Gotta "NEW" Pit - HELP me get started...

[PBrug]

Brethren,

I posted a few days ago about a pit I found on CL, and ended up working out a deal with the seller. Gave him a Weber One Touch Platinum, I had but never used, and a little cash ($100), for his Texas Pit Crafters PM 600. He had it listed for $200 firm, so considering what I got the Weber for (on CL as well) it was a fair deal IMO... This thing got some weight to it, so I'm hoping it serves me well for years to come...

I do NOT know much about these pits, or stick burners in general. This is my 1st stick burner. I'm looking for some insight from the Brethren.

A few things I'd like to know...

- Best way to re-season the pit. (I scraped out the inside of the pit pretty good already. There was a lot of loose stuff on the stainless lid...)

- There is no drain. I'm worried about grease getting into the firebox. Is this a concern, and if so, what's the solution? Thinking pan/pans on the bottom of the pit to catch most grease???

- There's a plate, grate and stainless lid on the top of the firebox. Will I loose a lot of heat from this? If so, what's a good solution?

- There's what I believe is a little baffle where the firebox enters the pit. Is this sufficient, or should I try to mod something additional to help with even heat?

- The underside of the pit has a good amount of surface rust. The firebox has a little but not bad. What's the best thing to do for this? (Sand and paint with high temp paint?)

- I thinks that's all I have for now. I am open to any and all suggestions from the Brethren. I'm going to take my time and get the pit ready, although I'm itching to get a fire going in this thing :wink:

A little dark, but you can see the chimney is below the grate...

Where the Firebox entrys the pit...

Firebox top, with grate and plate...

Firebox... It's about 20" wide... Walls are about 3/16" thick...

Charcoal / water pan for the bottom of the pit...

Sear unit looks to be in bad shape IMO. Buddy of mine and I had same idea... Get all that out of there, clean it up, and make it into a cooler area to hold beer... Also, the stainless top of the sear unit makes for a nice work area...

Thanks for looking, and again, I'd welcome any and all thoughts or input from the Brethren...

 

[SmittyJonz]

looks to Be Pretty Good Shape - worth 2-3x's what you Paid.......I'd Hose the Entire cook chamber down with spray oil and fire it up (floor under the tray and tray too). 1/2-3/4 chimney of burning charcoal and a split. You May or May Not want/need to add to that deflector and/or run a water pan right in front of the Hole - just have to Fire it up and See....... if you run a water pan I'd just put a disposable half pan in that tray for a water pan.......

 

[WilliamKY]

If it were mine I would remove all the stainless parts and have the steel sandblasted and repaint with a high temp flat black. I had my offset sand blasted inside and out for $40. Give the stainless a good cleaning. I would probably eliminate the sear unit but keep the cabinet attached for utensil and other storage. This cooker is in good shape and you know how much they cost brand new. A hundred dollars or so in cleaning and restoration would be worth it, imo.

 

[SmittyJonz]

as far as the Outside - hand sand or wire brush or wire wheel in a grinder, treat it with metal prep/conditioner and then repaint. you will have to redo the firebox periodically......

https://www.amazon.com/Ospho-605-Me...F8&qid=1532306258&sr=8-1&keywords=ospho+metal

 

[sudsandswine]

Not even so much as a speedbump to slow down the grease heading towards the firebox. I've never seen a cooker like that before, I'd say it looks good considering what you've got into your wheeling and dealing.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Not even so much as a speedbump to slow down the grease heading towards the firebox. I've never seen a cooker like that before, I'd say it looks good considering what you've got into your wheeling and dealing.

Except for the Big Ass tray with a Lip all the Way Around.........:twitch:
you could run disposable pans in the tray. One with water on firebox side or both Dry or One Biggun.

 

[sudsandswine]

Oh...guess I overlooked that at the bottom of the post. Carry on :thumb:

 

[McSpazatron]

That looks like a real nice smoker! The price certainly seems right.

I’m a bit surprised there is no grease dam in front of the firebox as well. The waterpan Im sure would catch most of it, but a long cook at capacity would probably miss enough drippings to be a concern. Running it downhill so the grease drips to the cool side might not be a bad idea. You could also drill a small hole on the far side, which would be easy enough.

With the deal that you got, it would definitely be worth getting that thing sand blasted, painted and all spiffed up. Congrats.

 

[RedKamado]

Thats a cool looking pit, sounds like you got a good deal too. I really like your beer cooler idea:thumb:

 

[Happy Hapgood]

I've never seen one quite like it but looks like a very well built rig. As for the grease draining into the firebox, a 1/14" shim under the wheels would fix that. You could even tap a ball valve drain for ease of cleaning.