Building a mini WSM

Having seen this post on a bbq forum I was interested to give a DIY mini WSM (weber smokey mountain) smoker a go.

The problem was getting hold of a tamale pot from the US. (Have a look on ebay or Amazon and you'll see the postage is really high).

So I improvised using a second hand soup pot from ebay, unfortunately it was too small (by 1 inch) for a Weber Smokey Joe. So the soup pot was stored and I forgot about it. Until that is, an ad for a cheap camping kettle BBQ from ebay popped up on my phone.

The kettle BBQ was ordered and delivered within a few days, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. Seemed solid enough, and included a good quality grate as well as a charcoal pan.

Both the pan and the kettle were a perfect fit (12inch diameter)

I cut a whole in the bottom of the pot and the lid using a metal jigsaw blade. (Drill through the aluminium with a metal drill bit first).

then drilled some more holes in the pot to take bolts to hold the grate and deflector (a plant pot base wrapped in foil)

Easy to assemble. Just insert the deflector and then fit the grate on the bolts above.

I guess it could hold a water pan too?

Some stove tape around the top to ensure a good seal and job done.

can't wait to give it a whirl. I'll post the results.