First smoke... And i picked the SuperBowl...

So I have been interested in smoking for some time now i just couldnt find a deal on a good smoker. well last friday i found it... A CL add for a used smoker. And in the pics i saw an older model New Braunsfels all welded smoker.. score! So i drive the hour trip to Charleston after work and pick her up.. only 40$ and its in like new condition minus all the wonderful seasoning already caked to the interior of the smoke box. I spend that night and most the next day doing a few mods and getting her cleaned up. I welded some quick supports for the legs, A plate of 3\16 steel i had laying around as a baffle, I took the thick cast iron grates from an old vermont casting grill i had sitting behind the shop and lined the bottom of the fire and smoke box with them. I welded up a 12x12x10 basket out of expanded metal for the fire box and used the stainless heat spreaders from the grill as a convection plate of sorts. I extended the stack down to grate level for now but im planning on relocating it to the end of the smoke chamber and have it exit at grate level and turn up like the new trailmaster by brinkmann. other than that is was alot of scraping and cleaning with a propane torch. But in the end it was worth it... two bags of Royal Oak and some splits of hickory later i had two 8lb butts, three racks of baby backs and two whole chickens on my homemade beer can chicken racks. And it was good!!!

Heres a few pics of the mods... those cast grates are coated and each weigh about a pound. i figured they would absorb and hold the heat in the chamber... the baffle was quick and dirty but i have started a cad drawing of what im gonna end up with. My goal is to make this a dam good patio unit and build a bigger one out of a 120 propane tank i have sitting behind the shop. i hope to get to the point where i travel to competitions.