- Jul 31, 2017
- 26
- 13
Hello Everyone! I picked up what I believe was an early Brinkmann Pitmaster Deluxe. I spotted it in a yard on the way to my mother in law's house. I ended up getting it for $40. I've done most of my smoking on a bullet style brinkmann which I modified over the years. I had been waiting for a proper offset smoker to start on for years. I've had gigantic smokers in the past, but I've since sold them. What I'm looking for now is a smoker that's big enough to do a few large briskets at a time, but isn't a gigantic bohemith that eats wood like a bonfire. So, begin project.
Here is how I found it.
After I got it in my shop, I looked it over and it was good enough to use it as a foundation.
Hit it with wire wheel and it doesn't look too bad. I measured around the circumference and got a solid 10 gauge reading all around.
Initially, I was interested with the firebox side door, but it became clear that the door gaps were a little ridiculous. I could have welded a flange around the door, but I opted to weld it up quick and dirty and move on, I'll cut the hinges off and finish the job tomorrow, more than likely.
I also cleaned up the vent and lowered the gap by flattening out the firebox (it was warped). Now it's nice and tight.
Okay, so where am I going with this thing? I spent my Sunday with my caliper and mic gauges and input the smoker dimensions into my CAM program so I can plan out what I'm going to do. Here's what I have so far:
[if !supportLists]· Baffle and tuning plate rail + plates to control the temperature differential
[if !supportLists]· Typical dual gauges
[if !supportLists]· Slide-out cooking surface
[if !supportLists]· Drop smoke stack to cooking surface
[if !supportLists]· Wrap-around table bib
[if !supportLists]· Pneumatic tires
[if !supportLists]· Longer legs
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Bottom Shelf
[if !supportLists]· Charcoal Box
Here are my first drafts on what I was considering:
And with the grate removed, the tuning plate design:
I do intend to raise the smoker up about a foot from the factory height. I'm tall and I really hate bending down peeking into a smoker. I'm sure I'm not the first one to hate that. I still have a lot more to do, but I'd love any input on what I could do further to improve the smoker.
Here is how I found it.
After I got it in my shop, I looked it over and it was good enough to use it as a foundation.
Hit it with wire wheel and it doesn't look too bad. I measured around the circumference and got a solid 10 gauge reading all around.
Initially, I was interested with the firebox side door, but it became clear that the door gaps were a little ridiculous. I could have welded a flange around the door, but I opted to weld it up quick and dirty and move on, I'll cut the hinges off and finish the job tomorrow, more than likely.
I also cleaned up the vent and lowered the gap by flattening out the firebox (it was warped). Now it's nice and tight.
Okay, so where am I going with this thing? I spent my Sunday with my caliper and mic gauges and input the smoker dimensions into my CAM program so I can plan out what I'm going to do. Here's what I have so far:
[if !supportLists]· Baffle and tuning plate rail + plates to control the temperature differential
[if !supportLists]· Typical dual gauges
[if !supportLists]· Slide-out cooking surface
[if !supportLists]· Drop smoke stack to cooking surface
[if !supportLists]· Wrap-around table bib
[if !supportLists]· Pneumatic tires
[if !supportLists]· Longer legs
[if !supportLists]· [endif]Bottom Shelf
[if !supportLists]· Charcoal Box
Here are my first drafts on what I was considering:
And with the grate removed, the tuning plate design:
I do intend to raise the smoker up about a foot from the factory height. I'm tall and I really hate bending down peeking into a smoker. I'm sure I'm not the first one to hate that. I still have a lot more to do, but I'd love any input on what I could do further to improve the smoker.
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