My Finished Mini WSM/UDS/Smoker Build PRON

Well, sort of finished....all I need to do is fire her up this weekend....and maybe add a thermometer, and maybe tinker with the grates, and...

Anyway, completed the paint job a week ago and finally had a chance to assemble tonight. I figured I would summarize this in case it helps some folks in the future in addition to the other great posts out there. Or someone can help me correct any great flaws while I still can.

I used the standard Tamale Walmart pot ($20 at Walmart b/c the top was lightly dented), Smokey Joe Silver ($14 CL), stainless steel hardware ($5), two extra Weber grates ($16), High Temp Paint & Primer (~$12), 9" Clay Pot Base ($3) and some scrap pieces I have laying around. So roughly around $70.

I read most of the posts in the forums here and TVWB. My Tamale pot required some adjustment as it was just slightly warped. Setting the grates in it for a few days helped a lot. The top fits well now.

I cut the bottom out with Tin/Aviation Snips using the charcoal grate as a guide. It was very easy as others have stated. Deciding where to drill the holes for the bolts to hold the grill grates was probably the hardest part for me. I went a little low and its a bit tight. I would do them above the handle bolts on the inside of the pot next time. But I have enough room for a rib rack on the top level and about 3.5"-4" clearance for the second rack. About an 1" clearance for the diffuser/heat sink plate. The rack with the tin foil wrapped plate on it sits on the steamer holder. I used the 9" plate vs the 12". Will see how this works...

I made a charcoal basket by bolting together two pieces of metal I fashioned from an old set of charcoal holders from my weber kettle. I made an ash vent cover out of some extra expanded metal and snipping a circle from the left over bottom of the pot after I cut it out. I have no idea if this will work as intended. Just tinkering at that point... Hopefully it still allows enough air flow and keep the ash out.

I painted with Rustoleum High Temp Primer and Ace Gloss High Temp Grill Paint. The paint says it needs to be heated to cure so I need to fire it up this weekend. I am not always the most patient person so I ended up with some drips on on the pot and some gaps from my tape around the handles. But the goal isn't to keep this sparkling clean I keep telling myself

I put all the screws in place tonight and put it all together. I didn't have super short screws so I adapted with what I had.

It all assembled pretty well. I had a lot of fun with the project. My sons helped out which was great. And it was a lot less daunting than a UDS (for me at least) ...Now I just need to wait until the weekend to see if she works! It should...right?.....

Here are the Pics....

It's an IMUSA 32 qt tamale steamer. Walmart and target sell them in stores or via amazon. Make sure it's a made in china one. There are ones made elsewhere that apparently don't fit as well. There is another thread going now w another brand that sounds like a good option as well. The one I have is pretty thin but easy to work with. Will see how it holds up.

Broke in the new Mini WSM!

Was planning on doing a test run on my new Mini and decided I would throw a fatty on...but the saw this Top Round Roast on sale....Went home and fired up the Mini.

Made a salt garlic paste then added course black pepper and some habanero powder for a little heat. Mixed in some mustard and slathered it on.

I used some cherry wood in the Mini and kept her around 275-300. Stayed to temp pretty well. Cooked the roast for about 2.5 hours until it reached 137 degrees. Let it rest a bit and it was a perfect medium with some medium rare at the very center and medium+ on the ends which was what we wanted.

The fatty came out good too but that's for breakfast tomorrow!

Couple things I learned...this little cooker hums along and is very efficient. Really was easy to dial the temp up and down. But I do need to add a bolt to the bottom vent (I think Matt_A did this). It's a pain adjusting. I also need to add a thread for the thermometer probes. Was a bit of a hassle dealing with it through the top vent. But nothing major I couldn't live with for a while.

I had never done a roast on a smoker before. Was fun to try. The meat came out great. Next time I will cut back on the smoke a bit. Wasn't sure how much to add.

But excited to have the mini in action! It's great having a super portable, convenient option that we built ourselves....Apologies for the photo orientation....I need to sign up for photobucket...:icon_blush:

caseydog said:

Okay, is it just me, or are all the photos sideways?

CD

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It's just you.:crazy:

Kidding of course, I apologized for that in my last post.

Chef Jim said:

And my head does not turn far enough to see the Pron. I'm getting old.

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I figured the old folks would just lay down to view them...:becky: Some day I will figure out how to fix them....

The grates were Weber grates I bought at Ace HW for $8 each. I have heard of folks using the charcoal grates for the 22 or 18". But for $8 ea it seemed reasonable and allowed me to use two cooking racks and the origional for the heat plate.