LSG Fire Management Basket, My Way...

[billbek]

Had the basket out for a cleanup after yesterdays cook.
No welds failed no metal warpage or damage to the expanded metal.

I think I used less fuel and had more coals concentrated in the centre making for an easier light on new splits.
As the cook was wrapping up I did throw a couple of splits on after too much burn time. Small amount of black smoke but think it was because I let the coal base burn down too much. Caught it quick and opened the door up more and the black was gone quickly.
Before the basket, the smoker wanted to run at 250 deg F pretty consistently but with the basket that seems to have increased to 325 which is a bit high.
Guess I will need to figure out that small hot fire routine to better control temps.
Wasn't a big deal with the meatloaf and didn't use a thermometer on the lower and upper grates this time around.
Happy to see that the basket survived the first round undamaged. It was a lot of work building this the way that I did. In comparison, the LSG fire management basket is a tremendous value. If it fits your firebox, I think it would be worth purchasing and trying.
Maybe if you are as stubborn or stupid as I am you will want to build your own...