My Mini-WSM Smoker Joe Build

Boshizzle · Aug 9, 2011

I've been wanting to make one of these for a while now. Here is the blow by blow of the build.

Picked up a Smokey Joe.

Picked up a tamale pot.

Found the center of the bottom of the pot. It was marked for me where the light converges.

Drilled a hole, screwed in a screw and used a string and a sharpie to mark a circle around the bottom.

Marked some "tabs" that will be folded up to hold the diffuser/drip pan.

Used a jig saw to make the cuts. Here are the formed up tabs. Yeah, I know it's ugly but the metal is pretty thin and it bends easily. It will still work fine. I also installed three SS screws 4.5" from the top of the pot to hold the top grate.

Here is the diffuser and the top grate in place.

I picked up a charcoal grate for an 18.5" kettle to serve as the bottom grate.

I picked up a SS dog food dish, drilled some holes near the top of it and will use it to prevent ash from clogging the vent.

I added a handle on the bottom vent.

Here it is. A new mini WSM. All it needs is a thermometer which I will install soon.

And, this is something I am considering.

Thanks for looking.

JMSetzler · Aug 9, 2011

Lol.. that looks like a lot of fun! I have a smokey joe silver and I have been considering building one of these, so I might just do it sometime in the near future. My local Walmart carries those tamale pots so I'll grab one next time I go by and set it aside until I get the UDS finished. I'd like to dedicate something like that to moinks/ABTs and maybe try to put three cooking racks in it...

cookingdude555 · Aug 9, 2011

Boshizzle, I like the double decker idea!

gooose53 · Aug 9, 2011

Always interesting to people think out of the box! Nice work and pics to show others if interested in doing one.

thirdeye · Aug 9, 2011

Nice build. I like the extended option too.

swamprb · Aug 10, 2011

yer gonna love the vent handle mod!

Roby · Aug 10, 2011

Wow...food dish is such a simple but genius idea.

cholloway · Aug 10, 2011

Nice build.
Personally, I'd be a little leery of the stacked pots.

Phubar · Aug 10, 2011

Phabulous!

fnnm358 · Aug 10, 2011

you might want to put some type of tie between the 2 pots to hold them together for stability

jmellor · Aug 10, 2011

Nice! Will be interested to see how the double decker works out if you do it.

Matt_A · Aug 10, 2011

I'd have to have a better (wider) set of legs on the SJ before I double-stacked it. Here in OK we'd need a really good wind break too keep it from being toppled by our "breeze".

deguerre · Aug 10, 2011

Sweet build! Love the flange idea for the diffuser.

ghermanpa · Aug 10, 2011

Very Nice! I just finished my 1st UDS and see this as another potential project. Please let us know how it cooks.

FamilyManBBQ · Aug 10, 2011

Looks good Bo! These little guys are GREAT! It's my go-to smoker during the week. I'm usually able to get enough food inside the little guy to feed the whole family!!

...just cracked the clay pot the other night. That was my third one...lasted almost a year, though. Was just letting the smoker rip on some "chicken legs" and POP the pot cracked!!

gtr · Aug 10, 2011

Too cool! I'm in the process of putting one together myself - glad I didn't get too far along before I saw this. Love the handle mod and the tab idea! :thumb:

got14u · Aug 10, 2011

Great idea.......:idea:

I think you may start something here.:thumb:

wheelterrapin · Aug 10, 2011

I wish folks would keep posting things like this as now I have to have one. Got to head for Walmart to see if I can get the grill and tamale pot. Thanks for posting the build procedure, makes it a lot easier to build.

Boshizzle · Aug 10, 2011

Thanks for the kind words, brethren.

I did a test fire in the smoker this evening and I was pleasently surprised at the results. I believed that it would do well but the results tonight exceeded my expectations.

I used about 1/2 a chimney of coals with about 1/2 of th lit. It took about 15 minutes to get up to 250 degrees F and about another 5 minutes to get up to 275 degrees F with the bottom and top vents wide open. When it reached about 270 F I backed the bottom vent down to about 1/3 open. It has been holding between 270 and 275 for a little over 2 hours without any tending. It's getting late so I'm going to shut down for the night.

I can't wait to try a pork butt on it this weekend.

My home Internet service is out right now and I have to access the site with my iPhone. But as soon as my home Internet is back up I will post some pics.

Matt_A · Aug 10, 2011

Just finished my build. Tested the two $10 thermometers and they both read 207º in the boiling water test.

My Mini-WSM Smoker Joe Build

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