Vent: My $300 smoker mod turned into a money pit

I got this idea to turn my old offset smoker into a reverse flow setup after watching a pitmaster on YouTube. So I spent about $300 on steel plates and a welder to add a baffle plate and tuning plates. Took me three weekends to cut and weld everything, and my welds look like a bird pooped on them. First cook after the mod, the temps were all over the place, like 50 degrees difference from one side to the other. I ended up burning a whole brisket that cost me $60 because the hot spots were so bad. Now I'm thinking I should have just saved that money and bought a used smoker from someone who knows what they're doing. Has anyone else tried a DIY mod that just made things worse?

4 comments

4 Comments

olivia_carr725d ago

My first attempt at welding was on a lawnmower deck that I thought I could patch up. Ended up with a hole three times the size of the original crack and a puddle of melted plastic underneath. That $300 mod sounds like a nightmare though, especially losing that brisket. I've definitely learned the hard way that my welding skills are more "abstract art" than "functional engineering." Sometimes throwing money at a problem just gives you a more expensive disaster.

evan_jenkins25d ago

@olivia_carr7 hold on, melted plastic under the lawnmower deck? lmao I can't believe you didn't torch the whole thing. That's a wild detail I wasn't ready for lol.

derek_ramirez15d ago

Whoa, wait, hold up - you lost a whole brisket? That's brutal man, I'd honestly be more upset about the meat than the money lol. @evan_jenkins you gotta hear this, this guy's story is somehow worse than yours. A $300 mod that goes wrong is bad enough, but having your dinner literally melt into a puddle of disappointment underneath a busted lawnmower is next level. I can't even imagine the smell of burnt plastic mixed with ruined brisket, that had to be one of the most depressing afternoons ever. Honestly though, that "abstract art" welding comment got me good, because I've definitely created some questionable blobs in my garage that I called "repairs" too.

alice12115d ago

That brisket burning thing is what got me too... $60 for a brisket and all that time seasoning it just to have it ruined by hot spots. I've messed up plenty of cheaper cuts but losing a whole brisket like that would make me want to throw the whole smoker in the trash. I can't believe you stuck with it for three weekends of welding just to end up with temps all over the place. The worst part is you probably thought you were being smart by doing it yourself instead of buying a new one. Makes me wonder how many other people have tried that same YouTube mod and ended up with a smoker that's worse than when they started.