Bandera 101 Document

yes... definitely. Same mods, and since the SKD was made a little cheaper(china), some of those mods are even more important.

Big Portagee said:

I have a Brinkman Smoke' N Pit Smoke King deluxe, that looks like the Bandera but smaller. Would those Bandera mods work on my smoker as well?

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The Brinkman on the forum is sometimes referred to as "The Left Handed Bandera"...do a search sometime for that and it will open up all kinds of Mods for it!! That is the smoker I started with...sometimes I wish I still had it too :doh:

Great tips. Ill have to try a few of them. Im digging the fire basket. Never thought of that before.

OK, so i found the bandera 101 document and man is it full of great stuff! One question though, I saw on a previous thread that someone added a piece of stainless to the firebox lid and it was included in the 101 doc. I can't find it for the life of me, if anyone has any info that would be great.

Thanks!

Have not decided yet

Hey there folks!

Glad to have found this site and joined up!
I have a dera and it was like buying a pant size...between my weber performer and this bandera I am fat!
so I bought it from a man who brang it up from Texas he passed and the family did not want it. It was mint went i got it but over the years between the crap cover, a blue tarp and Canadian winters it has surface rust all over.
I read the 101 mods and that is happening asap. baffle fire box and fire bricks...I do alot of montreal style smoked meat briskets...I am fat...
so I am debating on taking it apart and painting it or just painting it as is... i have started sanding by hand with wire brush and sand paper.
questions:
what paint should i use to repaint the out side?
if i take it apart what should the new bolts and nuts be made of, anything special?
inside the fire box and the smoker box there is some surface rust too...do you repaint the insides of these? the fire box I am not to worried about but the smoker box...should I paint in there, or just sand and season with a few coats of vegetable oil...I don't want to lose all the seasoning that is in there but i do not want it to rust.
Covers who has a good idea for covers?
OK well thanks and i hope to contribute thanks everyone!

how do i find this mod file

Thanks Bill

btemplet said:

how do i find this mod file

Thanks Bill

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I think what you are looking for is on the 1st page of this thread.

I bought a bandera years ago and cooked on it a few times with limited success. On a whim I searched google the other day and found this board. I am so excited to try the mods and get her running again!

A friend of mine has a bandera since I saw his, i have been looking for one. While I was visiting my dad this week he showed me his smoker that he can't use anymore and has been trying to get rid of. As the cover came off I was amazed that it was a bandera! He offered it to me. So now it's in pieces in the back of my SUV and going home with me. I restoring it a will be doing the mods to get it up and running. Can't wait.

BBQchef33 said:

it hasnt been updated, (I wrote it), but it covers all the mods.. The only thing is the charcoal baskets they we were making are no longer in production for them. U would have to find a welder to make one for u.

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What are the dimensions of the basket that was being made? I'll be making mine this weekend, likely, and was curious if there was a preferred size. Was it sectioned off?

Otherwise, I'll be measuring and building off of that. I just don't want to have failed to consider the benefit of another particular size.

I have a question for the people putting fire bricks in the bottom of the fire box. Do you just set the ash tray firectly on top of the fire bricks now?

I have read about people raising the ash tray off the bottom of the fire box to help prevent rust, but didn't know how people did it with fire bricks.

Thanks.

Drill a hole in each corner of the ashpan and take a 1 inch long machine screw, with 2 nuts and washers and sandwich the ash pan between the nuts. Do that at each corner to create a leg.

How can you tell the difference between the older Banderas and the "newer" ones? Are either of these the more desirable ones? (One is mine, the other is a CL find)

CL Find:



Mine:

Ok here goes...
I sanded the outside, repainted scrapped and sanded the inside. did the baffle mod and got the fire bricks and raised the basket in the fire box...here is a photo...
you can see the difference.

i did not re paint anything on the inside of the meat box or the fire box just sanded and cleaned.

I seasoned with olive oli a few times in the first burn and will be smoking a 10 kilo pork leg once it finishes brining...
what do y'all think!

Also I have made the baffle extra long will this change the temp in the smoker box?

wow nice job!!

looks great

Thanks man! love this piece!

And thanks to the site for the great info!

The Bandera is what prompted the creation of my Earl! Nice rig!

Question, I made the baffle extra long do you think this will mess up the temperature...I can easly cut it to the specs of the doc...The photo is not great but you can see the lip extends out about 3 inches more than the tech spec...i though it would be good? comments?
Thanks

nope.. your getting the heat under the water pan.. thats the idea.. if you see the right side runs cooler, drill a few 1/2" holes in the baffle close to the wall so heat escapes upward.