Well our legendary smoker has had a really busy year. We estimate we have put over 300 shoulders of pork through our wonderful machine this year. “Sam the Smoker” has had a marathon run over the summer but we couldn’t cook the food we love to make without him.  Sam enables us to bath our shoulders of pork in a rich variety of smoke from different woods, but mainly oak from Kent. So of course “Sam the Smoker” needed some serious end of year maintenance especially after a very hot smoke when one of the original lid hinge welds split.  So out with the angle grinder and welder. Better to fix than have to chuck out and buy another.

“Sam the Smoker” looking a bit sad and sorry after a crazy year of almost non-stop smoking.

The broken lid hinge – the weld just popped apart while cooking

Cleaning up the old broken weld by cutting away the old metal

Welding

Welding

Love the welding helmet, xmas present from a generous wife.

Cleaning up new weld – it’s a bit ropey but it’ll hold

Final weld after a quick spray of heat resistant Hammerite paint finishes the job