Silver Smoker mods

Another sucker is born.

Just kidding. I also have a Silver smoker that is modded to the hilt: charcoal basket, baffle, adjustable 1/4" thick tuning plates, custom grate, a humongous 4" smoke stack that is 36" tall, two thermometers at grate level and some big, new sneakers. I think that's it. Here's some pics.

The Charcoal Basket



The baffle. I used 1/8" but 1/4" would be better.



Tuning plates. There are five of these



Tuning plates in the smoke chamber



The custom grate from Huntingdon Customs



in the smoker doing it's thing



The Stack. "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr.Deville."



The two thermometers



And finally, the whole enchilada. I don't have pics, but there are now two 13" tires on the fire box end replacing the silly plastic ones.



All these mods make what was a terrible smoker into something that is a joy to use. Certainly isn't a Klose but neither was the cost. Hope this helps you some.

Loved those pics. Great job and great looking s-burner.

That is one heck of an outstanding mod job.
Very nicely done.

I don't want to offend you in any way but in my opinion, you're wasting your time. I did the baffle mod, stack mod and moved the thermometer down to grate level. After a couple cooks with the mods, I decided I was done fighting it. I ordered and 22.5 WSM and couldn't be happier. I don't have a 150* temperature swing from one side of the grate to the other. I don't have to constantly babysit the fire. I have a lot more room, probably more than I'll ever use, and it takes up less room on my patio. This place has the 18" WSM for $239 shipped.

http://www.aimtofind.com/weber-18-5-inch-smokey-mountain-cooker-pn-721001-2010-model.html

It says the sale ends 6/11 but I think this is their normal price. It's always on sale. They just change the date every few days.

Like I said, I couldn't be happier with my 22.5, I'm sure the 18.5 is just as good. :thumb:


Bartstop

Thanks for the kind words Leanza, Westexbbq and Anchors. Good luck with your mods to the beast. Now Bartstop. Anchors asked about mods to the Silver Smoker and that is what I gave him. The Silver is a COS and no amount of modding is going to change that. With the mods I have in place the temp from on side to the other is anywhere from 5* to 30*. Not much different than a drum which so many people swear by and I just so happen to have two of. I also have an 18" WSM. These cookers are all good for different things. Long cooks are not so easy with the offset, but I cooked my personal best brisket on it, and now use it primarily for rib cooks. Only need to add fuel once for a six hour cook. The WSM and drums are my go to smokers for butts
and briskets because they can go overnight without any tending. Sleep mod.
But one thing the verticals smokers can't do is produce the fabulous taste that comes off an offset. A real one is in my future.

Well frikin said, D!

Bartstop said:

I don't want to offend you in any way but in my opinion, you're wasting your time. I did the baffle mod, stack mod and moved the thermometer down to grate level. After a couple cooks with the mods, I decided I was done fighting it. I ordered and 22.5 WSM and couldn't be happier. I don't have a 150* temperature swing from one side of the grate to the other. I don't have to constantly babysit the fire. I have a lot more room, probably more than I'll ever use, and it takes up less room on my patio. This place has the 18" WSM for $239 shipped.

http://www.aimtofind.com/weber-18-5-inch-smokey-mountain-cooker-pn-721001-2010-model.html

It says the sale ends 6/11 but I think this is their normal price. It's always on sale. They just change the date every few days.

Like I said, I couldn't be happier with my 22.5, I'm sure the 18.5 is just as good. :thumb:


Bartstop

Click to expand...

Modding out and learning to cook on a SS is a great way to learn to bbq. I sold my heavily modded Silver Smoker this spring and bought a used WSM for the same price. I couldn't be happier with the WSM. I use a lot less fuel and can control the temps much more easily. My results have been great. Still, I miss the offset. Once you learn to control the temps and cook on a COS, you can cook on anything. I kept my charcoal maze and will definitely get another offset in the future.

Another mod for the Silver is to form a gasket on the cooking chamber door. On my COS, I used Rutlege Hi Temp Silicone to put a bead around the door, layed strips of waxed paper over the silicone, closed the door gently, and let the silicone set up. Now the smoking chamber door no longer leaks, conserving my heat. Otherwise, I have done the other mods mentioned and have only about a 50 degree variation from one end of the chamber to ther other. I love cooking on my COS. It is a labor of love. :thumb: :-D

The fact of the matter is it's a poor design. The fact that you have to modify the hell out of it for it to work properly is the proof.

I'm just trying to save a brother some time, headaches and ruined food. That's all. Sorry if I offended anyone.


Bartstop

No offense taken Bartstop. I was just answering the question asked. I just cooked a butt overnight on my WSM and haven't made an adjustment to it in 6 hours and it is locked in at 235*, something the offset could never do. While that is great for getting some sleep, it isn't really any fun. Out of the box the Silver IS a terrible cooker of bad design and cheap materials. However, doing the mods and learning how to make and control a fire in it was a fun, for me anyway, and invaluable learning experience. Frequently frustrating for sure, but a valuable lesson. My cooking on all of my other smokers and grills has been improved because of the lessons learned on my SS. Oh, and then there is the LOOK of the thing. I am in the Northeast and smokers of any type are rare. When I roll this thing out at home or on a catering gig people notice, appreciate and comment on it. The WSM just sits there and does it's thing quietly and lonely. I get more tips when using the offset too, so it will continue to need more attention and use more fuel until the bank account allows me to get a Klose or a Lang. I'll miss her when she's gone.

looks like you made chicken soup from chicken chit. that thing looks great and I love the custom grill grate.

Yep, that COS is a work of art.

Here is a couple links I have. There are also some videos on youtube that show some mods that have been done.

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downloads_files/CharGrilleMods.pdf
http://www.bbqinstitute.com/SmokerModifications.pdf

Every smoker has its place and use. i have verticals and offsets and i like the way that meat tastes off of a stick burner a lot better than off of charcoal.