Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Grills & Smokers => Stick Burners => Topic started by: smokeasaurus on October 30, 2017, 04:04:27 PM
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Well, whatever it is , it is mine and Smoochys. One goal I had after moving to Central Texas was to get a Texas made off-set. Kind of officially makes me a bonafide Texan.
Now living in the Lone Star state does make the shipping a little less expensive but the price of off-sets in Houston are anywhere from 1500 and up and up and up.
Craigslist Waco has been my destination for the last month and something turned up that caught my eye and for some reason I had heard of the Mfg before.
Very little on the internet but between on-line and the previous owner of this grill, I have some sort of back-ground.
Don Burnett was a pitmaster that made his smokers in Austin. They were called Smokemaster. His pits would show up in fireplace stores and the like. Patio size models with large square grilling fireboxes.
Don sold his business in 2005 to Big Hat BBQ. They made his design for about 4-5 years until they completely changed the shape of the pit.
The old Smokemaster smoker was extremely well made and they show up on CL from time to time and are still in very good shape. Barrel chamber is 3/16 with 1/4 inch fire-boxes.
We traveled an hour and a half to get this pit from a fella named Jim in Georgetown. He can't say for sure when he got this pit but he said he has lived at his place for 22 years and they got the pit not long after they moved in so we are guesstimating that this pit was made around 1995-1997.
Smoochy (yeah he went along for the ride) and I immediately fell in love with this piece of Texas smoking history and home to Waco/Marlin was its next stop. Not too many people probably show up with their pet toy frog but that is how The Smoke rolls......
Jim said he burned only post oak and the pit smells great. I got some nice pecan splits for when the pit is ready to be cooked on.......
I have been grinding and sanding and what not the last couple of weeks and the finish paint will be this week so for now here are the first pics of the smoker when we got it home that day.
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/922/Z2z2lf.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmZ2z2lfj)
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/iXnPmu.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poiXnPmuj)
See the original fire-box tool hanging on the handle?
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/GmsuSH.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnGmsuSHj)
Smokestack outlet is at grate level
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/Iz0W5g.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poIz0W5gj)
Heat management included....Jim said it came standard with his pit
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/922/yr1sRE.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmyr1sREj)
Original thermometer still works "Quality to last a lifetime" was the Smokemaster slogan and it was a true one
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/q8JB1Z.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poq8JB1Zj)
Grilling fire-box with three settings. A neat feature is that while the fire-box comes with its own cooking grate, you can also slide the main meat grate from the smoker chamber right into the fire-box if you wish
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/6gMpFU.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn6gMpFUj)
The star is located on the state where Austin is. All Smokemasters were made in Austin. The Big Hat version in 2005-2009 were made in Marfa.
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/nrJCjf.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnnrJCjfj)
Well, back to masking things off.................
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Congrats Smoke on your new "old" smoker. That looks like it is built like a tank! Hurry up and get it ready to fire up! ;)
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Can't wait to see the finished pit
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Thats Awesome ! Congrats! :thumbup:
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Nice pit. Looking forward to the pics of the finished project. It is going to be awesome!
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She's a beaut! Looking forward to seeing the finished product, and what comes off of it
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Finally done. The rust was a little more than just surface rust so I wire wheeled until I realized that nothing more was coming off. Is there still some rust? Yep. I did not feel comfortable buying a grinder. i looked into rust converter. Could not find any for high heat applications.
So I finish sanded her down and gave her three coats of High Heat Rustoleum. I figure this pit is still going to last a long long time.
Tomorrow I will do a small briquette burn to cure the paint. I figure down the road if the paint starts to peel off of the fire-box, I might just oil it and not re-paint it.
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/922/2Qcnq7.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm2Qcnq7j)
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/922/IiWZqm.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmIiWZqmj)
I did add a threaded nipple and a ball valve for grease. That was my only mod.
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/PjsvRw.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnPjsvRwj)
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Wow, that turned out great smoke.
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Wow, that turned out great smoke.
Thanks Spark. I rubbed and sanded that darn thing until my fingers bled. I was having a hard time getting rid of all the rust. The firebox is actually pitted in spots but being 1/4 inch thick, I should be OK.
Will get her greasy and start posting pics.
Hope all is well in Northen Cali :)
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Awesome job on that smoker!
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Nice job. Looks great
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Beautiful! Looks like new from here
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smoke, excellent job on that smoker. It looks brand new. If I furnish the libations and bandaids, will you let me watch you refinish my offset? :D :D :D
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smoke, excellent job on that smoker. It looks brand new. If I furnish the libations and bandaids, will you let me watch you refinish my offset? :D :D :D
just make sure the libations are ice cold ;D ;D
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She sure is a pretty smoker, Smoke!
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Looks beautiful. Now get it greasy!
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Good call Pappy.
I had to cure the paint so I tossed in 5 lbs of burning briquettes and the pit settled in at 250. I added more unlit charcoal to keep her at 250. After about 2 hours I rolled over (the fire-box is so roomy, I had the chunks off to the side in the firebox next to the charcoal to heat up) some large mesquite chunks to boost up the temp.
The chunks were pretty big and the pit climbed to 325. I let the mesquite burn down to hot coal and I added some small sirloin steaks to the fire-box grill....hey, might as well cook supper 8)
I was pretty surprised how nice the pit ran on just briquettes. I think I will work on a charcoal basket for the times I just want to use briqs over splits.
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/UyozfU.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnUyozfUj)
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/GtbbQr.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poGtbbQrj)
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A beautiful sight!
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D@mn, Smoke, that is one heck of restoration ! ! ! (The steaks looks pretty daggone good, too!)
BD