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    Offset smoker tune up?

    Posts: 503
    in Off Topic
    My apartment complex has this smoker but i've never seen anybody use it. Is there any way to clean it or before i were to use it? maybe dump a ton of hot coals in it and let it hight heat burn? Feedback please!
    Kinda grosses me out since its so rusted so i may not mess with it.

    Austin, Tx
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    • Posts: 503
      Austin, Tx
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    • Posts: 6,481
      What does it look like on the inside?
      Coleman, Texas
      Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
      "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                            YukonRon
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    • Posts: 5,958
      edited June 2016
      Looks sweet.  Get a can or two of hi temp black grill paint and it will look good as new.

      Looks only like surface rust from here, but as @SciAggie has asked, what DOES the inside look like?

      Looks like a giant mailbox on the outside.  The stack looks like it would pull a pretty good draft.  @SGH  could give a good analysis of firebox size as related to cook chamber size to smoke stack diameter and height ratio so you would know what to expect.


      I wish i could find a smoker like that in my backyard to play with.


      Large, Medium, MiniMax, 36" Blackstone
      Grand Rapids MI
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    • Posts: 503
      I'll get more pictures tonight. Its surface rust, nothing corroding. But i do have to inspect the inside chamber. I didn't even think about the science behind building a perfect smoker with the correct dimensions like @kl8ton mentioned. Firebox seems a bit bigger then most i have seen, but i dont have much experience with offset smokers. Bet this would fit that 38lb monster brisket @SGH cooked
      Austin, Tx
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    • Posts: 2,600
      Depending on if the racks are still good, if the firebox isn't rusted out, if the door seals properly, stovepipe isn't falling off etc. Personally I would get a fire going in it and see if it will draw. If she will draw and the temp will stay consistent, I would take a brush on a grinder to it, paint it and park it closer to my back door. Even if the racks are shot, if everything else is solid, a local fab shop can make some expanded grates pretty cheap. 
      Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
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    • Posts: 4,483
      I am no expert like @SGH, but the firebox looks pretty low and maybe that is why it is so big to keep the fire low?  See if there is a way to control the flow where the firebox and smoker meet. I can't tell from the photo.  Heck if it is good on the inside, get some wood or charcoal and try it out. 
      XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

      Kansas City, Mo.
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    • Posts: 6,912
      Handy feature on the right for L&S overnighters.. You can put a padlock on.. =)
      Greensboro North Carolina
      When in doubt Accelerate....
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    • Posts: 503
      The pit is 4ftx2x1ft4inch.

      Austin, Tx
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    • Posts: 503
      Dampener/air vent is rusted shut/immobilized. 
      Austin, Tx
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    • Posts: 10,132
      I'm a slob, so I would just clean it out and cook on it.  Start a big fire initially and get it really hot to 1) sterilize/clean everything and 2) get a good bed of coals.  Then when the temp comes down, throw some meat on it.

      XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

      San Antonio, TX

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    • Posts: 446
      Could probably take a little WD-40 and spray it and tap with a hammer a few times to break it loose.
      Narcoossee, FL

      LBGE, Nest, Mates, Plate Setter, Ash Tool. I'm a simple guy.
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    • Posts: 414
      bgeaddikt said:
      Dampener/air vent is rusted shut/immobilized. 


      Easy to fix.  Spray with some penetrating oil, let sit for a day or two and then hit it with a hammer.


      Foghorn said:
      I'm a slob, so I would just clean it out and cook on it.  Start a big fire initially and get it really hot to 1) sterilize/clean everything and 2) get a good bed of coals.  Then when the temp comes down, throw some meat on it.

      This is what I would do too.  I'd be all over that thing using it!  Tending fire is fun.
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    • Posts: 3,564
      edited June 2016
      From the pics it seems your neighbors have used it as both a "Charcoal Grill" and a "Stick Burner". Nice of them to leave their ashes.

      Clean out all of the ash, inspect for any holes. If none, get it going!
      Doesn't look like there is an charcoal basket for the fire box. You could improvise one of sorts. Would be a bonus if there were a few tuning plates under all that ash!
      Do you have a weed burner? It helps to get all that iron up to temp.
      Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
      BGE Chiminea
      Prosper, TX
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    • Posts: 503
      I plan on getting some oak preferably with lump to get it going as hot as i can get it and see where the leaks are, if any. There's a ton of ash in there...ughhhhh. Might do a brisket to start or a butt since they are cheaper and i cant go wrong? Gauge is shot, needs to be replaced. Should be a fun project.
      Austin, Tx
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    • Posts: 4,483
      Looks like it is made of about 1/4" steal?  Should be a fun project.  Will the apartment complex pony up any money for you to get to going again.  I but you start cooking on it, people will come.

      XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

      Kansas City, Mo.
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    • Posts: 503
      Its thicker then 1/8" but no more then 1/4".
      Austin, Tx
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    • Posts: 1,814
      Don't do it. You're gonna end up cooking ribs for the whole apartment complex when they see how good they turn out. 
      Mt Elgin Ontario - just a Large.
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    • Posts: 1,814

      bgeaddikt said:
      Its thicker then 1/8" but no more then 1/4".
      3/16?
      Mt Elgin Ontario - just a Large.
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