DIY grills & smokers

[Torc]

Having always been one to find ways around stretching my hobby allowance I keep an eye out for curbside goodies or ideas I can manage.

For fire cooking, I have a 3 rim grill with the grate from a recently acquired Char-broil Patio Bistro. Cost: $0

Landed a Brinkman vertical charcoal smoker for freeeee. Improved with grill felt and temp gauge. Cost $25

Had wanted to upgrade the Brinkman to electric for a while but hadn't found a good (or cheap) way to do it until I came across the patio bistro mentioned above.

 

[kilo charlie]

Where there's a will there's a way!

Now you can increase the meat budget

 

[Torc]

Hmmm. So the max I can manage with the electric element is 262° and not hot enough to get the chips smoking without setting the foil pan directly on the element.

 

[andrew lb]

Saving money is exactly why I built my UDS and put together my own PID controller and I have never been happier. The drum cost me like $30 from a cake factory and whatever the Weber grill cost. Aside from that, $30 for the inkbird PID and everything else I had on hand.

oh, and $16 for gloss black brake caliper paint. normal bbq paint doesn’t last. that photo was 4 years after I painted it. It sits uncovered outside. (SoCal weather, so not harsh).

 

[Young_Bourg]

Saving money is exactly why I built my UDS and put together my own PID controller and I have never been happier. The drum cost me like $30 from a cake factory and whatever the Weber grill cost. Aside from that, $30 for the inkbird PID and everything else I had on hand.
View attachment 497761
oh, and $16 for gloss black brake caliper paint. normal bbq paint doesn’t last. that photo was 4 years after I painted it. It sits uncovered outside. (SoCal weather, so not harsh).

How is the Inkbird PID? I am running a Smokintex1460 and find that the temp swings are pretty bad. I have heard the Auber is good, but I cannot get one and its like 3x the price of the Inkbird.

Nice rig btw!