My first smoker (bandera style), pics and first run...

Bigo181979 · 12-10-2012, 12:36 PM

Well picked up my first smoker this weekend, bought it off C-list for $150, spent about $55 putting a new temp guage on it, painting it and cleaning it up, and then put it to work Sunday. Here are some pics. It's fully welded and very nicely done but did not find a name on her anywhere, she's a heavy girl, it took 2 of us to load her in my truck and we were both 6'4 250+...

Anyway if anyone has any suggestions for mods and what not let me know. I am planning on lining the fire box with fire bricks but thats about the only thing I have planned as of right now...

Big George's BBQ · 12-10-2012, 12:39 PM

You did a Great job on it Have Fun

fingerlickin' · 12-10-2012, 01:05 PM

Looks great, how was the food? I've always wanted one of those, but what smoker don't I want really?

Bigo181979 · 12-10-2012, 01:18 PM

Food came out really good for my first time ever smoking anything. I cooked a brisket, a pork shoulder and some beans. I used hickory and apple for the wood. On the pork shoulder I rubbed it with mustard and then put a memphis rub over that, then the brisket was just a memphis rub, I got busy cleaning up the smoker and forgot to dry rub the meat first thing so it would have some time to absorb the flavor so i just rubbed it and stuck it in the Q. I think am gonna have to adjust my rub though, I think I had to much brown sugar in it and it caused it to get a little past the point of being bark, that and my heat got away from me once for a few minutes so that didn't help.

But all in all it was a lot of fun. Now I just need to get some wood delivered to the house because buying it from Ace hardware or the BBQ store is WAY to damn expensive!!!!

Fo Sizzle My Nizzle · 12-10-2012, 01:30 PM

Nice save fo sho!

El Ropo · 12-10-2012, 02:06 PM

Nothing wrong with tossing the rub on right before cooking. Lots of us do it.

Nice looking cooker. You are going to be happy with it.

Grizzly6 · 12-10-2012, 02:22 PM

How efficient was it and how well did it hold the heat?

Bigo181979 · 12-10-2012, 10:30 PM

I don't really have a lot to base it off so I really can't say how efficient it was. I will say or was very windy 15-25 mph and very cold, wind chill in the 20's, but once I got a god cole bed going I would add a 3"x12" log on the fire every 15-20 minutes, but I did have to get a pretty large base going to get the temps where they needed to be.

landarc · 12-10-2012, 11:09 PM

That is a nice cooker, and a nice clean up job. Glad the cook went well. It is a Bandera style cooker, and this was the Bandera Brethren way back when. There is an entire document about modding a Bandera somewhere around here.

Take a look here LINK

flyingbassman5 · 12-11-2012, 12:45 AM

Nice lookin' cooker. She cleaned up real nice too. Did you season those greats after cleaning the rust off them? Might just be my eyes but I see some spots that still look rusty. Season those bad boys to keep that rust off your food. Overall you saved the life of a young pit. She's barely legal still!

J'ville Grill · 12-11-2012, 02:49 AM

Nice job on the restore I've always wanted a Bandera.

Bigo181979 · 12-11-2012, 01:40 PM

After using it the one time I definitly have a few mods I want to make...

I definitly want put a fold down shelf on the front of the fire box, as mine has nothing at all, still trying to find a link on that mod.

I need to make the shelves in the smoker pull out with out flipping off. Anyone have a mod for that.

The bottom of the fire box has three rods that go across front to back to hold logs up but obviously they do nothing for charcole so I need to put some expanded metal on top of them.

Also I need to line the fire box with fire bricks, but with the rods that are welded in place that might take me a little bit to get the bricks chisseled and fit the way I want.

Oh and felt gasket the door! What are people doing to the firebox lid?

I also thought about installing a propane burner (gasp) to light wood and or charcole instead of lighter fluid... Still haven't decided on that yet though.

cowgirl · 12-11-2012, 04:20 PM

Wow, great job on the renovation!

Bigmista · 12-11-2012, 08:33 PM

Check out this document
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=42718

dmprantz · 12-12-2012, 02:53 AM

For the fold down shelf, I bought some locking shelf hinges at woodcraft and put framed expando on them.

For propane I'd recommend you at least consider getting a chimney lighter. You can use that with paraffin, newspaper, or a propane camp stove. You can also use the parading starters (I buy them at the depot) right in the firebox. If you really want propane in the firebox buy a log lighter. I use New Braunfels "diamond fire" propane mod. Still have one in the box.

For the shelves, two main ways to achieve that. The easiest is to buy commercial racks with hooks if you can find some that fit. The other is to weld angle iron above the runners, close to the door.

12-10-2012, 12:39 PM	#2
Big George's BBQ somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 02-07-08 Location: Phoenixville, PA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	You did a Great job on it Have Fun __________________ Large BIG Green EGG- Hatched 8/17/09 Backwoods Extented Party Weber Genesis Gasser Mid Atlantic BBQ Association KCBS Back Porch BBQ Competition BBQ Team When all else fails ask yourself WWGALD

12-10-2012, 01:05 PM	#3
fingerlickin' Babbling Farker Join Date: 07-08-10 Location: Boyertown, PA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Looks great, how was the food? I've always wanted one of those, but what smoker don't I want really? __________________ Jason "I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's a$$, but I'd rather take a butcher's word for it". - Tommy Callahan III XL Big Green Egg, 22.5 Weber OTS, WSJ Gold/Mini WSM, 18" & 22" WSM Flyers Orange Thermapen WAEFAY...WWGALD???

12-10-2012, 01:30 PM	#5
Fo Sizzle My Nizzle is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 07-09-12 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Nice save fo sho! __________________ WSM 22 ~ Maverick ET-732 ~ Flaming Fast Thermapen ~ Redhead Weber SS Performer ~ Redhead Weber 22 OTS ~ Redhead Weber 22 OTS ~ Redhead Weber 22 OTPlus ~ Limey Weber 18 OTS When all else fails just ask yourself, WWGALD???

12-10-2012, 02:06 PM	#6
El Ropo Babbling Farker Join Date: 10-06-10 Location: Austin, TX Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Nothing wrong with tossing the rub on right before cooking. Lots of us do it. Nice looking cooker. You are going to be happy with it. __________________ Modded Brinkmann Gourmet. Basic UDS. Rescued 22.5" OTS. Weber SJS. Stubbs. B&B Oak Lump. Cannondale 2009 F8 (for burning off all the great BBQ)

12-10-2012, 02:22 PM	#7
Grizzly6 Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 05-31-12 Location: Altoona, IA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	How efficient was it and how well did it hold the heat? __________________ Black UDS DUCAN Affinity - gasser Mini WSM (For the 9 yr old of course) Extreme amounts of awesome to assist 9 yr old who loves to cook

12-10-2012, 01:18 PM	#4
Bigo181979 Is lookin for wood to cook with. Join Date: 12-09-12 Location: Wichita, KS Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Food came out really good for my first time ever smoking anything. I cooked a brisket, a pork shoulder and some beans. I used hickory and apple for the wood. On the pork shoulder I rubbed it with mustard and then put a memphis rub over that, then the brisket was just a memphis rub, I got busy cleaning up the smoker and forgot to dry rub the meat first thing so it would have some time to absorb the flavor so i just rubbed it and stuck it in the Q. I think am gonna have to adjust my rub though, I think I had to much brown sugar in it and it caused it to get a little past the point of being bark, that and my heat got away from me once for a few minutes so that didn't help. But all in all it was a lot of fun. Now I just need to get some wood delivered to the house because buying it from Ace hardware or the BBQ store is WAY to damn expensive!!!!

12-10-2012, 10:30 PM	#8
Bigo181979 Is lookin for wood to cook with. Join Date: 12-09-12 Location: Wichita, KS Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I don't really have a lot to base it off so I really can't say how efficient it was. I will say or was very windy 15-25 mph and very cold, wind chill in the 20's, but once I got a god cole bed going I would add a 3"x12" log on the fire every 15-20 minutes, but I did have to get a pretty large base going to get the temps where they needed to be.

12-10-2012, 11:09 PM	#9
landarc somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 06-26-09 Location: San Leandro, CA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	That is a nice cooker, and a nice clean up job. Glad the cook went well. It is a Bandera style cooker, and this was the Bandera Brethren way back when. There is an entire document about modding a Bandera somewhere around here. Take a look here LINK __________________ "perhaps...but then again...maybe not..." careful there son, those ribs are boiling hot... \_\|_/ (='.'=) Here there be bunnies... (")_(")ooo Pacific Rim BBQ Bob's Brew and Que

12-11-2012, 12:45 AM	#10
flyingbassman5 is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 11-26-12 Location: Saint Louis MO Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Nice lookin' cooker. She cleaned up real nice too. Did you season those greats after cleaning the rust off them? Might just be my eyes but I see some spots that still look rusty. Season those bad boys to keep that rust off your food. Overall you saved the life of a young pit. She's barely legal still! __________________ 18.5" OTS, 22.5" OTG, CB Silver(Rip), Vintage Coleman Bullet, Pit Barrel, UDS

12-11-2012, 02:49 AM	#11
J'ville Grill is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 11-18-10 Location: Jacksonville, Fl. Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Nice job on the restore I've always wanted a Bandera. __________________ Rick 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5" Weber OTG with Cajun Bandit Conversion Kit Char-Griller Akorn with side cart 1999 Weber Master-Touch - bent but not broken 14.5" Weber Smokey Joe Silver

12-11-2012, 01:40 PM	#12
Bigo181979 Is lookin for wood to cook with. Join Date: 12-09-12 Location: Wichita, KS Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	After using it the one time I definitly have a few mods I want to make... I definitly want put a fold down shelf on the front of the fire box, as mine has nothing at all, still trying to find a link on that mod. I need to make the shelves in the smoker pull out with out flipping off. Anyone have a mod for that. The bottom of the fire box has three rods that go across front to back to hold logs up but obviously they do nothing for charcole so I need to put some expanded metal on top of them. Also I need to line the fire box with fire bricks, but with the rods that are welded in place that might take me a little bit to get the bricks chisseled and fit the way I want. Oh and felt gasket the door! What are people doing to the firebox lid? I also thought about installing a propane burner (gasp) to light wood and or charcole instead of lighter fluid... Still haven't decided on that yet though. Last edited by Bigo181979; 12-11-2012 at 05:57 PM..

12-11-2012, 04:20 PM	#13
cowgirl somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-18-07 Location: Oklahoma Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Wow, great job on the renovation! __________________ jeanie sittin' by the campfire with my Brethren friends. Lifetime member of the Society for the Preservation of Authentic Royal Magical Rare Kaskaskian Peppers (Thanks Ash :)) http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/

12-11-2012, 08:33 PM	#14
Bigmista somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 05-24-04 Location: Long Beach, CA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Check out this document http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=42718 __________________ Wait! Bigmista wrote a cookbook? Exodus 29:18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD. God loves BBQ! Bigmista Custom Spicewine Trailer - Olivia J. PIMA Large and Medium Spicewines Weber Ranch Kettle - E.T. Remembering Scott

12-12-2012, 02:53 AM	#15
dmprantz is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 01-11-08 Location: Nashville Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	For the fold down shelf, I bought some locking shelf hinges at woodcraft and put framed expando on them. For propane I'd recommend you at least consider getting a chimney lighter. You can use that with paraffin, newspaper, or a propane camp stove. You can also use the parading starters (I buy them at the depot) right in the firebox. If you really want propane in the firebox buy a log lighter. I use New Braunfels "diamond fire" propane mod. Still have one in the box. For the shelves, two main ways to achieve that. The easiest is to buy commercial racks with hooks if you can find some that fit. The other is to weld angle iron above the runners, close to the door. __________________ FOR SALE: The Beast - Custom Vertical Offset by Bates FEC-100 Large Big Green Egg® Weber Performer