Crosley Shelvador fridge build

[indaswamp]

I'd put a diffuser a couple inches above where the pipe enters the smoke chamber so you do not have a hot column of air rising rapidly right in the middle of the smoke chamber...

 

[slapaho_injun]

Roger that. Exactly what we were thinking. Just haven't got it in there yet. This has been so much a bigger project than I ever anticipated, when I bought the fridge for $20 at an estate sale. My friend has the plasma cutter , welder, grinder, chop saw, etc.....he's got about 20 hrs In to this already. I've got over $400 into it also........& I've still gotta square up with the friend for his materials...still have to get it painted, put in the dampers, get the rope gasket installed, the diffuser plate and then see if it actually smokes......

 

[slapaho_injun]

All done but the paint and installing a thermometer in the cooking chamber that we can read outside without opening the door. Got it started with a little charcoal and then added maple .......took an hour & a half to get up to 275 ......gonna let it burn off whatever it can while I babysit it today. Just happy it got up to temp with no effort. Got this fridge on 2/26/18 so 5 weeks total build time. Glad it's over!

 

[indaswamp]

Nice to see it complete with TBS rolling out the vent! Looking forward to the cooks!

 

[slapaho_injun]

Thanks. I'll post the first cook ! Might be a couple weeks, I want to get a feel for how it heats before I put any meat in it. Prolly going to be whole chickens first, cause they're cheap.

 

[indaswamp]

Agreed...do chickens first-either whole or leg quarters which are a little more forgiving. Next I recommend pork butt for a long cook to dial it in and get a feel for how she runs....

 

[slapaho_injun]

I can do that. Whole chickens were just on sale for 79 cents a pound and I've got 3 cases of pork butts in freezers , they were just on sale for 99 cents a pound. Wife almost shit when I come home with 225 lbs of pork butts but my brother and I split on them.

 

[indaswamp]

LOL! How often do you see pork butt on sale for $0.99/lb.? We see it about 4 times a year, which is when I buy for my smokes...

 

[slapaho_injun]

Once a year here. My buddy is the meat manager and he says they lose money on them at 99 cents a lb .....so that's why they only do it once a year. They are the bone-in pork buts, my favorite smoke....

 

[slapaho_injun]

just ordered the thermpro tp20. Also got some stove paint to make it all black, once the weather gets warm enough to paint outside

 

[indaswamp]

looking @ the last picture again, you might need to extend the diffuser baffle all the way to the door. Heat will rush up that gap and you might have a hot spot to the front of your grates.

 

[slapaho_injun]

Ugly smoker got paint today. Still need to figure out and order a new door gasket then I can proceed to smoke !

 

[slapaho_injun]

Ugly smoker got paint today. Still need to figure out and order a new door gasket then I can proceed to smoke !

 

[slapaho_injun]

Ordered the tadpole silicone gasket from amazon last night. Should be here next Wednesday. I will do a mock burn again just to get it dialed in and then I will throw some flesh in the box and give it a try! Pics to follow!

 

[slapaho_injun]

Finally , the new gasket is on..... project complete.....neighbor kid is spearing carp tomorrow so I may get some from him for my first smoke..... if not , I’ve got whole chickens and pork butts I will do early next week.

 

[slapaho_injun]

Affectionately named "The Black Box That Rocks"!

Best money I ever spent. Really getting my money's worth from this smoker.

If you're thinking about building one..... I say go for it!!