New girl here....

[Elf@shore]

Hello all — a little backstory before I ask for some guidance.
On October 3, 2014, my dad lost his battle with liver cancer.

My dad’s passion for cooking started long before I was born. Both of his parents immigrated to the United States from Greece in the 1950s, and if you know anything about Greek culture, you know that food runs deep in our roots. Cooking wasn’t just something my dad did, it was a huge part of who he was and how he brought people together.

At some point in the late ’80s or early ’90s, my dad had a custom hog smoker and grill built. He called it "The Big Unit"

It started out red, but eventually he had it custom painted for his favorite football team, the Cleveland Browns. It became this vibrant orange beast with a simple brown and white stripe running down the middle.

The big unit went everywhere with us- camping trips, family gatherings, and of course, Browns tailgates. It holds a lot of memories for me.

After my dad passed away, my mom decided to donate it to our church. We thought it would continue to get used and enjoyed, but unfortunately, it ended up sitting there much more than it was being used.

Recently, I was asked if I wanted to bring it home. Of course I said yes.

So now, nearly 12 years after my dad’s passing and just a couple months before my 30th birthday, I’m standing in front of this absolute beast, staring at it and realizing…
I have absolutely no idea where to start.

I know it has been sitting for quite a while, and I want to bring it back to life, not just as a smoker, but as something that can continue being part of our family for years to come.

So, if you know anything about restoring old smokers/grills, cleaning, replacing parts, or just where the heck I should begin, I would love some guidance.View attachment 740949

HI!
Sorry to hear about yur Dad lost.
My Dad was a huge Cleveland Fan!
He had season tickets for NY Jets for over 40 yrs, 14 seats.
Used it for his Tavern customers to experience Pro Football.
Every game off went 2 cars to tailgate!
I remember when he went to Cleveland on a Wim to go to a game. Believe it was Mon Nite game ?
Back to yur Cooker !?
Contact Meadow creek smokers, in PA, ASK FOR LAVERN: HE IS IN SALES, CAN DIRECT YOU.
They are a fabricator of smokers, including Gas fired assisted , they have the knowledge.
Use my Shoreelf name, I get emails from him.
Hope they can direct you and help !?
ELF

 

[boykjo]

Hey Andi, That's a very nice cooker. Having built several of them I suggest you start out with getting some scrapers and give it a good scraping and clean the inside surfaces including the bottom. She should clean up pretty easily by just doing that. Next, I would see what shape the pipe burner is in by firing it up. You will need a propane tank and a hose with the correct regulator and orifice. This would let you know if it's in good clean shape. There should be blue flame coming out of the burner. If it is yellow the pipe will need to be removed and cleaned. The hose orifice goes into the gas mixer. Open the gas mixer 100% and light the burner. If it doesn't light, close it some and try again. If you can't get blue flame the burner will need to be removed and the rust build up inside the pipe needs to be removed with a hammer. Remove the end cap and hit the pipe with a hammer and the rust will flake off the inside and discard it out the end cap. Hopefully you won't have to go that far and the burner is in good shape. Below is what your orifice should look like and how the burner should look lit. Good luck with your cooker and it should put out some really nice BBQ.

Boykjo

 

[radioguy]

Andi?
Welcome from Columbus OH. Browns fan here. Grew up in Parma. BrokenHandle and Boyko have you covered. You may want to pressure wash with a Purple Power pre-soak. Get a hot fire going heat it up, cool and hit it again.
Search is your friend. Ask questions post pictures and have fun.

Here we go Brownies, here we go....wuff....wuff

RG

 

[Brokenhandle]

Andi?
Welcome from Columbus OH. Browns fan here. Grew up in Parma. BrokenHandle and Boyko have you covered. You may want to pressure wash with a Purple Power pre-soak. Get a hot fire going heat it up, cool and hit it again.
Search is your friend. Ask questions post pictures and have fun.

Here we go Brownies, here we go....wuff....wuff

RG

Purple power is some great stuff! Also makes cleaning up globes on oil lamps a breeze!
And, if you do end up powerwashing it you'll want to coat it with some type of cooking oil afterwards and then run the burner to bake it on to prevent rust from starting.

Ryan