k.a.m. wrote:riseabove50 wrote:Finatic wrote:Looking good jellyworker! Something to be proud of.
KAM makes a good point about the pit rusting in a hurry. I've seen metal "flash" rust in 30 minutes after it was sandblasted. It depends on the moisture in the air. I'd be ready to paint it as soon as it is sandblasted.
If you choose not to paint the firebox you can get the firebox hot then spray cooking oil all over it. Do this a few times and it will be almost as black as the painted pit. I've been doing this for years and it's hard to tell my firebox isn't painted. You just have to make sure you keep a spray bottle with cooking oil on the pit and spray the firebox each time you cook.
I don't think i've heard of oiling the fire box. do you spray it inside and out?
i've used my cooker quite a few times and the inside of the firebox is pretty dirty, a little rusty and used as a firebox normally looks. obviously over time i imagine this is going to deteriorate the fire box to the point of it not being useable. any tips on prolonging this deterioration?
thanks
Outside only.
If you rake out the coals after every cook a 1/4" firebox will last many years. Ash is caustic and will create rust about as fast as salt water. My comp cookers firebox is going on three years old and pretty much looks like the day I built it on the inside. Between catering, competitions, and benefits we have cooked a lot of meat in Bahama Mama. Tomorrow we will be cooking 200 leg quarters and a case of links.
something i've learned the hard way on my cheaper pits. i was the type of guy who would leave ash in the firebox until the next cook.
during this build, i've learned that back in the old days, they made lye soap this way. fat and ash. lye will eat right through metal. and thats why after 4 years, my firebox fell off the pit. i will never again leave ash in my pit longer than a day. Vannessa, the name of this pit, will never have a dirty diaper.