Started new smoker

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:01 am

Well now that I am back home I better get finished with this. My door arrived from Russel Steel last week before i went to Grey Cup but they forgot to make it longer, so they had to roll another door for me. I will be putting that on today and then maybe let a fire.

Quick question what if anything did you do to the steel before painting. I used all new steel so I will wipe it down with a conditioner but did you have to sandblast or sand to have the paint stick better?

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:52 am

Get a wire wheel (cup type) for an angle grinder and give it a quick once over. Then you want to wipe it down with a thinner to remove any and all grease. Then you can give it 3 or 4 coats of paint. I would suggest that you fire it up and make sure you are happy with the way it works before painting. That way if you want to make any changes you don't screw up the paint. Also there have been those out on other forums that have treated their fire boxes just as you would a cast iron fry pan. In that they seasoned the fire box with a few fires and a cooking oil. If you paint the fire box, as I have, you have to be prepared to wire brush and paint every year, sometimes twice. If I hadn't painted it before I had heard of this, I think I would have gone the cast iron pan way. Hope this helps.

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:17 pm

Well finally got my door on and was able to light a fire in it this morning. Worked very well as it was extremly easy to moderate the heat.

Now I just need to make the handle and the grills then I can paint and enjoy.

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:43 pm

Very nice. Congrats on your new pit. Now lets see the food porn. What's the first thing you are going to cook?

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:18 pm

Well belive it or not I have never made a brisket and I think that is what will be the first. Or maybe a turkey, although chicken always goes over well. No I definitly want to do a brisket or a buffalo roast maybe both.

I know I have to remake my vension so i can write the recipe down and post in the recipe section.

Has any one ever done Buffalo? Any good recipes or secrets to cooking one of these?

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 6:41 pm

Great job - congratulations on the build!

Are you going to keep your old pit now that you know there's nothing wrong with it Confused

Now... brisket for your first cook is pretty ambitious. It's the hardest traditional meat to BBQ really well, but if you've done your research it's worth a shot.

I've never cooked bison/buffalo before - other than burgers - but from what I understand it's usually really lean so you just have to be careful not to overcook it. Others probably have some advice.

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 6:56 pm

I think that I will be giving the old pit away. This one is a lot nicer. I will probably start another in the new year.

Any suggestions on the brisket would be greatly appreciated though.

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:13 pm

Good lookin pit. Before you spend money on another cooker or give the old cooker away, you need to spend the money on a new camera or trade the old cooker for one. What is all that white chit in the background? I think you got a bad camera there.

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:20 pm

Robert, we use photoshop and put a "trick" background in so all you folks down south think we live in a snow covered world. Actually there is probably green grass in the original background for the picture. Laughing

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:24 pm

Yeah and I got beach front property for sale in the NW Territory.

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:27 pm

Ya? How much you asking?

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:25 am

Beach front that sounds sweet, how much?

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 8:02 am

Hey guys sorry for having the pic's so big. Jim has been helping me out to get the pictures posted in here the right way and I think i my final have it. It only took me editing the post 4 times.

Hey nobody said I was the sharpest tool in the shed Embarassed

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 10:22 am

Nice build.....I second the Tremclad paint as above...but also suggest putting on a couple coats of their High Temp Oxide Primer before hand....the stuff is great.

Gee...looks EXACTLY like it does here and it does their....SNOW!!....lol

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 10:48 am

Quote:

Nice build.....I second the Tremclad paint as above...but also suggest putting on a couple coats of their High Temp Oxide Primer before hand....the stuff is great.

Where have you gotten the High Temp Oxide Primer from? I have never seen it.