My first smoker (bandera style), pics and first run...

[Bigo181979]

Well picked up my first smoker this weekend, bought it off C-list for $150, spent about $55 putting a new temp guage on it, painting it and cleaning it up, and then put it to work Sunday. Here are some pics. It's fully welded and very nicely done but did not find a name on her anywhere, she's a heavy girl, it took 2 of us to load her in my truck and we were both 6'4 250+...

Anyway if anyone has any suggestions for mods and what not let me know. I am planning on lining the fire box with fire bricks but thats about the only thing I have planned as of right now...

[Big George's BBQ]

You did a Great job on it Have Fun

[fingerlickin']

Looks great, how was the food? I've always wanted one of those, but what smoker don't I want really? :crazy:

[Bigo181979]

Food came out really good for my first time ever smoking anything. I cooked a brisket, a pork shoulder and some beans. I used hickory and apple for the wood. On the pork shoulder I rubbed it with mustard and then put a memphis rub over that, then the brisket was just a memphis rub, I got busy cleaning up the smoker and forgot to dry rub the meat first thing so it would have some time to absorb the flavor so i just rubbed it and stuck it in the Q. I think am gonna have to adjust my rub though, I think I had to much brown sugar in it and it caused it to get a little past the point of being bark, that and my heat got away from me once for a few minutes so that didn't help.

But all in all it was a lot of fun. Now I just need to get some wood delivered to the house because buying it from Ace hardware or the BBQ store is WAY to damn expensive!!!!

[Fo Sizzle My Nizzle]

Nice save fo sho!

[El Ropo]

Nothing wrong with tossing the rub on right before cooking. Lots of us do it.

Nice looking cooker. You are going to be happy with it.

[Grizzly6]

How efficient was it and how well did it hold the heat?

[Bigo181979]

I don't really have a lot to base it off so I really can't say how efficient it was. I will say or was very windy 15-25 mph and very cold, wind chill in the 20's, but once I got a god cole bed going I would add a 3"x12" log on the fire every 15-20 minutes, but I did have to get a pretty large base going to get the temps where they needed to be.

[landarc]

That is a nice cooker, and a nice clean up job. Glad the cook went well. It is a Bandera style cooker, and this was the Bandera Brethren way back when. There is an entire document about modding a Bandera somewhere around here.

Take a look here LINK (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42718&highlight=bandera+101)

[flyingbassman5]

Nice lookin' cooker. She cleaned up real nice too. Did you season those greats after cleaning the rust off them? Might just be my eyes but I see some spots that still look rusty. Season those bad boys to keep that rust off your food. Overall you saved the life of a young pit. She's barely legal still! :shock:

[Callahan-que]

Nice job on the restore I've always wanted a Bandera.

[Bigo181979]

After using it the one time I definitly have a few mods I want to make...

I definitly want put a fold down shelf on the front of the fire box, as mine has nothing at all, still trying to find a link on that mod.

I need to make the shelves in the smoker pull out with out flipping off. Anyone have a mod for that.

The bottom of the fire box has three rods that go across front to back to hold logs up but obviously they do nothing for charcole so I need to put some expanded metal on top of them.

Also I need to line the fire box with fire bricks, but with the rods that are welded in place that might take me a little bit to get the bricks chisseled and fit the way I want.

Oh and felt gasket the door! What are people doing to the firebox lid?

I also thought about installing a propane burner (gasp) to light wood and or charcole instead of lighter fluid... Still haven't decided on that yet though.

[cowgirl]

Wow, great job on the renovation!

[Bigmista]

Check out this document
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42718

[dmprantz]

For the fold down shelf, I bought some locking shelf hinges at woodcraft and put framed expando on them.

For propane I'd recommend you at least consider getting a chimney lighter. You can use that with paraffin, newspaper, or a propane camp stove. You can also use the parading starters (I buy them at the depot) right in the firebox. If you really want propane in the firebox buy a log lighter. I use New Braunfels "diamond fire" propane mod. Still have one in the box.

For the shelves, two main ways to achieve that. The easiest is to buy commercial racks with hooks if you can find some that fit. The other is to weld angle iron above the runners, close to the door.

[chicagokp]

Hardly looks like the same cooker. Nice job on the cleanup!

[Bigo181979]

For the fold down shelf, I bought some locking shelf hinges at woodcraft and put framed expando on them.

For propane I'd recommend you at least consider getting a chimney lighter. You can use that with paraffin, newspaper, or a propane camp stove. You can also use the parading starters (I buy them at the depot) right in the firebox. If you really want propane in the firebox buy a log lighter. I use New Braunfels "diamond fire" propane mod. Still have one in the box.

For the shelves, two main ways to achieve that. The easiest is to buy commercial racks with hooks if you can find some that fit. The other is to weld angle iron above the runners, close to the door.

good info, thanks, i will be headed to home depot saturday to check on those hinges, and a few other things.