aarn: offset smoker restoration [cooking]
this thing was in pretty bad shape when i found it. i talked to at least two people from the neighborhood who were thinking about snatching it up from the side of the road a few blocks from my apartment…i’m glad they didn’t. upon removing the grates (which were all accounted for) and cleaning out all of the ash, i was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no rusted-through spots on the inside of either the main grill or the offset smoker, so basically it just looked really bad, but most of the damage was cosmetic. i removed most of the hardware (and tightened the remaining hardware), the two handles, and all of the wooden slats that made up the front rack part of the grill, and gave the outside and inside a once over with a tough wire bristle brush. after removing as much of the loose rust and debris, the entire outside was wiped with a rag dampened with solvent, then somewhere between three and six coats (some parts got more) of 1200-degree stove spray paint was applied to the entire outside.
i cut some 1.25” pine dowels and drilled some holes to remake the handles, and cut some lengths of 1x2” pine to remake the shelf (cut this by hand with a 4” silky saw, it came out really nice and straight). all of the hardware for the handles and slat shelf was replaced with new brass hardware and the hardware for the shelf was countersunk. i put a few coats of teak oil on the wood, slapped the charbroil nameplate back on, and installed a HUGE river country brand 3” 50-550 degree thermometer (which mounted nicely with the 1/2” npt fitting in the knockout on the top of the main grill chamber). after everything was done and i had gone to the inman hardware store about six times, this project took about 4hrs total and cost about $100. considering that these are available new for $150 (without a $20 thermometer), i think that i did ok, and this smoker/grill has waaaay more character than a new one. now i just have to fire it up to cure the paint and start cooking. some more pictures here.
