My Custom Vertical Offset is Getting Close...Big Daddy Bandera!!!

TuscaloosaQ said:

peeps That is some sho nuff good looking grub!!!!! Again your builder did an awesome job..... Got me wanting to do some verticals now!!!!!!

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Thanks!

I think for a backyard unit, unless you just have a huge lot, the vertical configuration is hard to beat! Tons of space in a compact footprint!

I think you could easily sell a few verticals!

swbill said:

First congratulations on the awesome smoker. This is exactly the grill I have been wanted to build.
Now to hijack your thread, anyone know where to get plans to a smoker like this? I have a full metal shop at my house and would love to tackle this. Been tossing around buying a BGE but this is what I really want.

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Thanks! I am enjoying the hell out of it! Love the capacity and the footprint!

The rough dims are in the first post of this thread. I think you'll have to work out the details yourself, though. The pics of the completed smoker should provide enough of an idea for each of the details.

Just bought a couple Grill Pads to stick side by side under Earl upon his return to keep the rust spots and grease drippings from staining the concrete. Will pressure wash his spot tonight after work...

I'm getting him figured out...for that full day cook, 5am to 8pm, I used ~6 cubic feet of wood, or the volume that fits on the rack below the smoke box. That was ~$15 in fuel. I can certainly live with that!

Fwismoker said:

Love the build! How's the temps from bottom shelf from the top?

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I haven't had a chance to run the Maverick probes in various locations but the door gauges show the lower and upper shelves to be pretty even...maybe -5F on the upper one.

When I get it back I will probably do a burn on it with nothing in it or maybe just some biscuits to try and dial in the tuning plates better and get a feel for variations in the chamber with the probes.

Thanks all around, Bill! Wish we could get more of your sweet Holdens around these parts!

I had a colleague come to the US several years ago from Australia and I picked him up from the airport in the GTO. He said, "I never thought I'd have to come to America to get my first ride in a Monaro!"

Earl will be back relaxing on my patio tomorrow evening! He's 4 wheelin' now! :wink:

Earl was delivered Friday early evening. I burned some wood in it for a few hours at temps ranging from 250-400°F. I didn't try setting anything on the firebox lid yet, but I expect it firmed up just fine. It moves pretty easily with new swivel casters instead of legs now and the trimming of the firebox lid worked out great! He trimmed it just a bit so it doesn't look like a big gap like the Banderas have. Very clean!

I ran some charcoal and chunks in it last night for dinner and smoked some bacon wrapped and stuffed thighs on the grill top area. Set up the KBB 2-3" deep in a U-shape around a foil pan with a few apple chunks. It ran around 250F-300F in the grill top area for about 3 hours before I closed everything off with about 2/3 of the charcoal used. Temps in the smokebox were only in the 150°F range. I bet if I loaded up the basket (it was nowhere even close to full)and used a snake pattern I could run for 6+ hours on briquettes and probably get the smokebox up to usable temps if I ever wanted to try for an overnight burn. I have never done a "ring of fire" method before, even in my kettle. I usually just bank the coals to one side, so this was a learning experience as well figuring out how much vent to open/close. It seemed that with the ring of fire method, sometimes I would get enough intake air to cause combustion AND dilution and it ran hottest without all the intakes WFO. It seemed to burn hottest with the intakes about 1/3-1/2 open.

Cooked a 10lb Choice brisket on Earl today before my pizza I posted about and it was the best brisket I have ever done. Point was perfect, which is typical, but so was the flat, which has always been my nemesis. Im not even a fan of brisket flats, but this one was tender and moist after a 1 hr rest or so. Cook time was about 7 hours with temps around 250F-300F. No pics, but will be enjoying it for a few days for lunch at work.

yodecat said:

Very impressive construction. Looks like a good design; I especially like the wheels.

I'd love something like that, but scaled down. I'll look for a local welder.

JW in Oregon

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JW,

Here are the Bandera dimensions I found online during my build as a comparison.

This might get you started with a local builder.