Has anyone refurbished a used smoker?

Yes.


Went in a piece of shite, came out a piece of shite.

I was looking at something like this:

LINK

I feel like a smoker with a side fire box would be better than a WSM.

Cramer

That is exactly my smoker, except mine looks a 100 times better. Mine was purchased in 1981 and still works great. Paints up every year or two and when I find grills that fit, I buy them. Maybe have replaced the grills four times. Currently have some cast iron rates for charcoal that should never burn out.

If not too rusted, that will be a good option. I burn charcoal, oak, hickory, pecan, cherry, whatever I want in mine. works great.

Here is mine a year or two back.

I read the ad in your link and he is right. It is a VERY HEAVY unit. really thick metal and well built. I figure mine will last 20 - 30 more years.

Chicken over indirect heat - I do ribs this way too.


I have put 24 burgers on the grill at one time. Lots of cooking surface.

6 racks of ribs at one time, two briskets at one time. three full Boston butts. Three turkey breasts.

here is steak, with the charcoal grate turned sideways to bring the coals really close to the steak for a good sear.

It depends on what you want to do. Do you want to stand by the smoker adding a log every now and again with a beer in your hand? Or do you want to set it and forget it and still have good barbecue? If it is the first one than buy a stick burner. If it is the second buy that WSM and don't look back

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the only downside is the weight of it.

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The only downside is when you need to move it. Once in place, mine stays there and the weight gives it great stability. You could say the good side of the weight is that it helps it stay where you put it.

Funny thing. My Grandfather had an excellent smoker. It was a cypress shed, maybe 10 feet by ten feet and nine or ten feet tall out by the chicken yard. Had a tin roof and smoked meat like a charm. Saw him put two hogs in it, cut up, salted down and smoked together all at one time. His smoker probably weighed 3,000 pounds, minus the hard packed dirt floor. Smelled incredible inside my grandfather's home made smoker.

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I was looking at something like this:

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Kosmo, the only thing you want to check out on the used one is the bottom of both units, firebox and smoke box.
Looks like is hasn't been covered so it might be rusted out on bottom. Push on bottom with a screwdriver and make sure not soft..
If ok you could sand blast and restore...Good luck!
And....always Pecan Wood!

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would not waste my time to grill on it. Install

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I use mine for everything I cook (grilling and smoking) and it works perfectly. I can afford ten BBQ stoves if I wanted them, I'll keep the one I have and enjoy each use of it.

I'm not sure what is wrong with me. Folks make cooking/smoking/grilling things out to be such an incredible chore with thermometers, two or three units required, certain brands of charcoal, wood pellets, etc. I just do it. It always turns out great, with the biggest problems I have is that I keep running out of beer and crusty bread.

Thank goodness there is a Piggly Wiggly within driving distance and they have never turned me away.

I just discovered I am not a scheduled stop on the 2014 custom smoker tour. I guess I really am a failure.

sigh

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MeridianDog

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I use same smoker and it looks exactly like yours and I paint mine every 2 years as well.

No apologies needed.
For $75 he can't go wrong with the purchase. Fix it up, learn its nuances and stay with or add to it. As you enjoy documenting your many dishes, I enjoy owning and using many cookers, and all but one were brand new to me. It's all about the passion for your hobby and sharing your experience.

So to the OP, it's $75 to learn something new, and that's never wasted money. Shoot, you could probably sell it for $100 a few years from now if you decide to move on, and take care of it!