank you, Chefrob.  I knew you would appreciate it seeing as how you have the same smoker.  Also, thank you for the recommendations, etc while I was going through it.  

Seems to smoke pretty well on the test run but it was pretty tranquil outside yesterday from an ambient temperature standpoint without any elements.  

I have been officially asked by the 'boss with hot sauce' to start smoking something for the upcoming Easter weekend, so I need something that I can't mess up too much.  Whole Foods has ribs on sale this week but I think I need something bigger to smoke for about 10 people,...brisket might be in order?

Thanks again.  I think the smoker came out OK but alas, the firebox shine on the top is gone due to the high temps from the fire.

XLAXX