Happy Birthday to me!!!

Oops it's not my birthday yet is it!! Well now I'll have time to test smoke a few times before my birthday party on the 13th. I wouldn't want to serve something that I don't know how it tastes.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the smoker that arrived today (very quick delivery ordered on Monday and it came today)

It is very easy to put together, the 3 legs are held together by 6 bolts and nuts and the 4 grill straps inside the middle section are held by 8 bolts and nuts, and finally the plastic handle on top of the lid is put together with just one screw, that's it.

The one thing that I noticed was how heavy the smoker was, all the parts are made in a very thick gauge steel. It felt much heavier than a normal charcoal grill, even one from Weber.

The weather is not the best right now but I Hope that it will clear up by Sunday so that I can put this baby to the test.

Below are pictures of the different parts.

The charcoal bowl with the charcoal chamber and grate. Under the bowl is the heat shield and you also see one of three dampers.

Middle section with the water pan at the bottom right above the charcoal ring. The pan rest on the bottom part of the 4 grill straps. The new pan for 2010 hold 7.5 liters. The reason of the water pan is to ensure an even temperature during a cook. You could say that it acts like thermostat and prevents the cooker to overheat. Some people are using sand instead of water but i think that I'll start off with water.

Above the water pan is the bottom cooking grate that also rest on the lower part of the grill straps. In the lower right side of the picture is the door to attend the charcoal and water during a cook.

here is a better picture of the middle section with the door open. you also see the top cooking grate. This is the only grate that I will use on Sunday since I only have one rack of ribs and one chicken, therefore i don't need to use the bottom grate.

Fully assembled it measures 105 cm in height and 47 cm in diameter. The total cooking area approximately 3 000 square centimeters.

Side view with the door closed.

The lid thermometer, note that the ideal temperature range is between 100-135 degrees C. That is why the cooking time is several hours instead of minutes on a normal grill. remember the barbecue motto "Slow and Low"

I guess it could also be used as a "normal" charcoal grill if you put the top cooking grate directly above the charcoal chamber. The grill is very low at this point but it could be done.

Add the lid and you have a 47 cm One Touch Silver grill ;o)

On Sunday the real challenge begins and I'll keep you posted on the progress. I just took out the ribs and chicken from the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw out. I expect to light the coals at around 9 am on Sunday morning and the meat will go on the smoker at around 11 am that way the ribs will be done at around 3-4 pm.

Stay tuned.