You Can Do This! The Mini WSM

Tags

Cardinals, IMUSA, IMUSA 32 quart pot, IMUSA Tamale Pot, mini WSM, Preppers, Smoker, Smokey Joe, St. Louis Cardinals, weber, Weber Smokey Joe, Weber Smokey Mountain

It has been a while.  My Weber hobby has started to spiral a bit out of control, but with the patience* and love of my family, they have come to accept me for the addict I have become.

*Patience may be wearing thin…the eye rolling from my wonderful daughter is a bit much.

I’ve learned a lot this year about smoking and grilling meat, and I plan on sharing more on that in the future, but today I’m going to share an easy project to build a homemade meat smoker for less than $100**.

**I try to tell myself that I am partaking in a cheap hobby that is not taking food from the mouths of my children and not jeopardizing their college education.  I’d love to collect classic cars…but I couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on an old car…plus I’d probably horribly injure/burn/electrocute myself or my family…

The Weber Smokey Mountain meat smoker is the Cadillac of home smokers. Weber introduced it in 1981, and although it is a small part of their overall business, they have a very devoted following. If you buy one, GREAT!  It will serve you well and last forever.

Anyway, the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) you buy in the store has three sizes. The 22.5 inch “Behemoth” smoker, the 18.5 inch “Bigger than Usually Necessary” smoker (I picked up one on Craigslist for $40 last summer), and the new 14.5 inch “Reasonable Human Being” smoker. The Behemoth costs $400 new, the 18.5 BUN costs $300, and the 14.5 incher costs $200.

All of those numbers are larger than I like to spend. So a few years ago, the good people of the Internet introduced the Mini WSM. It is the marriage of a Weber Smokey Joe grill to a 32-quart tamale pot. If you have those two items, you are 90% there to making yourself a pretty sweet homemade smoker that will take up very little room in your yard, and very little money out of your pocket.

THE SUPPLIES:

Smokey Joe Grill: These are $30 new in the store, BUT you can ALWAYS find them on Craigslist or OfferUp for CHEAP near you.

IMUSA 32 Quart Tamale Pot: Available at Walmart. I loathe Walmart. However, they are the only ones who have this pot for the ridiculous price of $21. Search online to see if any stores near you have it, otherwise order it off their website. A Walmart near me had it. If you live in the non-tamale belt (AKA the Midwest) this might be a bit harder to find than in Vegas.

Nuts and bolts:

THREE 3/4″, size 8 screws.

THREE 1½ inch size 8 screws.

Each bag of screws was 97 cents at Walmart. I also bought the matching size 8 washers. You only need six screws total, but you might as well buy the whole bag.

A 12 inch terra cotta saucer. I got it at Home Depot. Walmart didn’t have this. Mine cost $6.

OPTIONAL: Extra grill grate from a Smokey Joe, or a 18.5 inch charcoal replacement grate (if you want to have two cooking levels)

THE TOOLS:

A cordless drill.

Metal drill bits.

Ruler or measuring tape.

Marker.

Seriously, that is it. I cannot stress how UN-HANDY I am. However, over the past few months, I’ve gotten pretty skilled with Weber restoration, but I’d never used my metal drill bits. I was curious how it would go. Would they work? Will I horribly injure myself doing this? Can my son help with this? (Yes, NO, Yes)

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Get that Smokey Joe. You can find it at Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Seriously though, find one on Craigslist. You’ll save money and you will rescue a sad, lonely, unloved Weber grill***…CUE Sarah McLachlan Sad Dog Song.

*** I got this grill for FREE from our friends Steve and Thea in California. I explained my new hobby to them, and he was more than glad to give me this grill that had been sitting there neglected for YEARS in the lonely shadows of his house. It is from 1988. I cleaned it up inside and out (just use an SOS pad) and then made a homemade ash catcher from an old paint lid…this is not my standard procedure, but I like that it still has the name “Ramon” on the lid. I needed to add the ash catcher to stabilize the legs. Come to think of it, “Ramon” is a good name for this grill.

2. Bring home your IMUSA 32 Quart Tamale Pot. Check to see that it fits snugly in your Smokey Joe. Sometimes the top of the pot doesn’t fit snugly with the Smokey Joe lid. If this is the case, you can crimp it, or check to see if either your lid or the pot is out of round. Many people suggest taking your Smokey Joe to Walmart to find out which IMUSA pot fits best inside. Apparently not all IMUSAs are created equal…Imagine that, Walmart products not having standard quality!

3. Drill a bunch of holes in the bottom of your IMUSA pot. This does not have to be precise at all. The holes allow the smoke from the charcoal chamber (the bottom of your Smokey Joe) to enter your smoking chamber (the pot). The important thing is to not drill too close to the curved edge of the bottom of the pot. We used the steamer insert that came with the pot as a template. I have a 7.2 volt Black and Decker drill. It is not the most powerful. Start with a smaller drill bit, the expand your holes with your largest drill bit. AS A SIDE NOTE: SOME PEOPLE JUST CUT OUT THE WHOLE BOTTOM OF THEIR POT USING TIN SNIPS. I do not own tin snips, and did not want to buy a set for this (see my cheapness). If you do have tin snips, first off, congrats. Second, make sure you leave space around the edge of the pot.

NOTE ON PICTURE:  My son only drilled a few holes under reasonable supervision while I took pictures…

4. Now for some measuring. Using a ruler or measuring tape, measure down four inches from the top of the pot. Make a mark. Then about 14.5 inches away around the top of the pot, measure down four inches again and make a mark. Go 14.5 inches away around the top of the pot, measure down, you guessed it, four inches and make a mark.

5. Now at the bottom of your pot, measure up 1.25 inches from the bottom at ROUGHLY the same places you made your top marks. Make three marks 1.25 inches up from the bottom.

6. Using a 1/8 METAL drill bit…Oh, you’re not sure what a metal drill bit looks like? Neither was I! Google it Dear Reader! I can’t do all your work for you…Anyway, drill holes at each of your marks.

7. Once your holes are drilled, insert your screws. Put the ¾ inch screws in the top holes you drilled. Just to be clear, insert the screw, place the washer inside the pot, tighten the nut on to the washer.   Put the 1 ½ screws in the bottom holes you drilled. Insert the screw, place the washer inside the pot, tighten the nut on to the washer. This is what it should look like when you are done:

 

8. CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve done all of the hard work. Now, you may have been wondering about that terra cotta saucer. Smokers usually have a heat diffuser or a “heat sink.” Large Weber Smokey Mountains have water pans, but clay works as a great heat absorber. This terra cotta saucer will keep your smoker from getting too hot. However, all the meat juices will drip on it as well making it kind of nasty. So, double wrap it in aluminum foil before putting it in your pot. You’ll need to rewrap each time you smoke. You will place the terra cotta saucer on the bottom screws.

THE TERRA COTTA SAUCER:WRAPPED UP:

9. Place the grill grate(s) in the pot. I have two Smokey Joes. I placed one grate right on the terra cotta saucer THIS GRATE IS OPTIONAL. NOW TO WARN YOU, you may have to use a little effort to shove the grates in place. My IMUSA pot must bend in a bit in the middle. Place your top grate on the three screws you inserted near the top of your pot.

 

10. Put the Smokey Joe lid back on, and take a step back to admire what you have accomplished. You have created your own meat smoker. Congratulations! If society collapses, and we no longer have access to electrical refrigeration you will now be able to preserve meat and game for your family. You go Backwoods Doomsday Prepper!

Seriously, it is a fun little project. I did it all after work on Friday evening. AND NOW FOR THE COMPLETELY SUPERFLUOUS WORK YOU ABSOLUTELY DON’T HAVE TO DO.

Many people who have made Mini WSMs online decorate them with their own personal touch. I love my St. Louis Cardinals****

****TOTAL ASIDE…Stan Kroenke of the Los Angeles Rams is THE WORST. I will keep this blog family friendly and call him that. The Worst’s argument that St. Louis is a baseball town that would never love football was hilarious. The NFL ran away from a city because they WERE AFRAID OF A BASEBALL TEAM. Big, bad football…losing to a baseball team. The Cardinals have to convince local consumers to come buy their product (tickets) 81 TIMES A YEAR, often on weekday afternoons, weekday evenings, and in the god-awful St. Louis heat. The Rams had to convince consumers to see “America’s Favorite Game” 8 TIMES A YEAR, on the laziest day of the week in a climate controlled building. And they failed…probably on purpose…but still…I’m pretty sure I could do a better job selling that.

ANYWAY…I LOVE THE CARDINALS. To commemorate that devotion, I printed out a STL logo, cut it out using the Exacto knife and taped it to the pot.  Make sure to tape some plastic bags to the top of the pot so you don’t get paint inside the cooking chamber!!!   Once I was ready, I went over the entire pot with Duplicolor HIGH HEAT Red Engine Paint. You must use high heat paint for this part (At least 500 degrees). After it dried, I took off the stencil, and there you have it. Although it is not perfect, I love it. For a more polished look, you could buy one of those window stickers and put it on your grill, then go over it with the paint. Being here in Las Vegas, Cardinals stickers are hard to come by.

Overall, this is a GREAT project. My cost came to $30. I was planning on giving it a test run this last weekend, but I got rained out yesterday. I’ll fire it up next weekend for the “Stupid Big Game that the NFL Won’t Let You Write About Without Official Permission.”

If you have any questions about this project, let me know!

No.  I don’t have a problem.

An Open Letter to St. Louis

Tags

Arch, Cardinals, Forest Park, Gooey Butter Cake, Imo's, India Palace, maull's, Missouri Botanical Gardens, Pastaria, pork steak, Provel, Restaurants, Science Center, St. Louis, St. Louis Symphony, Zoo

Dear St. Louis,

I’m leaving you.  Again.  We’ve been through this before, but this time it’s different.  Last time, I couldn’t wait to leave you, and swore I’d never return.  This time, you made it so hard to leave that the mere thought of leaving you was one of our top reasons we thought we’d stay.  Last time I left you, I was young and alone.  This time, I’m twice as old, and have been blessed with a wife and wonderful children.  Last time I thought I’d never be back.  This time, we swear we will return*.

*My son said in the car the other day out of the blue, “I think I’ll live in Missouri again someday.”

Regardless, we are leaving for Las Vegas again.  They made an offer we couldn’t refuse.  It is with a heavy heart we pack, we visit places we love for the last time, and say goodbye to many friends and family here.  But I suppose the fact that it’s hard this time means that it has been good.  And so with that, I’d like to say thank you and tell you why you’ve come to mean so much to our family.

Thank you, the Arch.  I think I’m starting here not because you’re my favorite thing about St. Louis (you’re not), but because of the history you represent and the opportunities you’ve given my family over the last few years.  You’re still visibly stunning, and I think you’ll only get better with your renovation connecting you with the rest of the city.  My seven year old son REALLY LOVES YOU and wants to visit you all the time, and I’m sorry I didn’t visit you as often as he would have liked.  Finally, I am looking forward to telling people it’s the ARCH not the St. Louis Arc…no joke, I’ve heard this more than once, and I will be more forceful in correcting these ignoramuses in the future.

Thank you, Missouri Botanical Gardens.  You are my favorite.  We have visited you so often through the years, and even joined you as a member for the last several years.  Heck, we visited you today for the last time.  We’ve LOVED the Chihuly glass exhibit, the Lantern Festival, the Christmas lights, and just regular afternoons strolling your beautiful grounds.  We’ve fed the koi, watched the bullfrogs in the Chinese Garden, and the geckos in the Climatron.  We’ve sampled the Best of Missouri Market, handled the hordes at the Japanese Festival, gotten lost in the maze, toured the Tower Grove house, and taken the Tram tour enough that I’m fairly positive I could give the tour.  But mostly, we loved the regular days where we stroll through the English Country Garden, and watch our kids race leaves that they place in the stream that runs through it.  My wife loves the irises that bloom in May, and I love the day lilies that are blooming as I write this.  I truly think it’s the best attraction in St. Louis and has something different every time you visit.

Thank you, Forest Park.  You are amazing.  The view from the top of Art Hill when the fountains are going below are spectacular.  But really it’s what’s inside you that counts.  The Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum, and Science Center.  With that said, here’s a mini message for each of you.  Thanks St. Louis Zoo, for the numerous days we’ve spent gawking at your spectacular creatures.  From the terrible tarantulas in the insectarium to the hilarious hippo habitat, you’ve entertained my family many times through the years.  I LOVE that you’re free.  However, sometimes your crowds make me hate you just a bit.  Also, until this weekend we’d never seen that sneaky cheetah…until this Sunday he appeared.  That was awesome.  Thanks, the Art Museum for letting people see some of the world’s greatest paintings for  once again, FREE.  I love your collection of George Caleb Bingham works showcasing Missouri in the 1800s.  More people should visit you.  Thanks, Missouri History Museum.  I feel like I should have used you more.  Thanks, the Science Center for both terrifying and thrilling my children.  Both my children had trouble with the T-Rex when they were younger (that poor triceratops has been waiting to be put out of his misery for years now), but have enjoyed your various exhibits as they have grown.  Hey, did I thank you for being free?  Overall, I’d like to thank the people of St. Louis City and County for subsidizing our visits through the years.  They voted in 1969 to have a portion of their property tax support these great institutions.  There is NO WAY such a thing would pass today, but man, it sure makes St. Louis a GREAT place to have kids.

Thank you, unique food.  St. Louis, you don’t get the credit you deserve.  You’ve got some great signature foods going for you.  Thanks Pork steaks, for being a super cheap, super delicious slab of meat to feed a crowd with.  Give me some Maull’s Sweet n Mild, a cold beer, and you’ve made my weekend.  Thanks, Gooey Butter Cake.  It’s pretty obvious why you’re good, and Tina from church makes it best.  Thanks, Provel cheese.  Don’t let the haters hate.  “It’s a processed cheese.  It’s too rubbery.  It tastes weird.”  They’re all just jealous.  Your rope goodness is perfect on salads, no one can touch you.  A St. Louis style Italian salad with Provel CANNOT be beat.  Our friend Tracy makes the ultimate salad with Zia’s dressing.  I could eat it all day long.  We are going to miss St. Louis style pizza.  My wonderful wife recently had an opportunity to photograph THE Imo family, and they were so kind and friendly.  It makes me feel even better about supporting a local product.  Here are my top five reasons St. Louis style pizza is fantastic.

1.  The small square pieces mean you can eat innumerable pieces before being full.  If I counted them, there are many times I’d be ashamed (maybe a little proud?) of what I’ve done.

2.  You can fold said squares into mini pizza sandwiches.  Delightful!

3.  You really taste the toppings, and not a mouthful of dough.

4.  The small pieces are easy to handle.

5.  It is NOT Chicago style pizza.  I do not want a giant dough blob with the cheese under a pile of greasy toppings that takes a thousand years to bake.  Boo.

Thank you, beer.  First off, although none of us were fans of the Belgians taking over AB, the side result of that has been some wonderful microbreweries starting up in the St. Louis area.  I’d especially like to thank Schlafly Kolsh and Urban Chestnut Zwickel for quenching my spring and summertime thirst.  Schlafly Pumpkin Ale for easing me through fall, and a wide variety of beers from O’Fallon, Schlafly, and Urban Chestnut for seeing me through the winters.  O’Fallon, bring back your Wee Heavy!  It was AMAZING.  Finally, Thank you, AB.  Your brewery tour is great.  It makes the Miller tour look like some guys threw a brewery together over a weekend.  Beautiful flowers, Clydesdales, stained glass, a spotless factory, and free beer make for a happy local and tourist alike.  Also, Grant’s Farm is quite possibly the best idea ever.  A ZOO WITH FREE BEER.  “Hey kids, here’s a dollar.  Go defend yourself against hungry baby goats.  Daddy’s going to have a beer then watch a ginormous African Elephant blow up a ballon, play a harmonica, and spray children with water.”  Presidents.  Mini-safari.  Ravenous goats.  Entertaining elephants.  Free beer.  Oh, AND GIANT HORSES.  It is the American dream in miniature.

Thank you, the arts.  First off, I’d like to thank the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for offering dozens of memorable date nights for the lovely wife and I.  We have subscribed the last few years, and your programming has taken us through time and around the world through music.  I love the symphony because it gives me about 90 minutes of time to stop, listen, and think without distraction.  We will truly miss you.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre is stunning, and we’ve seen some great shows through the years.  I got a wow out of my daughter the first time I took her this year to see Alton Brown.  Finally, we JUST saw Circus Flora for the first time.  I’m sorry I’m such a fool for not visiting you sooner.

I’d like to thank the many restaurants that have enriched our daily experiences and broadened our children’s horizons.  There are a few of you I’d like to mention.  Thank you, The Bridge, for being so unique and fun.  Some of our favorite evenings out have either began or ended in your balcony seating.  I could eat your foccacia bread with assorted cheeses forever.  Thank you, Pastaria for being so good that my 10 year old daughter would choose to have her birthday dinner in your restaurant…who am I to argue with her on that?  Finally, I’d like to thank India Palace.  I still think you are one of the gems of the area.  If I said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea.  Let’s start a restaurant with a mildly intimidating ethnic cuisine.  Then let’s put it at the top floor of a slightly run down hotel that you need to take a vaguely marked elevator to get to.  Oh yeah, let’s make it hard to get to, with no obvious road access, even though you can see it from a major highway.  Oh, the restaurant used to have some Polynesian Tiki Bar theme?  KEEP IT!”  If I came up with that plan, I would fail.  Yet, you somehow manage to not just survive, but thrive.  It is the best buffet I’ve ever had.  I would eat it every day.  You have been wonderful to my kids.  They absolutely love it.  I have yet to go when you have charged me full price for both of them.  Thank you.

There are many more restaurants out there that we love, and I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I’d just like to say, GREAT JOB.  The food in St. Louis has gotten so much better the last nine years, and I think it’s only going to improve in the years to come.

Thank you, the Cardinals.  I will always be a baseball fan first, but you have worked your way into my whole family’s hearts.  Cards games are clean and I’ve never had to explain something bad to my kids later on.  The games are still (relatively) affordable, and the product is fantastic.  I try to explain that the Cardinals are to St. Louis what the Packers are to Green Bay.  It’s the closest thing I can compare it to.  We recently went to the new museum in Ballpark Village.  It brought me to tears.  The kids loved it.  Heck, I got to HOLD Stan Musial and Willie McGee’s bat.  You are a class act and we will continue to love you from afar.  We’ll always have 2006 and 2011!

And then there are the Rams and Blues.  Blues, keep trying hard, you can do it!  I wish I could take my kids to your games, but the things I’ve heard there may melt their delicate ears.  Rams, I like football, I’m just not sure if you guys like football.  It seems like you struggle with it.

Finally, I’d like to thank our family, friends, students, parents, and church members for enriching our lives so much since 2005.  You are truly what will keep us coming back.

Sincerely,

Jason, Sarah, Katie, and Brendan Crowder