Refurbishing and Upgrading
my Char-Griller Grill and Smoker Stage two
gryniewski home :: stage one
Making modifications and painting the Smokin Pro by
Chargriller
The old backyard Char-Griller has been around for about 3
years now and put to heavy use. It has been over temperature a number of times -
not taken care of quite like it should have been and ended up with a good
portion of the powder coat peeling off.
After the powder coat gave way the rust came in and started gobbling up everything amazingly fast - it was time to step in and save my old friend from complete destruction!
This is stage two of the refurbishing - the final assembly, tweaks and firing it up to season the Char-Griller!
Ok, we are nearing the end of the Char-Griller project.
This one is a little dark but this is the final assembly.
Still in the garage and tweaking some things at this point. We blew the keg so
it's off the get canned beverages.
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Nice shot of the sanded shelves and the new handle from 1
1/4" dowel stock from Home Depot ($3.69): top
I decided to use the leftover aluminum vent from the
smokestack mod to extend and curve the outer smokestack - looks pretty nifty.
I didn't use a clamp on this - it fits nicely and stays on by itself. : top
Nice view of paint job. I used Rustoleum High Heat Ultra from Wal-Mart - ($6.74/can) : top
Just a peek under the hood after a short time with a 250
degree fire to start the seasoning process. I rubbed the inside
surfaces down with vegetable oil, pure lard and bacon fat. The grates got bacon
fat and lard only. This thing was dripping with grease! : top
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The wheels mod was probably the most difficult on this
project. I got the axle from a local hardware store (Johnson's Hardware) for
around $14.00 for two 1/2" round stock. They cut it to 26" for me and 1/4" on
each end drilled a 1/8" hole for the pin.
I used a 1/2" bit to enlarge the existing axle hole and drilled new holes on the
other two legs for their axle. We then lopped off
the legs on the side that had no wheels originally so that the legs were the
same length - looked better that way. : top
The Char-Griller finally sees the backyard again after 5 weeks in recovery. Nice day eh? : top
Ok from here down I am leaving the pictures in the large size to show off a little more....: top
I know - I went overboard on the pics! I'm just proud of
how it turned out. Here it sits at the start of the seasoning adventure.
I will be adding a brace to straighten up the SFB - it needs more support but
the spacers they send with the SFB
do not work on older Char-Grillers with the old leg design. I will make
something custom soon. Time for a beer. : top
The first load of fuel for the seasoning. I used the cheap charcoal briquettes from Wal-Mart for this part.
Man I love that custom basket!
Thanks again to JP,
Ron S, Bill G., Randy S. and the infamous Charlie S. for fabricating the uber-basket
for free.
You guys rock! Great job... (now can I get a dozen made up to sell??)
Also, thanks to my buddy Al W. for setting this up.
: top
I replaced the stock thermometer with a new one from eBay
and also added the grate level thermometer from River Country. : top
Now its looking good inside finally. This is after hours
of oil/fat application and adding charcoal, wood chips and chunks of hickory.
Almost looks like it is painted. : top
It's hard to see but there is a cast iron wood chip box on the ash pan right above the opening for the SFB and it is full of hickory chips. : top
Gotta get a food pic in here! This is preparation for
making Smoked Jerk Chicken after the grill seasoning is complete. I thought it
would be
an excellent way to break in the newly refurbished smoker.
Here I am soaking 3 chickens (parts) in Sunny D and cracked pepper.. Yep, I said
Sunny D - it works, believe me... Soak for about an hour. : top
After a good soak in the Sunny D I rubbed on a good amount
of Reggae Kati's famous Jamaican Jerk Seasoning - Ya Mon - it's good!
If you want some to try I can get you the purchase info. Use the form at the
bottom of the page to contact me. : top
Jerk Chicken on the grill - spicy mon! : top
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Look at her go! She's a beauty... : top
Now if you look real hard in this picture - in the background, in the neighbors
back yard sits a little whiny gas (eeeek!) grill.
You can see it looking over in envy and mumbling obscenities at the
Char-Griller. Calm down there my gassy brethren. This is real grillin!
: top
Took most of the chicken off and into the house for the
hungry masses. I left a few on to smoke/cook a bit more and for the grill master
to nibble on.
You can see I just laid a piece of foil over the ash pan for easy cleanup and
also as a makeshift baffle to help distribute the heat better. : top
: top
Andy likes that chicken! Eat that bird McNasty! : top
Gorgeous day to smoke a chicken. Ohio is finally having good weather and no rain for once. : top
And there you have it. Five weeks and around $400.00 I have a working, modified, fully refurbished Char-Griller in my backyard.
Boy, that was easy............... : top
stay tuned for more food and smoking pics! : top
Ski-BBQ
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Parts List so far:
New main chamber ash pan | Char-Griller | $ |
New Main chamber cast iron grates | Char-Griller | $ |
Rotisserie Kit | Char-Griller | $ |
New Cover | Char-Griller | $ |
New Side Fire Box | Char-Griller | $217.00 total for this and all above |
4 new Wheels - with ball bearing hubs and stainless cotter pins | Western Auto | $35.00 |
2 new 1/2" steel stock (36") axles and hanger iron for SFB straps | Johnson's Hardware | $17.50 |
New thermometer for grate level | River Country | $12.00 |
New dowel for SFB and main chamber handles (48 inches) | Home Depot | $3.69 |
3" x 8' semi rigid dryer vent and hose clamp | Home Depot | $8.69 |
Stainless bolts, nuts, washers etc. | Ace Hardware | $30.00 |
Custom charcoal basket | Friends made this | $FREE |
New pair grilling gloves | eBay | $10.00 |
Vertical Rib racks x 2 | eBay | $25.00 |
Instant read thermometer | Wal-Mart | $5.00 |
Small Cast iron smoke box for chips and small smoke jobs | Wal-Mart | $9.00 |
Rustoleoum High Heat Ultra Paint x 5 | Wal-Mart | $34.00 |
New Char-Griller logo | Char-griller | $5.00 |
New main chamber replacement stock thermometer | eBay | $2.99 |
Beer to get people to help me | my kegs and cases | Too Much! |
Grand Total - | $423.76 |
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